College Bound Kids & Stress Relief

Any parent who has been through the college search process can tell you war stories.

Not only do you have your day to day trials and tribulations, you are dealing with a volatile, hormone loaded teen.

And together, you are tackling a decision process that requires study, planning, reality checking, and which is going to have a major impact on the life and finances of the family (for most of us anyway).

Did we just describe an emotional minefield?

And yet, through all the tears and conflict that may arise, this is still your kid and you always want the very best for him or her.

And if you look at parents’ concerns, the number one issue that parents want desperately to resolve is how to get the best education for their children (even if it means giving up some of their own dreams and ambitions).

And so, if they decide to use the services of an outside expert, they need to be reassured of that expert’s track record in college counseling, as well as his or her credentials, experience, and credibility.

In the meantime, on the “explosive front”, Mom and Dad may have a very different perspective from Junior.

At this stage of their lives, sons and daughters are very independent minded and don’t want Mom and Dad cracking the whip. He or she needs someone everyone trusts to air out his/her ideas and preferences and to shake down the myths that could poison the process.

A whole range of emotions and elements, such as ambition, peer pressure, parental expectations, hidden agendas, family finances, and even girlfriends and boyfriends come into play. The experienced counselor helps keep the temperature down in this volatile mix.

As a lightning rod, the counselor might be worth his weight in gold!

This issue is addressed in the article covering the five top reasons to work with an independent professional college counselor.

The role of the family in the college search and admissions process is discussed in the first module of our brand new online instruction course, College Search Game Plan.