Wish I could help you but our DD went to the College of the Ozarks and worked for her tuition and room and board. They worked so many hours during the school year for one thing and then during the summer worked 8 hours on campus to pay for the other. Plus, she was able to work off campus in the evening for extra money. This school is located near Branson, so there were lots of opportunites for work off site.

My experience isn't real recent (my son is 28), but I'll share what happened with us.

You are not starting too soon. It's good to get yourself as informed as soon as possible. Sounds like you are on the right track, but be sure to involve him as much as you can even if he resists a bit. If he doesn't want to help out with the process, he could start at a community college for a year or two, then move on. (He'll love that idea!)

We had the best scholarship luck with small, local scholarships, not the big national ones which have thousands of applicants. My son got one from our credit union and a couple other small ones from local agencies. He also got a couple of them during the college years, through the university. If you or your husband are union members, ask your union. Any clubs you belong to--ask them, like Rotary, Elks--ask everywhere that you think they might want to help students, even your employers. Ask people or organizations connected with his area of interest. You can also ask at the high school what scholarships they know about, ones seniors get at the end of their high school. Your son probably has a better chance at a big scholarship from a college if he has a specific major, because then he has a focus. Our son got 1/2 tuition at a major university because he entered right into the accounting school, and they were looking for students. If he has chosen his school (probably not--I know), you might call them about scholarship opportunities in his field of interest if he has one.

I understand your desire to keep him debt free. Things are going to be tough enough for these kids, but if he leaves school with a small amount of debt, that's ok.

There are many books on Amazon and bookstores about financing college. I suggest you look at them and pick one which looks good to you, and keep that as your "bible." It will give you peace of mind that at least you are informed. And if the money gets tough, your son might have to work a semester to let everyone catch their financial breaths.

Good luck. It's exciting and scary at the same time, isn't it?

Don't worry too much about the extra-curr activities. If he has one or two activities which he truly likes and participates in, that's good. Universities are not fooled by students who belong to 27 clubs.

You are worrying about the money, and rightly so. It's costly, not just tuition either! We found that we financed our son's education like a quilt--some cash from us, some from scholarships, some from his work, and little by little we got through it. He worked so hard and actually got a bachelor's and master's in 4 years. I would not recommend that because he really didn't have much fun in school.

I just sent my son off to Baylor University on Monday. He was awarded scholarships based on a number of criteria, but his ACT score got him the biggest scholarship. He scored a 27 on the ACT the first time, was allowed to take it again to obtain a higher score and received a 31 the second time.

He needs to apply to 4 or more colleges and start applying for scholarships NOW - if he waits until he's a senior, a lot of the scholarships will have been awarded.

My son applied to three schools out of state and one in-state, was accepted by all 4, then had to make a choice based on a visit to each of the schools. All these trips cost MONEY out of the parents' pockets - start budgeting now.

The tuition is cheaper if he attends an in-state school - something to consider. His counselor will be the most valuable resource you can utilize.

I want to wish both of you the best of luck - it's a fun adventure for both of you - a real 'education'! LOL

Kayjones, the counselor told me we shouldn't do anything until January of his senior year. I thought that was "last minute."

I thought about contacting some nearby colleges to see if we could talk to them and look around. I guess I'll request information from them. Alex is so not into this right now. I had to pry every answer out of him just to sign him up for the ACT on-line. I don't think he understands how expensive going to college really is.

He wants to study physics right at the moment. There are a couple nearby colleges he can go to, that I've found so far.

The counselor gave me some info on scholarships but then gave me tons of stuff on financing.

Kath, I still have 4 years before mine goes but I am already worrying about it.
In order for kids to get a scholarship, do the parents have to make a certain amount of money?
I looked up some Universities online and they tell you what the cost is. My DS about fell over (so did I). Average cost is from 12 to 20,000 dollars a year. Maybe you could do that with Alex just to show him.

I would be very interested to know what you find out and if you would please share.I plan on starting a notebook to keep notes and information that I gather along the way so when the time comes maybe it won't be so overwhelming.

Magic, some of them seem to go by financial needs but others not. I've been reading through some of the local ones that the counselor gave me, one: National Wild Turkey Federation, which they have to have a certain GPA, a current hunting license, involved in school activities, and demonstrate leadership. The only part of that Alex qualifies for is the GPA.

