Shelling out for private college prep programs?

Posted Sep 21st 2007 6:24PM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Magazines, Personal Finance

An interesting piece in the latest issue of Money takes a look at the lengths that some parents are willing to go to get their children into the colleges of their choice.

One high school senior's parents have spent $12,825 on test-prep/resume building in an effort to get her into Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and San Diego State.

Sound excessive? According to her mother, Cathy, "It's not about the money. The stress is, oh my gosh, will my child get into the college she wants?"

If the family can afford it, it really doesn't matter, in a sense, if they spend such a large sum on college-prep programs.

But the question I would ask Cathy is this: Is the stress really about your daughter getting into the college she wants, or the college you want her to get into? In many cases, I've seen parents steering their kids toward certain college and beating the whip for scholastic achievement, and I'm reminded of stage moms. I find myself asking: Is this about you or the kid?

Money offers excellent alternatives to the college admissions treadmill, and I particularly like the last one:

The best strategy of all, says Cigus Vanni, college counselor at Cherry Hill High School West in New Jersey and a former Swarthmore admissions officer, is to support your child's interests by investing in activities that help her explore them - whether that's studying oceanography or making films.

After all, this is about the kids... right?

Tags: College, college prep, CollegePrep, loyola marymount, LoyolaMarymount, pepperdine, san diego state, SanDiegoState, test prep programs, TestPrepPrograms