To be ready to choose a college, I liberally estimate that a 17 year old high school senior has:
- Spent approximately 12,760 hours attending school since Pre-K,
- Completed an estimated 2,376 hours of homework just during four years high school (assuming an average of three hours of homework on school days and six hours per weekend during the school year), and
- Spent 2,160 hours (an average of 10 hours per week) doing extracurricular activities and tutoring in just the middle and high school years alone.
Of note, estimated times DO NOT include:
- Commute times to school, especially for those kids who travelled across the county to a school reportedly more academically rigorous than their neighborhood school,
- Travel times and costs for weekend tournaments or competitions, as well as year round sports or extracurricular activities
- Vacation costs to visit colleges around the US, as well as time arranging tours
- Time scrolling through Reddit and other social media to ascertain one’s (or one’s child’s) chances for admissions, being panicked to learn some “Golden Child” of an applicant was denied admissions to _______ (fill in blank name of college)
- Costs in time and money for summer enrichment programs
- Supplementary materials costs
- Last minute dashes before Staples closes for some office supply to complete an assignment due the next day
- Time and effort parents spend arranging and driving carpool to school, to practice, to tutoring, to lessons
- Time worrying (stress that affects physical well being) about not being accepted to college, anxious about a B on one test in one class, sure it’ll sabotage all college admissions opportunities, career aspirations and future economic well being.
Selecting a college from the list of options now in full view of families and students will be one of the most important decisions of their life therefore obviously a decision to be made with great discernment. Especially considering that during the totality of one 17 year old’s life experience, which for comparison sake, and a conservative estimate at that, would be equal to holding a full time job, with occasional overtime tacked on since five years of age. Be careful!
Contact Creative Marbles Consultancy to learn how we can help any family around the US to carefully consider their investment in a college education.
