College Expenses

As students prepare to begin or return to college, making sure they have everything they need to be successful can be challenging.

But now as you wipe the sweat from your brow and pat yourself on the back—your child is going to college! Then it dawns on you - What should they bring with them? Where should you shop? What do they need? What don't they need?

Relax. While packing your student for college may feel like an overwhelming task, it doesn't have to be. In fact, you might even have some fun with it.

We’ve compiled the Ultimate Packing Lists for residence hall life, classroom and studying needs and personal items they should bring along too - so that you can get your student off to school and ready to learn! Read more for tips and tricks to ease the headache of the big move.

• Residence Hall Packing List
• What your student should have for Classroom and Studying
• Personal Items to pack for college

This year, 1.4 million graduates are tossing their mortarboard caps into the sky and receiving bachelor's degrees. Almost immediately, many will face another rite of passage: getting dropped from their parents' health insurance.

For the full article, please go to:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121365626631779015.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Area student high school athletes who are considering to enter college and continue their athletic career, along with their parents, are invited to attend an informational meeting in Moberly to learn more about college recruiting, college eligibility requirements, applying for athletic scholarships, and making sure prep athletes follow proper NCAA or NAIA guidelines before entering college.

All around the country, parents are taking photos of grinning college graduates holding their hard-earned diplomas. But after "Pomp and Circumstance" is over, students and parents can start worrying: The debt season will begin.

Read the article

Colleges Restrain Spending: Blame rests with State Lawmakers Who Squeeze Education Funding
By Daniel J. Hurley

It's that time of year when newspaper headlines across the USA announce the latest tuition increases at the local public college or university for this coming fall semester — increases that could well be in the high single digits and, in some cases, double digits.

The steady stream of tuition increases raises the question: Can't colleges rein in their spending?

Ritter signs textbook bill: Measure aims at making book bills more affordable

By Brittany Anas
Originally published 12:23 p.m., April 8, 2008 - Dailycamera.com

Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill into law today that requires publishers to be more upfront about the costs of college textbooks — a measure that proponents say will help keep the skyrocketing prices in check.

The pressure on parents and their children alike to choose the right college is as fervent as ever before. The competition has turned global and it’s imperative to make sure you’re ready to make the right decision. Subsequently, the costs of tuition have skyrocketed. In an uncertain economy it’s crucial you are prepared for the impending expenses associated with your child’s higher education in this country. Here a few ways you can be prepared:

Credit woes put student loans in jeopardy
By Lisa Sandberg
Houston Chronicle, Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — The nation's credit crunch is taking a toll on a sector of the population that tends to be unemployed and untested when it comes to repaying debt: college students.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5648864.html

An analysis from Business Week.com:

Why recent moves by Harvard and other educational heavyweights to lighten the financial load for middle-income families won't be copied at many schools

For the full analysis go to:
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/feb2008/bs2008023_374181.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

Dear Parents -

We have received a media request about a story on baby boomer parents and the challenges they face in saving for retirement and, if so inclined, helping to pay for their children's college tuition. If you are a parent currently preparing for or dealing with this situation, and would be willing to talk to a reporter.
Please email me at sarah@universityparent.com

Thank you for your help!
Sarah

Paying for College a Team Effort

Parents and children should share education costs. The key is to find the right balance for each party.
By Janet Bodnar
December 19, 2007

Regarding your recent columns on paying for college: Parents need to discuss college financing with their children and be honest about how much they can afford to pay. It's not right to let your child believe that you can afford his or her dream college. A child should be a partner in his or her future, not a spectator.

According to TheStreet.com, The typical American family is on track to cover 24% of the cost of its children's college education, based on their current and expected savings, according to a survey by Fidelity Investments.

They want to sell your kid...to Harvard or Stanford or wherever you think he should go. And it will cost you only $45,000

(Money Magazine) -- To improve her chances of getting into a good college, Caitlin Pickavance, a 17-year-old high school senior from Danville, Calif., has been working with a private college coach since her freshman year (cost: $800).

She gets tutored in math ($1,400), takes an ACT prep class ($900) and participates in afterschool enrichment activities ($1,350). Then there's the good-will mission to Belize she went on last spring ($1,375) and the classes she took this summer at the University of Salamanca in Spain ($7,000)...