Parent Obligation in Securing College Scholarships for Kids

What role should parents play in helping their kids secure college scholarships? Are there specific obligations or responsibilities they should be aware of during the process?

While the primary responsibility for securing scholarships falls on the student, parents can certainly play a supportive role throughout the process. This may include assisting with research, and organization, providing emotional support, proofreading essays, and encouraging deadline adherence.

1. Assisting with Research: Parents can provide help by finding scholarships that suit their child's academic and extracurricular achievements, demographic, career goals, and other characteristics. They can also assess the credibility of scholarships to ensure their child does not fall prey to scams.

2. Organization: Keeping track of scholarship requirements and deadlines can be a huge task for students who are also focused on school and extracurricular activities. Parents can help by creating a centralized system for keeping track of these details.

3. Emotional Support: Applying for scholarships can be stressful for students. Parents can provide emotional support and motivation to boost their child's morale.

4. Reviewing Applications: Another way parents can contribute is by proofreading their child's scholarship applications and essays. While the student's voice should shine through, having a fresh set of eyes to catch any typographical or grammatical errors can be beneficial.

5. Encouraging Deadline Adherence: Keeping students on track with deadlines is another support parents can provide, as missed deadlines can result in lost opportunities.

Finally, remember that while parents can provide much-needed support and guidance, it's also important to let students take the reins. Applying for scholarships builds valuable life skills including time management, communication, and resilience in the face of rejection.