Preparing for College Expenses - How Much Will A Degree Cost?

Parents with college bound high school children have already given some thought to how much a college education will cost. It's hard to estimate exactly, but some ballpark numbers can be obtained from the colleges being considered.

What Costs Are Involved for College?

* Tuition - semester classes are typically 2-4 credit hours, and fees are usually charged per credit hour. The least expensive credit hour fees are generally at local community colleges. Most all colleges and universities charge more per credit hour to out of state students than in-state residents. Some courses also have associated lab fees.

* Course Materials - this includes textbooks and supplies and the cost varies per course. Most students also have laptop computers to use for completion of their course assignments.

* Housing and Meals - cost again will vary based on whether a student lives on campus or off. Typically, freshman students are required to live on campus throughout their first year unless they reside in town with parents or relatives. Meal plans are offered through campus dining halls. Eating out every day can be expensive, so most students opt for a dining plan or have an apartment with cooking facilities.

* College Sports - if your student plans to participate in sports or cheerleading, there are most likely fees associated for uniforms, travel, equipment, mandatory clinics, and so forth.

In addition to direct school expenses, there is still the need for clothing, transportation, incidentals, and spending money. If your student plans to participate in campus extra-curricular activities such as clubs or Greek life, there will be additional expenses for membership dues.

Don't panic when you get a bottom line cost per semester or year of college. Many universities and colleges allow parents to make payments rather than coming up with one large lump sum of money.

Remember, too, there is the possibility of financial aid, student loans, work study programs, and scholarships for eligible candidates. For information on financial planning for college, help can be obtained by contacting the financial aid or bursar's office where your student is planning to attend school. It is highly advised not to wait until the last minute to start making arrangements for payment of college expenses.

Extra-Curricular Activities That College Admission Offices Like

It's hard enough to get good grades and high scores on SATs, but your dream college might also have a very keen interest in extra-curricular activities as well.  As you prepare your application letters, consider what universities are looking for.

Quality is better than quantity. 

Anyone can join a club or volunteer for a day or two. Stuffing your application with a hundred extra-curricular activities simply looks like you lack focus in your non-school activities, or worse yet, you’ve just tried to pad your application. The college admissions officer is no fool and has seen it before. 

What impresses colleges is commitment to something; sticking with a team, club, or cause for a year or more shows that you have the kind of focus and perseverance needed to succeed in a high-quality academic program.

Demonstrate leadership. 

Leadership roles still have a lot of pull in college admissions.  Not everyone can be class president, but any experience with team leadership or mentoring skills should  be highlighted.

Tie extra curricular activities to your chosen college program.

Ideally will be at least some correlation between your extra-curricular activities and the program you're applying to.  Applying to a leading engineering school with an application full of theatre and music credits is not a winning endorsement. Similarly, applying to theater school with nothing but tech extra-curricular activities will seem equally strange. 

This isn't to say that you can't do some things just for fun – after all, balance in life is important – but if you don't have something connected to your program of choice, the admissions department might question how committed you'll be to the program.

Give yourself credit! An amazing number of students leave extra-curricular activities off their applications because their personal interests are so much a part of them that it doesn't occur to them that those activities might impress a school.  All your jobs, all your clubs, all your sports, everything you've volunteered for... make sure the college knows!