Tuition TalesSM: First-Hand Experiences with Planning and Paying for College
Read first-hand accounts from different families as they plan to pay for college for the first – or maybe second or third – time. Share your own thoughts, experiences and advice on the college search, financial planning, deciding on a college, the financial aid process, applying for scholarships, and student loan applications.
Browse the posts below from our parent contributors:
Carol
A mother of four - all in college at the same timeKimberly
A mother of six - three in college and three on the way Cherie
A mother of two with a lot of her own college experienceLee
A self-employed mother helping her son with the college selection processJane
A mother of twins on their way to college for the first timeMary Martha
A counselor applying her expertise to her son's college application processJanet
A mother of two current college studentsRick
A teacher & father of two surrounded by college-bound studentsKatherine
A mother of two with the first one heading off to college
Carol - a mother of four children all in college at the same time
Carol is the parent of boy/girl twins who are seniors in high school this year in Washington and a 20-year old son who has gone to a community college for two years and will begin attending university as a junior at the same time that the twins will enter as freshman. Carol's oldest graduated in 2006 and will be starting grad school when the other three start college - that makes FOUR kids in college at once! Carol is also an avid blogger; check it out at http://northwestladybug.blogspot.com/
Carol's posts:
March - Revising the FAFSA - A primer
February - Hands-on parenting - You're not done yet!
January - The FAFSA: That wasn't so bad after all!
December - Saving for college: calm and cool for seventeen years, then panic in the homestretch!
November - The "deer in the headlights," "head in the sand" approach
Cherie - mother of two with a lot of her own college experience
Cherie is a school teacher by trade with over 32 years of experience teaching teenagers. She has taught 8th grade history and has been a school librarian. She's done the college routine three times herself with a B.S. in Education, a Master of Library Science and an Educational Specialist degree in Staff and Personnel. She has two sons - a college graduate and a senior in high school - so they are going through the entire college process again! Cherie loves traveling, reading and movies and hopes someday to re-visit Europe, where her older son studied, and Hawaii, where she started school many, many years ago.
Cherie's posts:
August - The college student's part-time job
July - The final official bill of college costs
June - FERPA and your tuition bill
May: Choosing the college computer
February - Setting the parameters in the college search process
January - College decision-making and financial considerations
December - FAFSA season and the financial aid reality check
November - Nagging about college applications
Jane - mother of twins on their way to the same school
Jane is a wife, mom and writer who works part-time for a small PR/advertising agency, and does the billing and insurance for her husband’s psychological practice. Jane has 18-year-old boy/girl twins who were born after five miserable years of infertility treatment. Jane loves to cook, and is currently working on a book about Southern food stories, a part of the country is so rich in food lore!
Jane's posts:
July - The first semester costs of college
April - Reflecting on how we prepared for college costs
March - Alternatives for paying for college
February - Leadership development and college applications
January - Watch out for scholarship scams!
December - Two children, one college and how many scholarship essays?
Janet - college parent with two children currently enrolled
Janet - college parent with two children currently enrolledJanet - college parent with two children currently enrolledJanet is a 56 year-old mother of two college children from New Jersey. Her son, the oldest, is a senior at a college in Maryland majoring in biology with the hopes of continuing his studies in dental school. Her daughter is a junior also in the field of science, majoring in nutrition. Janet has been married to the same man for almost 28 years - my have the years flown!
Janet's posts:
March - Student loans or free money?
February - The financially savvy college student
January - What I learned about the financial aid application
December, part 2 - Deciding on a college and the importance of cost
December - Planning the college finances
November - Finding the right fit in a college
Katherine - mother of two with the first one heading off to college
Katherine's own college experience still plays a significant role in her life – from the degree that has shaped her career to the great group of friends she once shared a dorm with – priceless! A freelance writer, Katherine lives in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.
Katherine's posts:
July - Breaking down college costs by semester
May - The college decision and resulting chaos
April - Comparing the costs of two colleges
March - College lending in crisis? The credit crunch and paying for college
February - Involving your college student in paying for college
January - Starting the new year and starting the financial aid process
December - A holiday gift of acceptance (and financial aid forms!)
November - Reviewing the finances of a college education
Kimberly - mother of six - three in college and three headed to college
Kimberly is a married, mother of 6 children - 3 in college, 2 in high school, and one in grade school. She's had experience writing professionally as well presenting professional topics related to her nursing specialty of cancer surgery. Kimberly is active with her high school and grade school students, planning post-school events and fundraising activities and assisting her husband with the local basketball program. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports, but has a special affection for basketball and lacrosse - especially when her children are playing!
Kimberly's posts:
September - Talking to the financial aid office
June - Using the college parent network
March - Navigating the maze of student loans
February - Finding alternative college funding sources
January - Keeping the college doors open
January - Different children, different approaches to the application process
December - Lessons learned about the college application process for six children
Lee - a freelance writer helping her son find the right college
Lee is an award-winning writer from Iowa who has spent 26 years writing about every subject imaginable - including a 13-year stint as an education reporter. She now runs her own successful freelance writing business from her home while she and her husband, a hog farmer, raise two teen-age sons. Their oldest, Scott, will be heading for college next fall somewhere in the Midwest.
Lee's posts:
September - The extra expensive first month of college
July - The hidden costs of college
June - When Mother Nature changes your college finances
May - Working hard for that college money
April - So much less financial aid than we thought
March - The hunt for scholarship money
February - Filling out the FAFSA for the self-employed
January - College acceptance letters
December - Finding the right college
Mary Martha - a counselor applying her expertise to her son's college applications
Mary is the parent of a senior student who attends a large public high school in Arizona. She is also a consultant, freelance writer, and career counselor, including 3 years counseling high school students. Now she finds herself on the other side of the fence – no longer talking about the college process, but living it. She and her husband have two children – a senior and a high school junior – and are banking on their son’s high grades and commitment to researching, submitting & obtaining scholarships to help offset the rising costs of attending a 4-year in-state university. Mary invites you to come along for the “senior year ride” as it promises to be an enlightening experience for all!
Mary's posts:
August - Student loan lessons learned
July - Number crunching on financial aid and college costs
May - Tips for the high school to college transition
April - The student aid report results
March - To-do lists, anxiety, the FAFSA, and preparing for college
January, part 2 - College finances and the FAFSA
January - Scholarship applications and becoming the pestering parent
Rick - father of two surrounded by college-bound students
Rick is a high school English teacher from Michigan and the father of two children, one college junior and a high school senior. Rick has a lot of experience helping his students write college essays and find scholarships for college - that he can now share with his son.
Rick's posts:
September - Two months of being an "empty-nester"
August - On-campus jobs help financially and socially
July - Take advantage of college email communication
June - Accounting for another college cost
May - Don't lose scholarship money
May - Learning from the first college-bound child
April - Comparing the cost of colleges after the financial aid award
March - Never give up in the pursuit of scholarships
February - Avoiding scholarship scams
January - Scholarship essays need careful review
December - College and the borrowing process - there are options!
November - Searching for scholarships
October - Organizing the application process