Some of them have low GPAs, like Papa John's pizza: 2.5 or greater, and be a senior.

Some of them have a certain GPA, and SAT/ACT score they have to have along with other specific criteria. If they have to write an essay, it'll be like pulling teeth with Alex.

Does anyone know what happens if you apply and get more money than what is needed? Does that money stay in the school's funds and eventually go back to the company providing it? If Alex were to get a full scholarship through one program and then some other smaller ones, what happens to that extra money?

Colleges are costly and more crowded than they have ever been in the history of this country. That means that they can be and are more selective than they have ever been. He needs to keep his GPA up. My kids knew of valedictorians who were turned down at their universities.

Socks gave some great insight in her comments.

Everyone wants to avoid debt, but that isn't necessarily possible. Public universities have the lower costs around here, and the private ones are clearly much more expensive. That said, the private ones will reduce their tuition for your son if they really want him. And small private universities of no special renown can cost as much or more than private universities that have superior reputations.

Don't forget your alma mater, especially if you have been a donor to that university. Being a legacy often carries some weight.

If he has done no extra curricular or sport activities in high school or the community, he will have some difficulty, I think. Universities are not looking for students who have been in every club. They do look for kids who got involved and contributed and learned from one or two activities. [Music was my DDs forte, and that was enough. She was in orchestra, honor groups, community college symphony/classes, contests, took lessons and taught lessons.]

Apply for every scholarship you can find. Check in with the guidance office weekly his senior year. Read their bulletin board. You may need to help him with this as the forms can require a lot of time and he will still be busy with homework and need to keep his grades up. I know of so many scholarships that went begging because no one applied for them. My neighbor did all the scholarship application work, though her daughter certainly wrote the essays. As a result, she got lots of scholarships. Be sure to let people know you have a kid looking for a scholarship if you are in a service club or at work.

By the way, one way to impress a university is to take a class at the local community or junior college for credit. He could take a science class at the local college at night, for example. Check with his high school to see what local college classes could count for credit toward his high school diploma.

Donna37 - Great school! DH and I toured part of it this summer while we were in Branson.

Kath, My DD applied for very few scholarships because of many of the things you mentioned - we made too much money, she had to write an essay (not her thing), you have to go to a particular school or be majoring in something specfic. Ugh! Thankfully we live in MO and DD was in the A+ program in high school which is giving her 2 years of free tuition to community college (as long as she keeps her grades up).

There is a scholarship website (can't remember the name of it now) that has a bizillion scholarships - your school should know which one it is. Once you fill out the FASFA (in Alex's senior year), you'll know if you can get any free federal funding. Community Colleges are lots cheaper than the Universitys and not a bad idea to go for 2 years and get the basics out of the way. If Alex does very well on the ACT's - he can get a Bright Flight scholarship which will pay most everything for 4 years (I think). I've only known 2 kids that did well enough to get it though. He can take the ACT multiple times to get a higher score, but it does cost $$ each time.

Good luck to him!

It's called Fast Web!

Here is a link that might be useful: Fast Web Scholarship website

I have been through this.....with a 4.0 High School Honor Graduate. After lots of trials & tribulations, income verifications, tax returns, us paying his housing/food along with the "grants and what seemed to be small scholarships, he managed to get his Associates & Business Degrees...he is now working towards his Masters on his own $$$$.

You are NOT starting too soon! Just to give you an insight...most Colleges, Universities as well as Community Colleges have numerous "UNCLAIMED in house $$$$$$$$" and scholarships that are NEVER used. (Donors give and the school sits on the interest!) So ask about that!!!! My son received a $1,000.00/semester/2years that was a total surprise not to mention so appreciated!

If a dad/mom is a veteran, there are scholarships, if you are a minority, of course, there are scholarships. The drug companies give schlorships. Snickers/Mars gives scholarships....most VFW, Elks and Eagle Auxillary/Posts offer scholarships...they may seem trivial at the time, but it all adds up! The list goes on and on! The key word is GRANTS! They, like scholarships do not have to be PAID BACK! Read the "fine" print.

