Chamber Business Connection Vol. 1, Issue 10 | Page 15

Preparing for the College Life
For many students after high school comes the college
experience. That fleeting feeling of finally being off on
your own is freeing – but also no easy task. We sat down
with Kaziah Conrad and her mother, Jill Anderson for a
peek behind the scenes into the excitement – and some
of the concerns – a family may face when a child is going
off to college.
Jill began the interview by smiling at her daughter and re-
lating the exhilarating feeling of sending her off to college
and watching her become a self-sufficient adult.
I’m super excited for the experiences she’s going to have,”
she said. “To watch how all of her schooling from pre-
school, kindergarten, all the way up through high school
has prepared her for college, and then seeing how she
can grow and develop even more skills once she’s in col-
lege – I’m really excited to see her blossom.”
Kaziah related she was excited for some of the same rea-
sons as well.
“I’m excited to challenge and push myself, to see what I
can do academically and otherwise – to see if I can put
into place all these things I’ve learned over the years and
do them on my own.”
Of course, with excitement also comes anxiety. Jill ex-
plained that her main worry revolved around moving from
homeschooling to a more organized, time-sensitive envi-
ronment.
“For a homeschooler going into a college setting, there’s
a whole new dynamic – where everything is very orga-
nized,” she said. “You have to be at a certain place, for a
certain time, then hurry and go to the next class, I just
worry for her that she doesn’t get overwhelmed. But, at
the same time I know that she’s beyond smart and capa-
ble enough to do it.”
Kaziah worried about organization as well, but not in an academic sense. She seemed to be more worried about
the day-to-day things that come along with leaving home. “I’m more worried about learning how to not only take
care of my academics, but also myself – I have to do my own laundry, keep my dorm room clean…. Stuff like that.”
In spite of these anxieties, the most important issue for mother and daughter alike is the cost of college.
“It will put me in debt for a while, but it will turn around,” Kaziah said. “But looking at your statement and realize
that right now, for one semester of school is tens of thousands of dollars is not my favorite thing to see.”
To remedy this, Kaziah explained she has been looking into alternative forms of funding.
“I’ve been looking into military programs that would not only be willing to cover grad school but also undergrad.
I would like to start my career as debt free as possible,” she said. “Debt! Debt is Definitely the number 1 issue. I
think that everyone going to college is going to face this. It’s important to realize though, that everything is going
to be okay - this is an investment that will pay off in the future.”
CHAMBER BUSINESS CONNECTION
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