Talk about college sticker shock! I just read an article about a company that charges $14,000 for a 4-day Application Bootcamp. The camp sells out every year and boasts a waiting list. The statistics are posted about the students who attend and the results of their admissions applications. The stats are impressive, but I had to ask myself if that price tag was worth the results. Perhaps it is, if your teen’s heart is set on a specific school and you have the cash on hand. But most parents are scrambling just to pay tuition, let alone come up with $14,000 to pay for an application coaching camp.
If you’re one of those parents whose teen wants to be accepted into a top-tiered college or university and you don’t want to drop 14 grand for admissions coaching, what can you do? Will that price tag assure your teen an acceptance letter?
If that cost sends you running in the opposite direction, try this instead:
- Start early and stay organized–use a filing system that helps you keep track of awards, activities and deadlines.
- Encourage your teen to take challenging courses: AP classes, Honors classes, science and math courses.
- Be an effective parent coach by encouraging them to focus on one or two activities in high school and stay involved.
- Arm yourself with the right tools and information to help your teen learn about interview questions, essay topics and admissions applications.
- Study the college admissions statistics of the colleges that your teen is interested in and use them as a guideline in the college selection process.
- And lastly, for a fraction of the $14,000 pricetag, you can purchase the Parents Countdown to College Toolkit which will provide you with all the tools you need to help your teen realize their dream of a college education at the school of their choice.
Granted, there are those parents who can afford and are willing to pay hefty prices for admissions counseling. But the bulk of most parents are on a budget, scrimping and saving to be able to send their kids to college. The Parents Countdown to College Toolkit is an affordable and effective alternative!