Welcome to College Summit

Role of the Parent

You as the parent have been wanting for years a better opportunity for your children than you had. Since the moment they were born and you picked them up, your unspoken or spoken goal has been to give them all the opportunities afforded in this country. Here are a couple of suggestions that might make those goals come true.

1. The value for education comes from home. Educators constantly bombard your kids with their words, but it is only through your beliefs that it will really happen. Rather than talking about not knowing how you will get them through school, talk instead about how you will help them with the obstacles. Let them know that a college education is part of the family values and beliefs. Let them know that you are there to help them with the next step.
2. Help your student with a plan, a timeline, and with finding the adults and programs (College Summit) to make the dream come true. This is not a situation of instant gratification, but a process that takes time. The more quality time that is put into this process, the better the outcome.
3. There will be many times when your student wants to “quit and go fishing”. This is not an option. These are the times when you must be the parent and not the friend. This is the time to put that dream back in their head and help to show them the path to making the dream come true.
4. One of the toughest conversations that you will have with your high school student is about money. Not everyone has the bank account to pay for all the expenses. Let your student know that between their working, your working, and financial aid, you will find a way to make it happen. There is NO student in this country that shouldn’t go to college because of money.
5. Once your son/daughter has been accepted into one or more schools please try to visit the campus. This should be done before telling the school you are coming. An example of this would be—you wouldn’t buy a $40,000 car without test driving it.  Test drive your school choices before you make the decision.
6. No decision should be made alone. No decision should be made until you see the financial aid packages from each school. Look at all the options together and talk about it. This is an important agreement between the student, the parent, and the school. Everyone should be on the same page.
7. Last but certainly not least. Let go. You have worked your proverbial butt off to get your child ready for the opportunities that college can give them. Don’t make them feel guilt about going away, but instead embrace the adventure. Encourage them, support them, and most importantly love them enough to know that this is the best thing for their future, not yours.