A college education is one of the best investments you can make in the future of your student.
Earnings over a lifetime:
- High School Dropout: $1,000,000
- High School Diploma: $1,200,000
- Associates (two year) degree: $1,600,000
- Bachelor's (four year) degree: $2,100,000
- Master's degree: 2,500,000
- Professional (law, medicine, veterinarian, dentist) degree: $4,400,000.
You can play a major role throughout the college planning process:
- even if you did not attend college
- even if you are intimidated by familiar process
- even if you're concerned about not having enough money to pay for college.
How can you help?
- Make an appointment with Ms. Winter, Project ADVANCE College Counselor at 841-5883. Ms. Winter's website is here. Her job is to help your student explore and assess college opportunities.
- Talk with your student early and often about his or her college aspirations
- Encourage your student to share information he or she receives about college. Look at the Johnston High School website at www.austinisd.org/johnston for a calendar of events.
- Attend the College Information Nights, such as the Admissions Roadmap on September 13th or the College Admission Process (en espanol) at Our Lady of Guadalupe on October 18th.
- Attend the Centex College Night on October 3rd or the National College Fair on September 30th at the Austin Convention Center from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. These events provide an opportunity to ask questions to representatives of several institutions in one setting. A bus will be available from Johnston High School.
- Never pay anyone to assist in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), other financial aid applications or scholarship applications. You can get this information free by attending the financial aid workshop "Show Me the Money" on October 11th or the Financial Aid Night (en espanol) at Our Lady of Guadalupe on November 8th
- Develop a college planning timeline and calendar with your student. An initial list was given to your student during Advisory.
- Ask questions. Educate yourself about the process. You might find some interesting things, like college is possible for you, too!
- Help your student with paperwork when needed.
- Schedule visits with your student to prospective colleges. Many colleges have separate programs for parent visits.
- Develop a systematic family savings plan, even if it is just putting away a few dollars a week.
- Join the PTA.
- Encourage your student to get involved in school and extracurricular activities. Colleges are not just looking for grades when admitting a student.
- Encourage your child to attend TestPrep (for the ACT, SAT and T-ASSET) and after-school tutoring sessions presented by the UT Blazers. If your student is a senior, have them register for the SAT by September 10th.
The most important thing you can do is to stay involved in your student's decisions about college. Make it clear that you support the decision to get an education beyond high school. Explain that you want to help and that this is a learning process for you, too. This will help your student understand that if you are reluctant to assist it is not because you don't support their decision to go to college but rather you are not sure how to help.
CAROL WINTER
Project ADVANCE College Counselor
512-841-5883 (office)
512-841-5884 (fax)
cwinter@austinisd.org
