College… and career….and financial counseling

In the not so old days when we provided college counseling to our Connecticut clients, most parents were focused on “fit” based on socialization, class size, campus, clubs and other factors primarily related to the 4-year experience at the college, as if the post-college career outcome was not particularly important.

The Great Recession marked a turning point. Some parents became focused almost exclusively on post-college career outcomes as if the 4 years at the college were not particularly important. We also noticed that many of our college counseling discussions quickly turned to financial discussions.  In addition to the common questions related to financial aid, merit aid, and overall college expenses, the questions started to focus on “whether X college was worth it?”

In our experience, a healthy balance is required.  Those choosing college based solely on experiential factors often regret that decision on the other end as they face a brutally challenging work world.  But those who choose a college based on purely career-focused issues often are disappointed with their experience and, of course, bitterly so if they change career directions.  And, financial issues must be factored in regardless.

We help guide our clients on all issues related to the college decision.