Application Season

High School Seniors are still scrambling and get very concerned about their College Plans. The concerns range from career planning, college selection, financial aid, application and much, more. Some are concerned whether a college degree is even worth the investment. I believe it is a great investment, with a high rate of return. On average, a person with an Undergraduate degree will earn twice as much as someone with only a high school degree. From an employment perspective many employers are now requiring a minimum of a Bachelor Degree to even be considered for an interview. Then there are the unemployment numbers. The percent of non-degree unemployed is much higher than people with degrees. Before going much further ask your student if they want to go to college and why? What is their plan and what is their goal? If everything seems positive, then you as the parent must be their advocate and help them meet their college enrollment goal.


Remember the cost of college has become the second largest investment most people will make during their lifetime. The cost of a public school bachelor degree is about $100,000 and double that amount for a private school.

The main question that I get from parents is “How do we prepare for this experience and keep our cost from spiraling out of control.” My response depends on each family’s situation and their student. There are many strategies that parents should implement well in advance of the submitted financial aid forms. When parents do not implement these strategies they can risk losing thousands of dollars in Financial Aid.

It is a very competitive environment (the competition is not in your student’s high school anymore, but the 3 million other students applying for college each year). The process is complex and daunting, parents must get involved early. Visit my website at www.collegefinancialfunding.com to learn more about the college planning process or you can call Ron Rotenberg an Independent Certified College Planner with College Funding Solutions at 310-377-0668, he offer’s a free one hour consultation on the college planning process.