College Lifeguard: College Planning - Rescued!

By Mac DeWildt

Pull back the curtain on college planning! What you do and when you do it really matter!

This unique, must-read book is for all parents and students bracing for the high cost of college. Written by a parent advocate who has helped thousands of families begin the college journey, College Lifeguard shows how to save you MONEY and improve your OPTIONS.

These little-known--and highly important--concepts will empower students and reduce college costs for most everyone: from those who are just beginning high school now, to the experienced college student, to the parents of students found anywhere along that path!

Before you start planning for college with any other resource, read College Lifeguard: College Planning - Rescued!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mac DeWildt
• Release date: Apr 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311534286

Book preview

By Mac DeWildt

Copyright 2011 – 2020 Mac DeWildt

5th Edition

5th Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One – ACADEMICS and PERSONAL PROGRESS

Chapter Two – FINDING YOUR CAREER PATH

Chapter Three – FINDING YOUR COLLEGE

Chapter Four – APPLICATIONS

Chapter Five – THE MONEY GAME

Chapter Six – COLLEGE and BEYOND

Chapter Seven – PASSION, PURPOSE, ACTIONS, and TIMING

Acknowledgements

To my wife, who has been my most enthusiastic, energetic, and loving supporter throughout the years. Thank you! What more could I possibly say?

In addition to her, without the support and inspiration of so many family members and other individuals, this book would never have come to light. My sincerest thanks to everyone who provided such steadfast encouragement.

Preface

This book was written to advise parents and students of some common roadblocks they will encounter while preparing for—and getting through—college. Consider the information within these pages as an initial blueprint to help you create your college plan. The final details and any special customizations can be added to your specific plan as the picture of your collegiate future comes into focus.

In that context, the following accounts are intended to be an informational and inspirational narrative, not a replacement for the personalized and professional service of a qualified college advisor. Seek the assistance of a professional consultant for help regarding your specific situation.

Every academic, financial, and admission situation is unique to the student, family, and institution to which they belong. As proper preparation takes time, this planning should be initiated at the earliest date possible. Please keep in mind that all rules, guidelines, requirements, and deadlines vary by college, application type, and student status. It is the reader’s sole responsibility to discover and abide by all stipulations and applicable laws throughout this entire process.

Additionally, please remember, no affiliations or endorsements exist between the author and any college, university, government agency, or private organization mentioned below or otherwise found within this book.

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FAFSA is a registered service mark of Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation

SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board

The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc.

Common App® is a registered trademark of Common Application.

Introduction

Ian

Ian sat bewildered. He certainly must have misunderstood the words she spoke. After all, having forged through three years of heavy studies and faithful tuition payments, a university counselor wouldn’t actually respond like this to a veteran student, would she? Wasn’t it her job to assist students? He must have misinterpreted what she said.

What? What do you mean? he asked her with desperate concern.

I mean, I am not here to help you figure out what field of study you’re going to go after. You need to figure that out on your own, she instructed.

But, my GPA just isn’t high enough to get accepted into accounting. A friend of mine applied to the program last year with a 3.8 and didn’t get in, Ian explained.

Okay, so what major do you want to pursue instead? she asked as patiently as she could.

But Ian protested, If I go after a different major, I’ll end up spending at least another two and a half years here. What other choice do I have? You know, I guess I have no idea what to do.

You are right, you probably won’t get into the accounting program. So, what major will you pursue instead? she asked curtly one final time.

I don’t know, he conceded as he slumped back in the chair.

Then I guess you’ll have to figure that out on your own time. I have other students waiting right now, so please come back when you know what you want to do. Then we can talk about your path. The advisor escorted Ian from the office and called the next number in line.

Ian left the advising center in a state of confusion. Wasn’t the advising center supposed to advise? In what direction was he supposed to go, now that his original plans fell through? Was he just going to magically know what to study? How would he know? Wasn’t there anyone he could talk to about this?

Deflated of any motivating purpose, Ian trudged backed to his apartment looking for solutions, weighing his options, and contemplating his dilemma. How did he get into this mess? At what point did his plan simply come apart?

Most importantly, what was he to do next?

The answers to those questions felt so elusive.

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In the years spanning high school through college graduation, you will have moments in which you feel just like Ian—confused, devoid of purpose, and alone. The demands of preparing appropriately for college—academically, financially, and occupationally—are intimidating, to say the least. And that doesn’t even mention the differing voices you hear broadcasting their conflicting opinions about what you should do!

One look at online college discussion forums reveals how desperate parents and students are to get ready for college the right way.

Yet, even after careful planning, many of them still lose thousands of dollars unnecessarily for prolonging their college years or sacrificing important opportunities in ignorance.

How do I know? Over many years, I have instructed hundreds of students and parents, in both individual and large group sessions, as a college-prep coach. What I have witnessed is an increasing disparity between the expectations that students and parents have about college planning and the many realities of college itself. Often, the theories in books, online discussion boards, and published checklists don’t exactly match what plays out in real life.

These theories, in turn, perpetuate destructive myths to which many families cling, without any consideration of the validity of the original claim. Quite often, such errors are due to ignorance about this daunting subject. Some of these oft-repeated myths include:

My grades and test scores are what they are. There’s no reason to work on either since I’m over half-way through high school.

I’m still a kid. There’s no rush to learn about careers yet.

I don’t know what I want to do for a career, so I’ll just wait until I’m in college. I’ll have plenty of time to figure it all out then.

My family makes too much money for me to get any financial aid.

I’m only going to apply to one college. If it turns out that the cost is too high, I can always just apply to a different college at that point.

My financial aid award won’t cover enough of the cost of college, so I guess there’s nothing else I can do except skip college for now.

We’re always supposed to take whatever financial aid we are offered, right?

My college will automatically keep me on pace to keep the right amount of financial aid.

A friend of mine said my favorite college is too expensive, so I am not even going to apply.

Of course, I’ll graduate in four years, why wouldn’t I? My college will make sure it will only take me four years to get my bachelor’s degree.

As far as financial aid goes, I just need to fill out my forms at the right time. There’s nothing more I can do. It is what it is.

I don’t have to worry about my career, whatever college I go to will take care of that for me.

They wouldn’t give me all these loans unless I could afford them in the end, right?

If I put my head down and work my tail off, everything will turn out as it should.

And the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, ideas like these prevent many students and their parents from planning for college successfully by wasting their limited and priceless resources: time, money, and opportunity.

Planning for college the right way appears to be a simple task, until it transfigures into something much larger and completely overwhelming. Think of swimming in open water. One moment everything is just fine as you’re floating along and enjoying your time in the sun. And then, without warning, you find yourself swept out to deeper water from the pull of an undetectable undertow. Your calm feelings are quickly capsized by an unrelenting wave of fear. The shoreline steadily shrinks into the distance, regardless of the fury with which you struggle swimming towards it. You need help. You need help now! You need a lifeguard!

With less than a moment’s notice, circumstances can change so drastically that you are blindsided by hazards you didn’t even know existed. In a position like mine, anyone could quickly notice which patterns of behaviors, actions, and attitudes help the most in avoiding—and recovering from—these dangers.

After witnessing so many costly situations play out in similar