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[quote=Anonymous]Yes. A good college search is like buying a house or any other major life decision. It takes a ton of time a research.  I mean, DC, MD, NOVA? Commute, schools, neighborhood, price, feel of the community.  It’s the same type of process. You have to do a lot of research and a lot of (preferably in person) looking. Start with the major public universities in your state and see where your kid is competitive and if it works. Then go from there. Think about what you like and don’t like. Degree, price, grades, employability, weather, distance.  And grab a Fiske Guide, pick some places that look promising where your kid is in range, and attend a virtual info session. What do you like and not like?  Go from these.

With kid 2 and virtual everything, we have found these presentations where 6-8 schools that are selective but different band together to be enormously helpful. You get a 15 minute talk from each and go to breakout rooms to ask questions. We’ve added a couple schools we Never would have through off. We’ve shedding a lot quickly. And we’ve been able to narrow down criteria.

You can definately  hire a good college consultant.  And I don’t judge people who do.  Goodness knows I outsource a lot of things. This particular thing it was important for me to do with my kids. For a number of reasons. One, I value education very highly, even for this area. It’s important to me for it to be done right. Two, I know my kid better than anyone. I know what makes him tick and I know what makes him laugh and know what situations he hates. And I see pluses and minuses I can point out to my kid that are specific to them. Three, this is the first big decision my kid makes. And if you feel lost, imagine your teen. Kids need to learn the steps of making a good decision in a complex set of circumstances. So you walk through it together, one step at a time. And in the end, he hopefully knows how to make next big decision about a job or grad school, that you won’t help him make. And lastly because the time I have left is limited and precious. I want to be there.

And seeing my kid make a good choice and having that first Zoom call, when we got  the big grin and he said he loved it there and had made a good choice? Really seeing him fly for the first time?  It’s the most rewarding thing I have had happen in my life.

It not Harvard. But it a great school for him, he’s happy, he’s getting good grades, he’s made good friends, he’s making smart choices. DH and I did it.  We created a good adult. Priceless. [/quote]

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