Home Town Kind of Gratitude
My beloved is going to kill me for telling you, but he loves the show Home Town on HGTV. I think he has a secret crush on Erin, and that’s okay. After all, she’s an artist, too. In the show, this young couple in tiny Laurel, Mississippi is restoring older homes, ranging from dumps to just dumpy. Ben, her husband, has mad woodworking skills and loves to turn junk timber into jaw-dropping furniture. They are genuine, love their town, and love what they do. And, they speak gratitude a LOT in their show.
So doing college on a budget was like restoring an old home in little Laurel, what would Erin and Ben do?
FIRST- BEFORE they film one second of the show, they do their homework. This includes;
Meet the buyers.
Draw out their needs & wants.
Develop a budget to buy and renovate.
THEN they narrow down the “look at options.”
The message is clear- working within the real budget of their clients, they can turn something sad into a beautiful and inviting home.
Gratitude Tidbit- The GREATEST gift you can give your student is a financial plan that borrows as little as possible. Develop your complete college budget, goals, talents, and wishes. Low or no college debt will be something EVERYONE will be grateful for when your student is done.
SECOND- There are always “issues” when you are restoring an older home. The electrical is dangerously outdated, the roof is shot, or the porch needs a complete re-do. In our colleges & universities, what are their “must do-overs”? Let me nominate a few areas:
They need 21st-century technology AND professors willing to use these tools effectively. They ARE competing for students and must adjust their offerings, pricing, and programs to retain AND gain students. Schools with college success coaching teams have higher retention and graduation rates. High-tech PLUS high-touch (defined as a proper support system to guide them onward) will be an essential approach of future higher education offerings.
Gratitude Tidbit - Getting the “right” school in terms of programs, courses and the personal fit is worth the effort. The right school will challenge & support your student at the same time. The “right” school, including affordability, will reduce costly changes and do-overs. That’s something you’ll be grateful you worked on in your plans.
THIRD- They recycle lots of good old stuff. Your student can, too. Taking what they have already learned and testing for college credits is a form of recycling. If your student has done AP courses, IB credits, they can test for CLEP credits to apply to their first two years. The catch? You have to know your degree destination, your school, and work backward towards getting the right credits. I call it reverse engineering your degree. Today you need to PLAN for doing those first two years on the CLEP system . This will require working with an academic counselor at your chosen school once you are accepted.
Gratitude Tidbit - YOUR GOAL is to complete college in 4 years or less. Be among the 40% who graduate with a degree in 4 years. EVERY year you are not in college, you just made $20-$50k for yourself.
FOURTH- “Design” your studies towards your strengths and interests. Erin doesn’t do Mid-century Modern for families with a Colonial American preference. To maximize your degree, you must be in tune with your talents and direction. Take career aptitude tests. Reflect. Ask trusted mentors for valuable input. It’s too expensive to wander in academia today. Go in with a direction plus a plan. It will make all the difference.
Gratitude Tidbit- We are more willing to do the hard work when it will get us to a career that uses our talents and orientations. It may not make it any easier, but the journey will feel better and go faster because you are engaged and interested.
You have to buy a house within your budget. Let’s be sure “buying college” is done the same way. In today’s crazy world, I can’t think of a better framework for your student’s higher education. I am equally certain it can save them from financial ruin.
Parents, I promise you your student will EVENTUALLY thank you for guiding them through a low or no-loan education process focused on them. Next week, another thought-provoking article from the Wall Street Journal. Folks, when it is hitting the national news cycles, it is real!
Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend.
Until Next Time,
All my Best,
Bonnie
