College Planning

This past weekend, my son and I attended a seminar at The College of William & Mary designed to educate him on possible courses and related careers in his growing fields of interest which now include aviation, environmental sciences and engineering. The sessions I attended were mainly geared toward college preparation, including creative ways to fund part or all of a four year degree which, by the way, is pushing the $20K a year mark when you include tuition, room and board.

My son is 12.

College for him is still a good six years away, but it doesn't hurt to start planning now. More importantly, simply introducing him to a college setting during a non-sports, booz and party filled weekend will give him a sense of what college live may be like. This past summer he enrolled in a week long, all day engineering camp at ODU which also gave him a taste of college life.

I bring this up because as a college graduate, I recognize the benefits of a college education. Attending college expands your job options, helps you grow as a person -- in terms of making friends, managing time and and workload -- and it's a lot of fun. Plus, as a parent I want the best for my son.

Going through this exploration with my son brought back memories of my first college exploration some 35 years ago. (Yikes, doing that math hurt.) When I was 12, my older brother Mike was starting his freshman year at Hampden-Sydney College, a small liberal arts college in south central Virginia. Naturally, I attended numerous "friends and family weekends" which gave me my first taste of college life. I loved it. I loved the people. I loved the place. And, I wanted to be like my brother; someone I loved and respected. It's no surprise that I ended up going to college there. But enough reminiscing.

While at William & Mary, my son and I enjoyed getting lost and roaming around campus, eating lunch in a dining hall, and sneaking on to the football field. I wonder if these activities will have more of lasting impression on my son than the sessions he attended. If so, that's fine by me. It's all part of the learning process.

Here's a recommendation to all you parents out there. If you have dreams of your son or daughter attending college, and they are in late elementary school or in middle school, now's the time to explore. And along the way, it will bring back fond memories of your own college days.