Preparing Teens for College

Junior year of high school is a great time to start preparing your teen for going away to college. They might argue that it’s far away and there’s no need to plan so far in advance, but there is. If the parent’s are paying for tuition and books, then most teens will not need to start thinking about how they’re going to pay for it, but if a teen will be paying for it on their own, they have some serious decisions to make.

Teens can get loans, try to get a scholarship or win grants to pay their way through college. Tuition and books are incredibly expensive, so thinking ahead about these things will help save your teen some stress later.

Once a college has been decided on, payment methods have been figured out and the first day of school is drawing closer, your teen will need to decide where they’re going to live. Dorms are a great choice, it puts your teen right in the middle of the college experience, they’ll meet lifelong friends and they’ll have a great time, but dorms can be very expensive. Another option is to share an apartment with other college students or get a house. Keep in mind that rent isn’t usually all that cheap in a college town, especially right around the campus. Your teen might have to work one or two jobs to pay for rent and bills, so make sure their course load reflects this.

Another thing your teen will want to consider is parking fees. Unless you live within walking distance to your college or university, you are going to have to pay quite a bit just to drive your car to school each day. Parking passes are a great idea and most universities sell them- but, the close parking passes are almost impossible to find, so be prepared to walk a great distance. Thinking about these things before leaving for college will help your teen to be prepared for what is yet to come.