Bus passengers know where they want to go, but are passive observers in getting there. The driver is actually in charge.
The most successful college planning happens when kids drive their own bus. They don’t have to do it alone. Parents can guide, encourage, and cheerlead from the sidelines. But if Mom and Dad research all the colleges, schedule the activities, make appointments with the counselor, call the colleges, complete the applications, etc., they—not their kids—are driving the bus.
Parents, if that sounds like your family’s current college planning process, step back, take a seat, and invite your student to take the wheel.