(ThyBlackMan.com) When the time comes for your kid to apply to college, you can often feel as if your entire family has a lot of decisions to make. Because even though it may be your kid heading off to college, you’re still going to be quite heavily involved in the process. It’s likely that your son or daughter will get a lot of support from their school, and have already thought through a lot of options, but what about you? If you’re not sure where to start, what decisions there are you all even need to make, or what to prioritize, here are a few key considerations to think over.
Ratings
One of the first things you can do to help with the decision-making process is to take at college ratings. Now, not everyone likes to take these things seriously, but you can look at ratings to determine 
things like academic rating and student satisfaction. You can often find an impartial view on what each college is really like. Whether you look at the best colleges list by the Princeton Review or an independent source, it should give you all an idea of what colleges are like.
Location
Next up, you may also want to think about the location of each college, or even the colleges available in a set location. Whether your kid wants to be close to home, or head to the other side of the country, location is important. By considering this factor, you can often take into consideration the cost of living in each area, which can help to understand funding options. You may also want to consider international options, or even study abroad programs that are available at home schools.
Majors
Then, of course, your kid is going to need to figure out what major to go with. There are so many degree options to consider, and although your child (or you!) may have known for a long time what that major will be, not everyone does. Or, sometimes, you can find that your kid is stuck between two choices. So, you’re going to want to look at the course options and content for a range of majors at different colleges.
Scholarships
You may also want to think about different scholarship options for your kid. It may be that they are particular gifting in one area and could qualify for a great scholarship at a school. Or, perhaps you need the funding, so you want to check out what scholarships are available and how to go out for them. But, before your family decides and starts searching for scholarships, read this first as it may give you a great perspective.
Prospects
Lastly, you may also want to consider what prospects each school has. What are their career and graduation stats? Do graduates go on to good career choices, or gain good further study options? If your kid is set on a specific career path, this could be the most important point of all of them.
Staff Writer; Kevin Poole
