Just How Involved Should Parents be in College Decisions?

One of the biggest decisions to make during one’s senior year is where an individual plans on attending college once finished with high school. This is a very big decision since it will play a big impact on shaping your future and what you will do with the rest of your life.
Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to have parents that realize where I want to go and end up going is completely up to me, since I will be the one experiencing everything. A few of my friends and people I have talked to more recently are not quite as lucky. Their parents are constantly badgering them about the schools they have picked and constantly give suggestions where they feel their child will ‘fit in’. While parents should be allowed a say in where their child goes for college (especially if they plan on supporting their child throughout their college years) there should be a line drawn that parents shouldn’t be allowed to cross and they need to realize this.
Picking a college is up to the student because they know best what size school they want, geographically where they want to go, and what they want to study in college. If the student does enough research on schools they are considering, and finds them fitting to his or her requirements, then it should be their choice if they want to continue on and apply to that college.
Of course, this does not mean that the students should ignore a parent’s advice/opinions completely. Taking their thoughts into consideration may actually help in choosing a college. Listen to what your parents have to say and then decide whether or not you wish to take their advice/opinion to heart.
When picking your schools to apply to and then finally choosing which college you will be attending, watch your parents and be sure you are picking the school you want to go to. Not the school your parents pick out for you.