We are in the middle of a series on finding the best college fit for your student. We’ve already covered helping your son or daughter determine a possible career path they might choose. You can link to the first post in the series here.
Now we will look at YOU and your mindset.
Before you start the college research process, I highly recommend taking some time to consider some things yourself.
Blinkers or Blinders?
Here in Northwest Atlanta, we have several horse farms. You can be driving down the road and tucked in between neighborhoods, you’ll suddenly find a horse farm complete with barns, fencing, and stables. I am not a horse person, but one day I looked up the definition of “blinders.” Apparently, the official term is “blinkers.” The definition is: a piece of horse tack that prevents the horse from seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. (Wikipedia).
So here’s your next assignment for college research. Put your blinkers on. Or put your blinders on. Whichever one appeals to you most.
Tips For Your Blinders
- You need to focus on your path. Stay in your lane. Do not worry about what Jane Smith down the street is doing with her kid.
- If everyone in your circle is sending their kids to the big state school, just say to yourself, “I don’t have to.”
- If all your friends are sending their kids to college, and your kid seems more like someone who wants to get their hands dirty, work an honest trade, and isn’t super academic, then say to yourself, “We don’t have to.”
- If all the kids your student hangs out with are staying home and going to the local community college, say to yourself, “We don’t have to.”
- If everyone you know is sending your kids to the Christian college 2-3 hrs away, just say to yourself, “We don’t have to.”
- If your kid’s best friend is having a gap year and traveling the world or working a job, just say to yourself, “We don’t have to.” Or if you think a gap year or working a job for year is better for you, then keep those blinders on when others are saying their kid is going to college.
Your main goal needs to be figuring out what is best for YOUR student, your family, your budget, your time, etc. Put those blinders on and carry happily along without noticing what everyone else is doing. You are going to need to decide these things for yourself. Don’t let others influence you one way or the other. You can do this all by yourself!
Some Factors to Consider
You need to sit down with your spouse and student and discuss some of your proclivities, preconceived notions, and idea regarding colleges.
- Maybe your family is a big fan of a certain school and has a legacy of people going there. That may be an important value to you that you want to uphold for your own kid. Everyone comes with their own opinions about certain colleges they like or dislike based on their own personal history.
- You definitely need to look at the bottom-line price tag and what the college says about scholarships and financial aid that is available. We’ll talk more details about this later, but just remember that you need to be realistic. Obviously if you’re on a budget and your kid isn’t a top scorer on standardized tests or MVP on an athletic team, you most likely won’t have any Ivy league colleges on your list. And that is okay, because you are working on finding a good fit for your student and your family!
- Your student might have certain qualifications they are looking for, especially if you have been on a few college visits with them. They might want big, small, rural, urban, lots of females, lots of males, strong greek (fraternity/sorority) presence, not very strong greek presence, sports to watch and attend, don’t care about sports at all, Christian campus, secular campus, don’t care what kind of campus as long as there are lots of organizations, ….. Are you getting a picture here? Sit down with your teen and ask them what are their key qualifiers for the college research process.
Once you have considered these things, you will be ready for the next step.
Blessings,
Michelle
P.S. Bonus pro tip – Once you make your decision, don’t let anyone’s comments make you doubt it! Make it prayerfully and after evaluating all the factors and then keep those blinders on and don’t be swayed into second-guessing yourself!!
P.P.S. Click here to go to the next post in this series!