Getting Junior in College May Not Be as Hard as Keeping Him There

For many parents, it all begins the moment they know that their family is about to expand. Others wait a while, but somewhere around the time Junior hits thirteen or fourteen, they suddenly realize that college is approaching and at a very rapid rate. Plans have to be made! Schools selected, financial matters discussed, career objectives considered, scholarships, grants, and yes, student loans have to be researched, selected and applications completed.

Junior must begin filling out college applications, writing essays, providing references, making visits to various campus and of course there is the SAT and ACT tests that must be taken. Parents will be well advised to purchase books and DVD's to assist the child in studying for these examinations. Oh, did I mention that each application will most likely include a non-refundable application fee from fifty to two hundred dollars!

Now the wait! Tests have been completed, applications submitted, campus visits made, and all that's left to do is wait for the letters. Once the letters begin to arrive Junior will have the opportunity to select, from those who accepted him, and begin making final plans to enter college. As a parent, you now know what the total financial impact will be and exactly were you stand.

From the time Junior receives makes his final decision to the first day of classes you are busy buying clothes, books, computers, a car (?), and miscellaneous accessories. The day arrives and Junior is off to college and you can give a big sigh of relief knowing that his future is bright and in four years you will watch as a receives his degree.

Wait! Did you know that Junior stands more than a fifty-fifty chance of not completing the college you just spend the last two-three years getting him enrolled to attend?

Retention of incoming freshman is a major issue for the majority of colleges and universities. The number of incoming freshman who actually enrolled, for the sophomore year, at the same school is usually less than seventy-five percent. This means that Junior has a one in four chance of not making it to the sophomore year, at least in the school you just spent all that time getting him into.

Here are a few reasons given by freshmen changing schools. The main reason for dropping out or changing schools is the inability to make the grades. Make sure your child is ready for the challenge. Undergraduate studies are not high school.

Finances are also a major reason for changing schools. Many who begin in a private college or university find that raising tuition and other cost price them out of the school. Be prepared for an average increase of five to eight percent each year.

Attending the school only because a parent was an alumni or pursuit of a course of study simply because a parent or parents decided it was best for them. After the first year they have realized that this is not what they want for their lives. College doesn't tend to develop independence!

Homesickness is also a major factor. While it seemed like a good ideal to move across the country to go to college now that they are there, the realization is that they miss their friends and family. Many freshmen prefer to change to a school closer to home.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to insure that junior will finish at the school he started at is to become involved in the selection process early and do more listening than talking. Here what is being said and allow junior to make the final decisions. Than support those decisions and do not be critical if a decision is made to switch schools!