There is a site, I have forgotten it; just google "scholarship" for your home state or the state the school is in.

NEVER ever, ever PAY to have a business find you scholarships! That is a total "ripoff". Our friends ended up paying MORE when they went through that program and their daughter went to the same school as own son!

If your student chooses to go to a school that borders your home state..check for "border grants". However, do not let your student become a RESIDENT....we learned the hard way on that one......sounded good on paper...$$$$ mise but tax wise we got "screwed" that semester!

Good luck on shuffling through all the paperwork, especially the language! Keep in close touch with the HS advisor as well as the choosen school!

Lydia's information is correct - my niece is in the A+ program and is a junior this year - she will have two years at the local junior college paid for, because she tutored this summer and has some college credits already.

The Bright Flight scholarship program is a great program if he can make the scores necessary to qualify.The BF does pay for MOST of the 4 years - my son is going to a private University, and his monthly fees are still $900, even after he earned scholarships for the whole 4 years. College is not cheap, no matter how you slice it!

I have two in college and one to go and am fortunate enough to be able to pay for college, to the detriment of my old, small, sad little kitchen. But that's neither here nor there. My dd's did try for some scholarships (merit, not need,) and did receive a small yearly amount from my dh's former company, but for the most part they never even heard back from most of them. Most seem to require at least one essay, which the kids are thoroughly sick of writing by the time they get through their college applications. I mostly hear of scholarships awarded by individual colleges that are work-study, meaning they are not outright grants but rather require the kids to work on campus. It does seem that public universities offer $$ for excellent grades and very high SAT scores. And private schools often offer money on a need basis, if grades are good. Extra-curriculars seem to be most important to private schools, at least in CA, though that may be changing due to the competition and the number of kids with very high gpa's.

I want to emphasize more than anything that this will require research, time and effort and yes indeed, you need to start NOW. Sorry, but that counselor doesn't know what he/she is talking about. And so many high schools have had to let many counselors go due to budget cuts, that many of them are overwhelmed with work and cannot give individual kids much time or attention. You may have to be your son's advocate in the process! Check out the library or buy a book on scholarships, as the poster above suggested. It will all seem incredibly daunting at first, but hang in there, read the books and talk to as many people on the subject as you can. The application process for college is much different and more difficult than it used to be, unfortunately. I wish you good luck and hope you both find what you're needing and looking for.

Have you been involved with Parent-School related organizations?

Have you gotten to know other parents with children getting up in the higher years of high school?

What about approaching some of them, as no doubt a number will have similar interests to yours.

Perhaps you could pick one another's brains on an individual basis.

On the other hand ... what about having a gathering over coffee, occasionally, to share info, maybe ask certain people to research certain specific areas of interest.

If you live in or near a city with various high schools, what about running an ad in local newspapers, online, etc. asking for folks who are interested in the subject. Quite likely you could get a room in a school to hold a meeting of people who expressed an interest.

Two heads are better than one (even if they are cabbage) ..

... and forty heads even better.

While there has been the feeling that many prefer to attend University, over the years ...

... many say that, while community college courses have lacked the prestige ...

... in many cases, there's a larger demand for the services of graduates, and the pay rates are attractive ...

... while many Univ. grads look in vain for appropriate positions.

Good wishes as you pursue your search.

ole joyful

"He wants to study physics right at the moment."

YAY!

There is a shortage of physicists in this country.
Rest assured that when he graduates, he will find a really really good paying job right away!

I have a sophomore in college. The counselor is wrong, January of your son's senior year is late. Although now is probably too early to start submitting essays, etc., it's not too early to start doing research about the scholarships available. It's also not too early to start taking any SAT preparation classes he might want to take. Definitely he should take the PSAT. At the college my son went to, there is an important scholarship deadline in October, so January is late.

Your son may want to take the PSAT, SAT, and ACT. The PSAT has to be taken his junior year by a certain time to quality for National Merit Scholar, so be sure to look into that. The reason he may want to take both SAT and ACT is because they play to different strengths. Some kids do best on the ACT, others do best on the SAT.

