Photo: Michigan State University
College Planning Package
We will teach you how to:
Listed below are all of the services and guidance you will receive as we help you make the best financial decisions and be prepared with a comprehensive approach to college selection and funding. Identify Financial Goals Using the College Priorities Worksheet, identify and resolve your current objectives relative to college and life (retirement, home ownership, paying for college, starting a business, second home…) Retirement Ready or Not This process will provide you with a projection of your retirement readiness. Without this knowledge, parents routinely OVERSPEND on college. They find out too late; their retirement dreams are delayed or destroyed. The Funding Process Details on the workings of the process, including:
College Funding Analysis Report This report evaluates your family’s current financial situation, offers available options/strategies, and projects the amount of institutional funding that may be offered (based on each school’s past awards). Aid Eligibility Comparison Report View your calculated EFC and the award history of multiple colleges in a head-to-head format. It also forecasts your out-of-pocket expense at each. This could save you thousands of dollars in errant assumptions about the true cost of college. Additional reports entail a detailed EFC projection for both FAFSA and PROFILE, and a “What-Will-College-Cost Estimate” Report. What-If Analysis Changes in a family’s financial structure may result in greater financial aid eligibility. This analysis will highlight the specific change and the financial aid eligibility impact. It demonstrates the value of the recommendations, and can allow the parent(s) the opportunity to make an informed decision. Merit Scholarship Report Your student will be instructed on how to go about searching for private scholarships using the many available private and free websites. In addition, we offer our own scholarship report. It will identify available scholarships by state, school, major and a variety of other criteria identified by the student and their family. This tool uses a database of more than 16,000 scholarships. You will be able to identify qualifications, contact information, website address, and range of awards. College Quick Reference Reports consistently formatted data on more than 13,000 U.S. colleges and universities in an easy to digest and evaluate 2-page report. They are key to efficient and accurate head to head comparisons. While this data is available elsewhere, no single source provides a more convenient display of: Cost, Freshman Academic Profile, Size, Campus Characteristics, Extra-Curricular Clubs and Activities, Majors, Affiliations, Financial Detail, Award History, Admissions & Contact Data, etc.
College Visit Scoring System A way to measure how well every school you consider matches up to you and your student’s expectations. With this system and criteria ranking derived from the student’s education objectives, you’ll have a method of evaluating school that goes beyond visual impressions and prevents relying too heavily on recollection. FAFSA and CSS/Profile Review Council and review of the FAFSA and CSS/Profile application. Student Aid Report (SAR) Review We review and check the SAR for accuracy and suggest any necessary corrections and/or updates. Award Letter Evaluations We evaluate and offer an opinion regarding each institution’s offer of funding based on the student’s qualifications and the school’s past funding offers. We also suggest an appeal strategy for additional funding, if applicable. College Funding Plan College funding recommendations and design including all sources of funds from income, assets, grants, scholarships and loans. Communication Profile Online communication profile for parents and students to better understand each other’s strengths and how to communicate better together. The completed report includes individual strengths, a written description of general characteristics, and a list of do’s and don’ts for communicating with each other. Professional Counseling Individual meetings to discuss: √ Financial goals, retirement projections and improvement √ College funding recommendations and design √ Student Aid Report Review and/or Award Letter Evaluations and Appeal Strategy √ Parent Cash Flow improvement √ First Year FAFSA & CSS Profile preparation counseling √ Student Interview (Q/A, finance/expense insight, timeline, etc) |
Career Assessment
Birkman - At Michigan College Planning we offer a Career Planning tool to help you conscientiously dial into what you are “wired to do”. The Birkman Assessment tool helps you hone in on career possibilities that satisfy your individual needs and interest.
Understanding your Career path first is an investment in college savings. Knowing upfront where your degree path will take you can save time and money in the college journey. Let us help you find what you’re wired to do and your Career path! Do What You Are - Do What You Are takes you step-by-step through the process of determining and verifying your Personality Type. Then it identifies occupations that are popular with each Type and offers a rundown of each Type's work-related strengths and weaknesses. My Next Move - My Next Move collects data including the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by more than 900 occupations in the United States. My Next Move enables you to explore occupations and find related information, job outlook information, salaries, and other related education and training programs. In addition, it offers a 60 question assessment targeted to help individuals learn what she/he likes to do. Based on the individual’s interests and responses, the information gathered will be used to suggest potentially suitable occupations and careers. Big Five Big Five measures what many psychologists consider to be the five fundamental dimensions of personality. Specific Big Five personality traits predict learning styles in addition to academic success. |
Free Presentation Workshops If your group/organization is interested in meeting with us to obtain some peace of mind on how to get started in the college planning process, please give us a call and we would be happy to set up a complimentary workshop for you. We have presented to many schools and held private events for all age groups. It is never too early or too late to start planning for college. |