I do a shit load of consulting to parents and kids wanting to attend college. The biggest issues I see are kids that have big dreams that’s out of reach realistically and kids having no idea what they want to do.
Some kids that have big dreams have zero comprehension of the cost to go to school. For example, my niece wants to be a doctor, but wants to attend Wake Forest or Elon. The problem is that it cost 90k (including room and board) to attend. So that’s $360k for four years. I told her that her parents can’t afford that even if you get an 75% scholarship. They’re still going to be on the hook for 90k (and that’s just undergrad). Also, many scholarships on cover tuition cost and not room and board.
Another girl want to run track at Princeton or Alabama. She is state ranked and worthy, but I also told her these schools are always looking for the best talent and athletic scholarships are year to year basis. So if she decides to quit running or her scholarship isn’t renewed, how is she going to afford Princeton tuition or Alabama out-of-state cost?
When I try to explain this to the parents, they feel offended that I would suggest something lower for their child. The girl that wants to go to WF is bright and smart but she can major in Biology at a state support school for much cheaper and then transfer to WF as a graduate student which will be way cheaper. Every person I know that went to a prestigious private school usually went for their masters.