This is quite the hot topic in college admission—and not without reason. Every family who has a son or daughter going through the college selection process faces many of the same issues. How are we going to pay for this? What resources are available to support my son/daughter as he/she attends college?

I sincerely hope parents are including their children in this discussion. The earlier this begins, the better. The junior year in high school is a good time for students to begin developing a list of prospective schools while also beginning to gather cost and financing information.

Here are a few starter questions parents and prospective students should be asking early on:

• What does it cost?
• What is the difference in public school tuition for in-state students vs. out-of-state students?
• What fees are charged?
• What about living expenses?
• Are scholarships available? If so, how do you qualify for/maintain them?
• What are the potential deadlines?
• What type of financial aid is available?

Many parents and students wait until the senior year of high school to consider financing options. On the surface, this makes sense because of the wait time needed to see about admission, scholarship opportunities, and financial aid. But even with that in mind, it’s always a good idea to know early on what resources may be available to make college a reality.

Occasionally, I hear about students who aren’t fully aware of their family’s financial picture when it comes to paying for college. They assume that everything is going to be taken care of because their parents haven’t talked to them about cost. Meanwhile, the parents are struggling and stressed about how they are going to pay for school. Obviously, this isn’t ideal.

When parents and students make assumptions about how to pay for college without talking about the larger issue, they may be surprised to find later in the college selection process that the student’s dream school may be out of reach. So I want to reiterate how important it is for both parents and students to take part in the paying for college discussion. Knowing their family’s situation not only helps students see the big picture when looking at colleges, but also it equips them to explore opportunities (i.e. Federal Work-Study) for attending their dream school.

As you look forward to the college selection process, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

When I speak with prospective students at this time of year, the focus is usually on the application and scholarship deadlines. This is completely understandable.

However, one of the key pieces of information that I try to encourage students to also consider is the type of student experience a particular school offers. For example:

• Does the ‘college experience’ go beyond the classroom and social activities?
• What value can you expect to get from your education—in addition to your degree?

What am I referring to? Loyola stands out as a university that brings the meaning of ‘engaged learning’ to life.

The University recently made changes to the Core Curriculum to ensure that students are active participants in their education through service-learning, academic internships, field work, undergraduate research, and/or public performance. Bottom line: engaged learning adds value to your Loyola education.

Loyola’s Center for Experiential Learning offers a wonderful coordination of efforts to ensure that students can take advantage of a variety of hands-on learning opportunities. These are the activities that truly enhance a four-year college experience—and the annual impact report tells the story. While you’re reading:

• Check out what students say about taking part in experiential learning.
• See how Loyola helps students build their personal e-portfolio, which offers a compelling overview of a student’s strengths and experience. The e-portfolio can be a valuable tool when applying to graduate or professional schools and/or a first professional job.
• Look at how our students have impacted more than 100 Chicago area non-profits.
• Find out about the 103 courses in 34 different majors that offered an experiential learning component as part of the curriculum.
• Picture yourself as one of the engaged 2,780 Loyola students who gained valuable experience while providing more than 106,900 hours of service last year.