I don’t remember having National College Declaration Day when I headed off to school. Is all the attention on this choice a good thing? I’m not sure, because it’s already a stressful time for seniors. There’s a ton of pressure to make the perfect decision on a school to attend, during a time when they are smack in the middle of taking AP tests, finals and applying for scholarships.
I know, because my daughter has been going through this over the last few months and it has been stressful. Her original college choice ended up being WAY too expensive. It had been our understanding that with merit aid, etc, the cost would be close to the University of Washington, it was not. Even with scholarships she was looking at paying $51,000 a year. We couldn’t, and wouldn’t, pay $240,000 for four years of college. We explained to her that she could buy a house with the money. And so she had to change gears which made it a little difficult at first, because in her mind, everything seemed to pale in comparison.
Some might say, that you get what you pay for. But I knew that there were other schools where my daughter could get a great education and not be burdened with huge loans after she graduated, especially since she wants to travel when she is done. So she narrowed it down to three small colleges (one of her requirements), where she could study Creative Writing and Chinese and play basketball, and then made a final decision this week.
Breathe.
I know she’s nervous, it’s a huge change, heading off to college and stepping out into this great big world on her own. But I also know that even if she has doubts and fears about this new chapter in her life, she will be fine, she is ready. It’s time for her to soar.
Share your experiences surrounding this big day…
