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Deciding which college to attend is technically up to your child, but if financing his or her education is a family endeavor you鈥檒l have a pretty big say in the matter. Some parents have been planning and saving for college since their kids were infants; others鈥攐ften those who didn鈥檛 attend college themselves鈥攈ave no clue where to begin.

Tuition and fees continue to climb steadily, which is undoubtedly discouraging, but a college education has nearly become an entry level job prerequisite in today鈥檚 market. Wherever you fall on the college planning spectrum, it鈥檚 important to be involved in the process. Here are eight things to think about:

1. Education is vital to your child鈥檚 success. Going to college is expensive, especially when you factor in room and board, textbooks, meals, and everything else associated with those 鈥渂est years of your life.鈥� If you鈥檙e wondering whether or not it鈥檚 even worth it in this day and age, consider this鈥攁ccording to a conducted by Georgetown 911吃瓜网鈥檚 Center for Education and the Workforce, over the course of their lifetimes, people with bachelor鈥檚 degrees earn 74% more than those with just a high school diploma. Those with more advanced degrees generally have even higher lifetime earnings.

2. The type of degree your child earns is becoming more and more important. Picking a future career based only on salary potential is not the wisest decision in the world, but be sure to point out that choice of major will most likely play a very big role in their earnings potential. Not everyone wants to or has what it takes to become an engineer, but majoring in history or art may lead to a job in retail. Kiplinger that a few of the worst college majors include:

• Anthropology, with an unemployment rate of 10.5% and a median salary of $28,000 among recent college grads

• Film and Photography, with an unemployment rate of 7.3% and a median salary of $30,000 among recent college grads

• Drama and Theater Arts, with an unemployment rate of 7.8% and a median salary of $26,000 among recent college grads

3. There are different types of colleges, too! There are dozens if not hundreds of college majors, and there are different types of schools, too. Do you know the differences between a research university and a liberal arts college? How about between a community college and a trade school? Public state universities are different from private universities, some of which are non-profit and some of which are for-profit. Whew!

4. Do your homework. That said, schedule an appointment with your child鈥檚 guidance counselor or search for colleges and universities together right here on 911吃瓜网 as your preliminary research. Find out if a school is public or private and whether it is nationally or regionally accredited. Once the time has arrived to get serious about selecting a college, create a list of questions that should be answered by college admissions representatives. Here are just a few to get you started:

• How many undergraduates and graduate students are on campus?

• What is the student-faculty ratio?

• What is the sticker price of tuition?

• What percentage of students receives financial aid?

• How much do students usually pay per year?

• What is the freshman retention rate?

5. Talk to each other! Communication is a big key to relationship success. Many tweens and teens would rather text and hang out with their friends than talk to their parents about school and the future, so make an effort to bring up education at least once or twice per week. Your conversations will vary depending on your child鈥檚 age and level in school, but take the time to ask and answer questions.

6. Find out what is required and offer encouragement. Stay involved in your child鈥檚 life and their college application process. Is there anything special that they need to do? Standardized tests? College entrance exams? Volunteer work or community service hours? Offer encouragement to help him or her get everything done on time, but don鈥檛 take over.

7. Resist the urge to help too much. Parental involvement is a big plus, but don鈥檛 take over completely. Visit schools and take campus tours, but let your child speak for himself. Attend college fairs together, but don鈥檛 jump in and brag about your kid鈥檚 accomplishments. According to TIME helicopter parents鈥攑arents those who constantly 鈥渉over,鈥� just as the name implies鈥攕end a message to their children that they鈥檙e not competent, and the kids often wind up unable to solve their own problems.

8. Don鈥檛 go broke to help pay for college. CNBC that over 70% of surveyed parents with teenagers would dip into their retirement savings to pay for college. Some parents even wind up draining their savings accounts completely to help their kids pay for college. Financial experts advise against this habit. Not only will the funds count as taxable income, there will be less money come retirement time.

Posted on 11 Apr

Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the 911吃瓜网 of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.