College Affordability:Don't Wing It!

We can all agree that the cost of going to college has skyrocketed over the past decade.  It has gotten to the point where families are starting to question the value of a college education.  I still believe there is high value in a college education and therefore focus a big portion of my day talking with families about college and the college planning process. 

The colleges are aware of the public opinion on the cost of college. Some colleges will even share their process with the public, such as the case with Williams College in Williamstown, MA (about 100 miles west of Boston). They have 2000 undergraduates, 86% from out of state, high graduation rate, a 17% acceptance rate, and an annual cost of attendance of about $60,000. Check out this link for a quick video on college costs from Williams College:

http://www.williams.edu/feature-stories/how-williams-works-financially/

All that being said the family needs to help manage the college planning process, so that the cost of college remains affordable and not a family burden.  It is all about planning!  It starts very early in high school and really doesn’t stop until the student has graduated college.  My role as an Independent College Consultant is to help position the student (academics and activities) and family finances to achieve the goal of getting into the best college possible, at the lowest cost possible.

There are many steps to the process and not planning is one of the costliest mistakes a family can make.  It is very strange to me that this is one of the only purchasing processes where someone will ask to purchase an education from XYZ University and it most cases they have very little understanding about how much it will cost them. More importantly can the family afford to send their student there?  Not many families can walk on to a car lot and tell the salesperson that they want the blue car and Oh how much is the car – that is how many families approach the finance portion of college.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to know about the cost of the education before applying, not after.  That includes your chances of financial aid - both need based and merit based.

The earlier you start on the College Planning Process the greater the chance for success.  Please remember that the environment is very competitive and many students will be working towards the goal of getting into the best college possible at the lowest possible cost. TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN HOW AN INDEPENDENT COLLEGE CONSULTANT CAN GIVE YOUR FAMILY THE EDGE THAT MOST STUDENTS DON'T HAVE - CALL FOR A FREE ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATION.

Complete College Consulting Admission Update for 2013

My clients were accepted into 70% of the colleges they applied to.

My clients received merit aid from $32,000 to $148,000 over 4 years.

My clients received the most need-based financial aid possible.

College is too important & expensive to just “wing it”

Thanks

RON ROTENBERG

Independent College Consultant

 COMPLETE COLLEGE CONSULTING

"Guidance through Admissions"

www.completecollegeconsulting.com

310 377 0668 (Office - Direct Line)

25500 Hawthorne Blvd.  Suite 2350 Torrance, CA 90505