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Mother nature thought that our April showers meant snow here in RI, but that won't get in the way of us helping you plan for college. Seniors have a lot on their plate this month. Top among their stresses: which school they are going to attend in the fall. Juniors, on the other hand, are starting to explore colleges and figuring out what they want in a school. Check out our college planing tips for April below!

Seniors

This is a big time of year for high school seniors! College decisions must be made! A big deciding factor for students when deciding which school to attend is how much each school awarded to you in financial aid. Comparing those award letters is never an easy task which is why the RISLA College Planning Center is here to help. Schedule an appointment with us to get help comparing your award letters!

If you are a high school student - or parent of one - college is likely on your mind. We regularly give advice about best college planning practices through the lens of the RISLA College Planning Center. But this month, we had the rare opportunity of gathering most of Rhode Island's high school guidance counselors in a single room, and we wanted to take advantage of that! Below, we have outlined five of today's most pressing college planning questions, rounded up the best answers from our state's school counselors, and aggregated some common themes to help you on your journey to college.

We are excited to announce that effective March 5, 2018, the RISLA College Planning Center currently located at the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln will be moving to a new location at 652 George Washington Highway in Lincoln, RI.

Fall is here and so are corn mazes, pumpkin spiced lattes and apple flavored desserts. Don't get too caught up in all of the fall fun though; it's time to get serious about applying to college!

Not sure what you should be doing for the month of October? You've come to the right place to help keep you on track.

School is back in session and whether you are getting ready to take your SATs/ACTs, edit down your college essay, or are in the process of filling out your college applications, you should be aware of all the types of college admission options available to you. The earlier you become knowledgeable about the admissions process, the better. Knowing this important information can help you prepare to apply for whatever admission type you prefer, without scrambling around at the last minute.

You may be at the height of college planning stress right now, but let us assure you that before you know it, you will be selecting a school to enroll at and packing up the car to head to college! Use the below admission descriptions to help you determine which road to college admissions will be the best fit for you.

Now that the college acceptance letters are pouring in, the waiting game is over. Getting accepted to college is a great honor that generates lots of excitement. However, once you come down from cloud nine, it's time to make some serious decisions.  Here are some tips on how to make the right college enrollment decision.

Tuition payment plans are one method that allow parents and students to pay tuition expenses over a short period of time, typically less than 12 months. These plans are often interest-free but often have some fees associated with them, although they are generally pretty low. 

Most of these plans allow you to set up payments to the college directly through your bank account on a monthly basis. These plans can be a good option for parents who can afford tuition, but can't manage to make one large payment in the beginning of the academic year. 

You have been living with your child for 18 years and the time has come for her to leave home. Your child's departure to college can leave you with lots of mixed emotions – from pride to loss – but there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for the transition and help yourself let go.

While you will always remain your child’s parent, you are first going to have to recognize that your parenting will have to change now that your child won’t be living at home.

In the ideal situation, saving for your child’s college expenses and tuition began when they were quite young and has built up over the years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way for a variety of reasons. So what to do now that your child is entering their junior or senior year and you don’t have enough to send them to college?

Don’t panic, there are still methods you can use to help them afford the college experience. Your child hasn’t taken college level Economics 101 yet, but she will soon learn there are two ways to increase your liquid money: either bring in more money, or reduce your expenses.

Adding Extra Income