The Six C’s of College Planning - Financial aid expert Laurie Brill on the key steps required for a successful college search.

Commit. As your student nears his or her high school graduation, it’s more important than ever to stay on track with your college-funding plan. “Families need to prioritize their spending,” says Brill, director of marketing for the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America. “If your priority is an excellent education for your children, an annual cruise to the Bahamas might not be in line with that.” This also is an ideal point to have your child join you in meeting with your Thrivent Financial representative to make sure the college savings plan you have in place is as smart as it can be.

Clarify. Have clear discussions with your future collegian about the “concept of choice and the value of a college education,” Brill says. “Students and parents all too often limit their choice set early on. Keeping your options open to public, private, in-state and out-of-state institutions is important.” Clarify your mutual goal to keep your options open at the beginning of the process. The key is to evaluate what your child wants in conjunction with what you want for your child, and then figure out where that is most likely to be achieved. A good high school guidance counselor can help with this discussion.

Compare and contrast. Begin to narrow down the field of possible institutions and have a discussion about the “quality and value” of the colleges your child is considering, Brill says. In addition to comparing the schools’ academic profile, try to determine the ways in which each school may or may not gel with your child’s personality. Visits to campuses are critical, Brill says. She reminds parents to ask each school about its “time to degree,” which is its four-year graduation rate.

Crunch the numbers. Now that you have a handful of potential colleges in mind, it’s time to do the math. “Establish relationships with admissions counselors at colleges you’re seriously considering,” Brill says. You also can sit in on financial aid seminars, such as those hosted by Lutheran Educational Conference of North America, where Brill serves as director of marketing. Do your homework: Investigate how each college determines eligibility for financial aid. Next, follow through on the financial aid application process to access both merit and need-based aid. Your “out-of-pocket” costs cannot be determined until you have applied for financial aid and the colleges have responded with financial aid award letters, which are distributed in February, March and April of a student’s senior year in high school.

Choose. Your child has narrowed down his or her choices based on research and campus visits. You’ve evaluated each college’s aid package. Now it’s time to choose. As you weigh the options, remember that “college is a time for exploration,” Brill says. “It’s an opportunity for students to grow spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.” She also points out that very few students know what they want to do when entering college, and research demonstrates that most students change majors several times before graduating. So factoring in which college will best help your child determine his or her vocation is important. Above all, Brill says to remember the “lifelong benefit of a college education.” Yes, finding the perfect fit takes time and research. But the investment will be worth it. 

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