U.S. News & World Report: Best Colleges – Save 25% Off
I’ve heard it said many so many times before. Enjoy them while they are young, because they will be grown before you know it. All too soon, my oldest son has become a man. Writing this post on choosing a college, yes college, was very emotional. It’s hard to admit your baby is now a young adult and ready to face the world on their own.
But nevertheless, high school is done and it’s time to choose the best path for him. After signing on to the Marine Corps Reserves, it’s now time to choose a college to accompany his military career. This Mom couldn’t be any more proud.
Choosing and getting admitted to a college is not an easy task. After the ACT or SAT is done, the applications are submitted, and the essay is written, there are still unanswered questions.
• What colleges are close to his Marine Corps base? He needs to go once a month.
• How will he even get into a good school? He didn’t have the best grades.
• Can we afford the tuition? How will we pay soon or when will we have to start paying?
• Above all, is this the best fit school for Aaron?
These are the questions that continually burden me. I recently received a copy of U.S. News’ Best Colleges 2014 guidebook.
Right away, I went to the back of the book and looked for the best Pennsylvania Colleges (all 50 states are included). This is so much nicer than the individual pamphlets that are overflowing in my Sharpied-marked “College Folder”.
The rankings of each college, website, admissions and financial aid information are listed. The Best Colleges 2014 guidebook has all the schools Aaron has shown interest in in one place. Plus, there are some colleges listed we didn’t even know about.
After reviewing the college rankings, I wanted to read a little more on Financial Aid. Although the military is helping with some of the cost, Aaron will still need some sort of Financial Aid. I read a story in the book about a father trying to negotiate tuition in a grocery store. I suppose there are no coupons for that! Turns out, however, there is a pecking order to paying off loans and websites to help manage your loans. The book also encourages signing up for websites that will send out alerts for local scholarships. This is something they don’t tell you in high school. We only know about the scholarships listed in the guidance office. We will be signing up for them all.
Even before studying the schools, the guidebook suggests the students study themselves personally. Have your student take an honest look at themselves in the mirror to find out how they learn best and what matters to them. This is their future we are trying to plan. I just want all the tools available to us to help us make the best choice for our son. I am thankful to have read the guidebook for a closer look at choosing a college. You may miss out on all the details and tips if you try to do it yourself.
If you have a student thinking about College, you can read excerpts of the U.S. News Best Colleges 2014 guidebook here or purchase the book. Make sure you use coupon code SCHOOL25 for additional savings of 25% off.
Without hesitation, I can recommend checking out Best Colleges 2014. It really did help put everything into perspective and allow me to help Aaron with his decisions.
This post is sponsored by U.S. News. All opinions are my own.