How To Minimize Senior Year Stress

If you have kids—whether currently in high school or younger—there’s probably a lot on your plate. While doing your best to keep them healthy and safe and being their go-to for everything under the sun, you can become exhausted by simple, everyday routines, like reminding them to do their homework, monitoring their social media use, chauffeuring them to various school and extra-curricular activities and more.

It’s no wonder that many families feel overwhelmed. As it is, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in a “normal” day to accomplish everything on one’s to-do list. And now families with college-bound children need to face the daunting task of trying to figure out this whole college “thing.”
Take heart! This doesn’t have to be what happens to you!

Working with a professional independent educational consultant (IEC) will help you not just get through this important phase of your child’s life; it will help you avoid the following sanity-sapping traps into which parents often fall, especially senior year:

• Miscalculating the amount of time and level of expertise needed to drive this bus. The college search and admission and financial aid application processes are very complicated. Accordingly, waiting until the summer before or first semester of 12th grade to begin tackling in earnest all that needs to be done is a huge stressor for families. And it’s likely to produce less-than-thoroughly researched college lists as well as applications that might not read well. Beginning work with an IEC earlier in their high school career will help your student realize positive outcomes while freeing you to focus on your other responsibilities and interests, knowing that your student is in good hands.
  
• Wandering aimlessly. Rather than beginning the college search process with a random list of schools that usually lacks meaningful common threads, IECs focus on thoughtful self-assessment to help students create a balanced college list that includes options matching up not only with their GPA and scores but also their learning style, personality, and preferences. Additionally, IECs can keep your student on track for success, saving you from being the “bad guy.” We spend countless hours addressing and overseeing both “big picture” issues and important details to ensure that applications are carefully completed and in a timely fashion.
  
• Worrying about how you’ll afford the cost of college. For most parents, paying for college is the single largest expense they’ll ever encounter other than buying a house. It’s essential early on—even for wealthy families—to discuss their family budget as well as how their student might qualify for need-based financial aid, merit scholarships and/or discounted tuition. It can be a huge mistake to take a wait-and-see attitude! Instead, before students fall in love with specific schools, IECs help parents to assess their family’s relative financial strength as well as understand which schools are generous with what kind of aid.  
  

The earlier families begin talking about and planning for college, the more likely that their stress will be lessened, and peace of mind enjoyed.
For more info and a complimentary consultation, call 845.242.8336