Right now he can be taking lots of Advanced Placement courses and/or possible joint enrollment at a local community college. Through Advanced Placement classes he can get college credit for his high school classes (providing he scores high enough on his exam). If your local high school has joint enrollment with a local community college he can get college credit for the cost of community college, which is very affordable. There are quite a few people at my son's high school who entered college as sophomores and juniors due to all the Advanced Placement credit they get, which lops a year or two off of their time in college.

I'm not surprised your son isn't interested in college visits and scholarships right now. I tried to persuade my son to do college visits the spring of his junior year, and he wouldn't. He realized the beginning of his senior year that he should have went earlier. Applying for scholarships and also for admissions is a time consuming process, so don't wait until January. You will want to submit your applications early not only for financial aid, but also to make sure the dorms don't fill up. Some colleges have plenty of dorm space, but others don't have much.

There are many colleges who do look at extracurricular activities. They are not looking for 27 different clubs, but they are looking for extracurricular activities that show leadership. My son has friends whose GPAs and SAT scores were high but had few extracurricular activities who didn't get into the college of their choice, and friends whose GPAs and SAT scores were lower but had great extracurricular activities who got into the college of their choice. So it depends on the school, but for some schools extracurriculars matter.

If your son is interested in the military, I think there are some very nice options available.

If your son doesn't get as much financial aid/scholarship money as he would like, be sure to look into the university's Co-op program. Under the Co-op program, students alternate school semesters with full time work semesters, working for a company doing something related to their major. They can't start the co-op program until their sophomore year, but if they can get a co-op job and live at home they can save a lot of money and also get great job experience at the same time. When your son is considering colleges, he may want to consider attending a college with a strong co-op program if he wants to go that route. Just be aware that the co-op route works best (financially) if kids can live at home while they co-op. One of my son's acquaintances got a co-op job making $20/hour. Co-op students are considered to be enrolled as full-time students, so they can still maintain their health insurance through their parents. It's a great program for a lot of kids.

You are not starting too early. I told both my kids the time to start thinking about college is in the 9th grade - get that GPA up and do those extracurriculars. College visits in the spring of their junior year, scholarship research spring of junior year and summer of senior year.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the info. Alex is taking AP Chemistry this year and will probably take an AP course each semester till he graduates, depending on what's available. It's a small high school and not every class is offered every semester. I know he said he won't be able to take AP French because there's only one teacher and when he's ready for it, she won't be teaching it.

What annoys me is that they don't go over the different types of diplomas available before their freshman year, we had no idea there were different levels of diplomas. So, Alex wasted taking a Spanish course and now can't get the Commonwealth diploma because that threw him off being able to take AP French. Who knew there were three or four types of high school diplomas?!!! So, don't know if that will affect him getting scholarships either.

Lydia, thanks for the website.

I also forgot to mention collegeboard.com, through which he'll take his SAT's. They also have lots of info and it's the most-used website, I would guess. Not all schools give college credit for all AP's, though they want to see kids take as many as they can. They sure make it tough, don't they?? Sounds like you have a very bright boy who will do well!

Apply for everything and then some!
Community service and church activities are a must for a lot of scholarships. Your high school should be able to provide you with a list of all of the scholarships and grants that are available locally. There are lots of websites that list national scholarships. After your son has been accepted by a college, if that is where he decides to go, look at the scholarships that they offer to incoming freshman.
When our daughter started her freshman year at IU(Indiana University)tuition was about fifteen thousand. That was with room and board. You have lots of other expenses too. Everything other than the basics are extra $$$, they still need pocket money, laundry money, bus pass money. If they are lucky enough to be able to have their own car on campus there is a whopper of a parking pass to obtain!
You can't start a moment too soon!
Good Luck!!!

Thanks for all the info, I've bookmarked all the websites you all provided and will go through them later.

Glad to see he's taking AP courses.Is he a sophomore? I'm surprised your son;s counselor said wait till January of SR year for scholarships.By then, my kids already had several scholarships under their belts.

Kathy, it sounds as if you are hoping for too much. Full scholarships are extremely rare. Even big partials are hard to come by unless the student is an outstanding athlete.

Private schools will indeed supplement with grants and aid if they want your student at their school. But there usually must be a reason for their generosity.

