It’s been a while since I Iast wrote, but I’ve been busy helping students with deciding where to go for next year.  Over the years, as I have been assisting students with making this very important decision, I have learned the following: 1) It’s becoming more competitive to get into college nowadays, 2) The cost of a college education is doubling every 18 years (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority), and 3) More students are seriously looking toward local state colleges and universities for higher education.  Of course, these findings make sense considering how expensive college has become along with the fact that the United States is still recovering from the economic crisis of 2007 to 2010.  Many parents lost their jobs due to layoffs and may have even suffered a significant loss in their 401Ks.  Now these parents are concerned about their mortgages and retirement.  What happens to paying for their kid’s college education?  What might be the first priority in the mind of an 18 year old high school senior is probably the third, fourth, or even fifth priority for her parent/s.  How do we come to some kind of middle ground?  Sorting these issues out is not easy for parents or their children.  Having a knowledgeable, impartial third party to assist with these decisions can alleviate much of the tension between parents and children.  Both parent/s and child are provided with a much needed sounding board before coming to a resolution that will work for all parties involved.