Six Tips To Inspire Your Stepchild To Attend College

Every child should want to strive to do well for themselves. One sure way for them to get ahead in life is to acquire a solid education.

Unfortunately, some students are hesitant to go to college and need a little encouragement from both parents and stepparents alike. Here are a few points to consider bringing up when talking with your stepchild about attending college.

College Degrees Tend to Help You Earn More

People who are able to put a college degree on their resume are not only more likely to be hired than people without a degree, but they are also more likely to earn more too.

Consequently, you should help your stepchild to understand the value an education provides when it comes to earning a higher wage.

You Can Major In Anything You Want

Where many students may not have enjoyed high school, it is important to help them understand that college provides them with much greater flexibility, allowing them to enroll in courses they are actually interested in.

Your stepchild may want to enroll in one of many art education degree programs, for example, since even many computer related fields involve art related skills.

Set Their Own Schedule

Unlike going to high school, students who enroll in college have a lot more flexibility with time. Since they can choose the classes they want, they can make their schedule as full or open as they need. This in turn can provide them with additional time to pursue other interests or even a part time job while they attend college.

Financial Aid

A lot of students are not aware that even if their parents do not earn vast amounts of money they may still be able to afford to go to college. Helping a student understand there are grants, scholarships and a number of financial aid packages available to them is sometimes a hidden concern that needs to be addressed to get them thinking about going to college after they graduate high school.

Socialization

Another perk of heading off to college for a lot of high school graduates is they will get to meet a lot of other students their age. Where socializing is not the most important aspect to higher education, it is nevertheless a motivating factor for a lot of students tossing around the idea of whether or not college is right for them.

Finding Their Niche In Life

Often a student really doesn’t know what they are suited for in life until they have had the opportunity to get away from home and try their hand at college life away from step-mom or step-dad. Usually, a semester or two into the process, a student will start to identify their niche and begin to focus on what is important, taking classes that facilitates the goal of getting them where they need to be and performing the work they enjoy doing.

There are many great reasons why your stepchild should consider going to college. From studying their favorite subjects to finding themselves as individuals, the value of a college education is often difficult to place a price on.

What experiences will they miss, by refusing to attend college that could have made all the difference later on in life? Without attending college, they may never know.

About the author

Chaleigh Glass is a writer and photographer from NYC. When she isn’t busy in her apartment writing, Chaleigh loves to travel. Her escapades and interactions with people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds has given her a vast amount of different experiences and pieces of knowledge she loves to share in her writings. Chaleigh is a frequent contributor to Support for Stepdads be sure to read some of her previous articles, “Four Pieces of Advice You Can Give to Friends Suffering from Domestic Violence Issues” and “Troubled Teen? Four Things To Remember“