If you have a rising high school senior, you likely already have a long to-do list. Deadlines for graduation, yearbook, portraits and all the accompanying fees come quickly.
Counselors and teachers will give your senior a lot of advice about planning for their future education or career.
But what can you do in these next few months to help your student make a smooth transition to their next step?
Here are five suggestions:
1. Pray for and with your senior. This is an exciting — and sometimes scary — time. Spend time with your child. Listen to their questions. Encourage them to seek the Lord in their decisions, and let them know you are praying for them.
2. Accompany your student on campus visits. If your child is considering a college or training program, schedule a trip to campus: tour the facilities, talk with admissions counselors or other students, drive through the town. Often, a visit is the final step in making a decision about whether an option is a good fit or not.
3. Complete the FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form that students in the United States complete annually to determine their eligibility for financial aid for college, technical schools or graduate programs. The form can be completed even if your student hasn’t yet applied to or been accepted by any post-secondary institutions.
Filling out or providing information for the FAFSA is critical for your student whether you plan to contribute financially to their post-secondary education or not. This data is used to determine eligibility for federal, state and school-based financial aid, including work-study programs, federal grants, loans and scholarships. The online form typically opens Oct. 1 and has been streamlined in recent years.
Completing the FAFSA early maximizes your child’s chances of receiving funding. For more information, go to studentaid.gov.
Basic life skills
4. Prepare them for life outside your home. Hopefully your child is experienced in, or at least familiar with, basic life skills like doing laundry, preparing simple meals, making appointments and budgeting. If not, you’ve got a few months to teach them how to successfully live on their own. This includes knowing how routine banking, medical insurance and vehicle maintenance should be handled.
5. Prepare for emergencies. Discuss common scenarios and what steps to take in the event of an accident or emergency.
Keep copies of important documents, including driver’s license, Social Security card, birth certificate, passport, health insurance card, vaccination records and vehicle title, registration and proof of insurance with you so you can reference them quickly if needed.
If there’s a campus health center, find out how it works, but also make a list of doctors, dentists, hospitals and other medical providers covered by your insurance in your child’s new town. Consider implementing a HIPAA authorization and a medical power of attorney so you can help your child in the event of an extreme medical emergency.
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