College Bound

Ah----the maze of paperwork that accompanies the college admissions and financial aid processes.

My middle son, Matthew, graduates from highschool in June and so, needless to say, we are gearing up for his continuing education (an AA degree in Liberal Arts) which he has decided to obtain from Cerro Coso Community College. With the rising cost of university tuitions, coupled with the fact that California is in dire financial straights (meaning not much offered in the way of state financial aid), starting out at a community college is definitely something to be considered. We have filed the one-stop shopping FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and just finished the application for Cal Grants. I am so grateful that these programs exist----a college education should never be denied someone who has the desire for it, but not the funds.

Because Matthew is already enrolled at Cerro Coso, which is located in the foothills of the Sierras, making the transition from concurrently enrolled highschool student to full-time regular student should be fairly painless. He, very fortunately, has a wonderful counselor at his highschool who has been instrumental in walking him (and me!!) through this whole college admissions thing. Thank you, Betsy!

Matthew wants to earn his English degree after CCCC, so he will most likely arrange a transfer to our local higher learning establishment, Humboldt State University, in 2012. What can one do with an English degree, you might ask? For Matthew, who wants to be a writer, an English degree can help pay the bills while he awaits the publishing of his first novel. Matthew is a very gifted storyteller, so I have no doubt that before long I will be standing in line at Borders to have my copy of his book autographed. Wow! That is such an exciting thought!

The fact that Matthew will earn his entire Liberal Arts degree online is an amazing thing to me. Just a decade ago this would have been an impossible feat. Making educational degrees more accessible to the masses is such a wonderful idea. Not everyone can afford to move away from home to attend college, or maybe they have obligations that render a move completely inappropriate. Or maybe, like my son, the online student has absolutely no desire to attend college away from home and finds the thought of campus life unappealing, at best----a waste of time, at worst. Online education is defintely the 'wave of the future'.

Here are some links with information that may be helpful in preparing for college:

http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/attachments/siteresources/CollPrep.pdf

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/College.asp

And I must say that, regardless of what choices our children make concerning the pursuit of higher education, it is so important that we, as parents, offer our love, our support, and a listening ear.