It's unrealistic to hope he won't have debt at graduation. It would be nice, just not realistic. All six of my kids had debt yet managed (or are managing) to attend grad school, which added to their debt. They all earned scholarships and grants, and worked 10 to 15 hrs a week during the school year as well as summers. We also saved all their lives, mortgaged our home, etc. to help pay and are still in debt ourselves for them. The last one graduated in May!

Three of them attended state schools, three attended private. Two of them were HS valedictorians, all of them were in the National Honor Society, either athletes or musicians, and very active in HS. They all had 30 or better on the ACT. They took AP classes,but didn't all score high enough to earn college credit.Not one received a full scholarship. We were also a single income family earning between 40 and 55,000 a year (there are 16 years between oldest and youngest), yet no one qualified for a Pell Grant.

Something else to think about: Many kids think they want to go far, far away to school. It isn't necessary to do that just to assert independence. Travel expenses are huge and a very important consideration. Kids get very lonely away at school. The lucky ones get to come home once in a while.

Good luck to you.

If your son has an idea which college he wants to attend now, it would be a good idea to look into what AP classes (and AP exam scores) the college or colleges of his choice will take. That may influence which AP classes he chooses to take, if he has some choices.

Sjerin is correct, not all schools will give AP credit, and even if they accept AP credit, the scores students are required to make on the exam will vary from school to school. That may influence your son's college choices. My son entered the school of his choice nearly a sophomore with his AP credit. However, if he had attended the University of Georgia, he would have been nearly a junior, because UGA would have accepted more of his AP credits. However, my son's high school offers lots of AP classes - my son took 5 AP classes in a single semester his senior year. If your son's high school only offers 1 AP class per semester, then that may be a moot point.

I also agree with Shermann that academic scholarships based on merit are rare. I also agree that expecting to graduate with no debt at all may be unrealistic. It is easier to do here in Georgia because of the HOPE scholarships (Georgia students have tuition paid at state universities if they maintain a 3.0 average). However, I still think it is a great idea to minimize debt. I advised my son to try to go as debt free as possible for undergraduate, and save his borrowing for graduate school.

I don't know how you and your son feel about the military, but that option can be a wonderful option for some kids. It seemed to me that it was easier to get a full scholarship at the military college here in Georgia than at the other universities. I think the scholarship kids have to join the ROTC and do so many years of military service after they graduate.

Another very good option if money is tight is to start out at community school, which is much more affordable, then transfer to a university the last 2 years. If your son wants to do that, he will need to be very careful to take classes where the credit will transfer to the university of his choice. Our local community school offers a lot of night classes and online classes, so it's surprisingly easy for students to work even full time and still attend community college.

You may be surprised at who qualifies for a Pell grant and who doesn't. My son had a friend who lived in a much, much nicer home than ours, in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the district, parents drove nice cars, dad owns a business, and that friend qualified for a Pell grant. If I remember correctly (I may be wrong), the FAFSA doesn't count the value of the home, value of retirement accounts, value of a farm or a business with under 50 or maybe 100 employees.

We have a friend whose son did Americorps for a year after he graduated high school, and he saved up money for some of his college that way.

I hope everything works out terrific for your son.

You may be surprised at who qualifies for a Pell grant and who doesn't. My son had a friend who lived in a much, much nicer home than ours, in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the district, parents drove nice cars, dad owns a business, and that friend qualified for a Pell grant. I know someone who sounds exactly like this - they go on cruises and nice vacations every year, own a nice RV and just remodeled part of their home and their kid gets a Pell Grant. I think they are doing a little something with the business paperwork JMHO. Not fair, but whatever.

It is not too early to be thinking about planning for college. For some people, you are starting late. First of all, you son needs to be practicing for the PSAT. That test--taken only once in the fall of junior year-- is the only way he can qualify for National Merit status. There are the thick books that have practice tests. He should do them exactly as if he were taking it for real(timed and in quiet). Then, go over what he had problems with. The same holds true for the ACT and the SAT, if he plans to take it. Taking the tests more than once can really help. The book for the SAT is 10 Real SAT tests. They use old tests for practice. Both SAT and ACT have a website that will give him a practice question everyday. He should start today, and do the question everyday.

