When To Start Planning for University

Getting a university education is an investment that will pay back for a lifetime: people with a university education have better job opportunities, earn more money, and develop skills and knowledge that can never be taken away. However, what many families don't realize is that preparing for university doesn't begin during a student's junior or senior year of high school. It begins even before a student first sets foot in school, and it continues through middle school and high school. Getting ready for university means planning for the future and making some very important decisions early.

By the time a child is in sixth grade, families should have started talking about going to university. Make it clear that you expect your children to go to university, and together start planning how to get there. Some parents, especially those who did not go to or finish university themselves, may worry that they cannot provide their child the guidance and support needed to get ready for college. But remember, getting ready for uniersity is more work than anyone can handle on their own, and you don't need to have gone to university yourself to help someone else get ready for university.

This is a big job, but that is why we as parents, aunts and uncles, need to work together to help all our children prepare for university. Look for and take advantage of after school, or summer programs that will help prepare them for uniersity. Where there is a void in college/university prep programs help the RISE Youth group create such programs.

We have a responsibility to our children. While they may represent only 20 percent of our population, our children are 100 percent of our future. They are our greatest investment, and it's up to us to help them understand the importance of investing in themselves.  The Nation is counting on them.