196: Get Your Kid College Ready and Help...

Making sure your child is college ready can be an overwhelming, confusing, and illusive process. How do you know if your child is college ready? What should you and your child be focusing on to ensure they are competitive and stand out throughout the admissions process? When should you even start thinking about college for your child and what are common pitfalls you need to avoid? These questions and more are the focus of this week's episode with the founder and CEO of College Ready, Shellee Howard.

Shellee is a Certified Independent College Strategist and a best-selling author. She helps students gain admission to their best-fit colleges—often debt-free. Shellee has guided hundreds of students worldwide to top universities, ensuring they graduate debt-free and land jobs they love and she's on a mission to help one million families get into their dream school and graduate without debt.

In this episdoe Shellee and I discuss:

• at what age you and your children should start preparing for college
• the 7 factors that contribute to your child standing out in the admissions process
• why the normal community service hours don't go far to make your child stand out and what they should be doing instead
• if college is still a worthwhile financial investment and how to ensure you get a positive ROI from your child's college investment
• what the "sweet spot" is for how many schools your child needs to be applying to
• the biggest mistakes Shellee see's students making during the admissions process (so you can avoid them)
• how to pay for your child's college using scholarships and the different types of scholarships available
• the biggest mistakes she see's parents making when applying for scholarships or financial aid
• the hidden costs of college that most parents fail to get prepared for