So, you plan to send a kid off to college...
It comes with a knot in your stomach and a stack of questions you've never had to ask before. College Bound Life is a complete guide for parents and guardians - whoever is the grown-up in this - in the order you'll actually need it, honest about what to skip. Take a breath. You've got this.
Junior year - testing, building the college list, and the tax year that decides your aid.
Senior year, fall - applications, deadlines, and the FAFSA.
Senior year, spring - offers arrive, and choosing by May 1.
After you choose - deposits, paperwork, and move-in.
Our College Finder helps you locate the right college fit. It uses public federal data, maps every college within a radius of any zip code, and runs in your browser.
Before senior year
Choosing classes that protect their GPA without the burnout.
Which test(s), when, how many times, and whether to send the score.
How many activities, how deep, and what colleges actually find interesting.
When to start, what to look at, and whether they affect admission.
When a decision is actually required, and why undecided is fine.
Applying
How many schools, which ones, and who can help.
What the ranking formulas measure, and how much weight to give them.
Applying to a stretch school, and whether transferring in later works.
Early Decision, Early Action, Rolling and the rest, in plain English.
What it is judged on, when it gets written, and your role in it.
Paying for it
The FSA ID, when it opens, whose taxes it uses, and why you file anyway.
Reading the spring letters, comparing real cost, and appealing one.
Federal and private, Parent PLUS, and how much is too much.
What a 529 covers, and how to find scholarships worth the time.
Before they leave
FERPA, HIPAA and power of attorney - the forms that matter after they turn 18.
The packing list that survives contact with a real dorm room.
Single, double, suite, and how roommates get connected (hint: it's a lot different these days).
Once they're there
What to say if they call, and when to worry.
What to send, and the calendar that works across the whole academic year.
Rush, the time commitment, and what a year actually costs.
Co-ops, internships and study abroad, and what each one actually is.