Advice to Latino Parents About Four Year Colleges and Their Children 61

1. Four year colleges want your child!!!. There are so many colleges that desperately want your child. Don’t under-match your child’s potential. Latino parents in particular, please, please realize the value of a four year college education and the value of letting your children apply to colleges that will push them academically. College is the best gift you will ever give your child.

2. Push your children to find colleges that offer them opportunities to develop through academics, activities, culture, and community.

3. Be brave. Let your child look for colleges outside of where you live. You came here for the future so let the future shape your child. Children, especially girls who go away to four year colleges come back stronger and more committed to their families, communities, and society.

4. Visit colleges. Look at the dorms. Look at the resources. Let your child travel to colleges during their summers through special programs, such as Upward Bound, Gear Up, and special college specific programs. Many colleges will pay all expenses for first generation and under-represented students to come visit before, during, after the college admissions process.

5. Find Diversity. Find the diversity and multicultural outreach professionals at each college. They will talk to you and your child.

6. Go to college fairs, especially diversity oriented ones. Speak with officials about the programs they offer for your child. Try to learn as much about the different programs and scholarships they offer.

7. Apply for Free money. Find about about special scholarships (free money) for your child at the college and outside of the college. In fact, the less you make, the better in the college admissions process. Most colleges won’t ask you to pay that much in loans, and in fact, each dollar you borrow is worth so much more. The UCs introduced the Blue and Gold plan and other private colleges offer all kinds of financial aid packages.

8. Find great programs. Encourage your child to find colleges with the best majors and programs for them. If your child wants to be a nurse, then find a college with good nursing programs and support programs such as EOP. If your child wants to be a writer or doctor or lawyer, then let them go to great colleges. If your child doesn’t know that is okay, then look for other issues such as size, activities, course choices, diversity programs.

9. Meet role models. I know that students can pay for college and pay for it through full scholarships. Williams and Martin talked about it on college week live that presents great free advice. http://www.collegeweeklive.com/. If you’d like to speak with them, there are my facebook friend. Williams goes to Boston College and Martin to Villanova. They are both the first in their families to go to college, and they are soaring!!!

10. Create your and their future through college. View your child’s education as your education and your future. Find colleges that want them and can push them to new levels. Be a college matchmaker for your child. Ask for help in finding the right college as there are so many people out to help you and your child!!!