He also needs one of the big, thick books with all of the 4 year colleges and universities in it. The current editions have the most up to date statistics on what the scores and grades of the incoming freshmen from recent years. It will give him a point of contact. There are many schools that most people don't know about that are fine institutions.

You should go to the FAFSA site, and do a "practice" FAFSA, and that will give you your EFC (expected family contribution). Your son will be expected to contribute about $3,000 a year, which is not part of the EFC-- that is your portion.

If money is an issue, then I would suggest lower tiered schools. To get much merit money, he needs to be in the top 20% or so of the applicants. Most lower ranked schools are trying to attract top students, so if they get a top applicant, they try to lure them with money. My youngest daughter was accepted into some top schools, but with no money. She also had some lower tiered school, well known schools, but not as highly ranked. She received Presidential scholarships (full tuition + fees) to two private universities. She also was offered 1/2 tuition at another school. She could have gone to any of our state universities on the bright future scholarship -- which was full tuition + book money. She received one outside scholarship for $2,000 a year for 3 years. Her last year she received room and board + salary for being an intern with the campus ministry. She didn't need to apply for the outside scholarship because of that.

If your son is a top student, then he can get merit aid at some colleges. In-state universities can cost less, but they tend to have less merit aid to give. There is lots of merit money, if you apply to the right schools.

There is a website called College Confidential. There is lots of information there. They have forums, but a large number of those who post worry about getting into the top schools. There is some great information there, if you gloss over the students with the out of this world statistics.

Oh, have your son get involved in some activity. It doesn't matter much as to what, but some EC + some service hours can't hurt.

Lastly, his junior year of high school is the critical year for colleges. Some schools discount freshman year, as it can be quite a change for some students. Sophomore year needs to be improving, and junior year is they most important year. It is the last full year that the schools see when they are making their decisions.

First of all, you son needs to be practicing for the PSAT. That test--taken only once in the fall of junior year

At my son's high school students take the PSAT their 9th, 10th, and 11th grade years. Only one taken in the fall of their junior year counts toward National Merit, but the entire school except for special ed takes the test their 9th and 10th grade years as well. I don't know why, unless they are identifying the students' strengths and weaknesses early.

PSATs are taken sophomore year here.
Practically no one takes the ACTs.

I remember in the old days when you didn't think about college until your senior year. LOL!

Londondi is right about the Junior year--these grades are the most important. If students fool around on the junior year and intend to get serious as seniors, it's too late.

I paid my way through the first time. Lived at home and drove a pathetic car. My parents gave me free rent and covered my car insurance and gas (it was under a 1.00/gallon then, they are glad that offer has expired! LOL). I was responsible for my school expenses and anything extra I wanted. I went to community college the first two years- MUCH CHEAPER! Transfered to a state school for the last two. No one has ever questioned my attending a community college and it was actually the hardest school I have ever attended- those science classes and Dr. Welborn history classes were HARD!!!! I worked in childcare part of the time and they reimbursed me for two classes because they were related to child development. That saved me a couple of hundred dollars.

For my masters, I worked at GA State University. Because I was a Board of Regents employee and attending a state school, my tuition/fees were waived. I only had to pay for my books. I could only register for classes that were not full but since it was graduate classes, they always had room. The professors were very supportive and had agreed to sign overflow forms if necessary. I could take up to 8 credit hours per semester. Once semester I took 9 and paid less than 300 dollars.

I am on stipend for the PhD program and that takes care of my tuition. I pay about 600.00 in fees each semester along with my books- ranges from 20-200 dollars per semester. This is the first time I have taken out financial aid- not to pay for school but because the interest rate is cheaper than the 2nd mortgage we have. Since the student loan interest is deductible, we will eventually save money. Plan to pay the student loan off with the $ we were paying on the mortgage so it will be paid off while Ia m still in school.

As long as the school is accredited by the regional accreditation group (tell us the schools she is interested in and I will help you verify the accreditation) she should try for the smaller schools for the first two years- smaller classes and cheaper tuition!

Oh, if she can get a job at Chick-fil-A, Truit Cathy, the owner, gives 1000 scholarships to all employees after a year. MANY of my high school classmates used that for school.