College is an important stepping stone not only for your financial future, but for your overall personal development. Continuing your education after high school increases your earning potential. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, those with college degrees earn about $1 million more over a lifetime than those with a high school diploma. The more education you have, the more …

This article from USA Today gives important information about health care for the college student. By Sandra Block, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/2010-08-20-personalfinance20_ST_N.htm Unless your soon-to-be-roommate mentioned on Facebook that she has a mysterious and potentially contagious rash, you probably haven’t given much thought to what you’ll do for health insurance when you start college this fall. But choosing health insurance coverage …

Naviance is the most widely adopted college and career readiness solution. Their comprehensive suite of web-based tools provide students with college research and matching tools, course planning, career assessment and personality tests, and surveys and tasks to help students connect what they are doing in school to what they would like to do once they complete their education. Lighthouse uses …

Summer is a great time to take college courses. Local colleges and community colleges offer several courses that allow students to earn credit over the summer. Consider taking an elective course or a course you’d like to get completed early. If you’re still in high school, check with the colleges you are considering attending to make sure they’ll accept the …

Summer is almost here. This is a great opportunity to have an internship and explore a potential career choice. Many companies offer internships in the summer. We recommend asking your teachers and counselors for opportunities that they know about as well as doing research on your own. Email us at college@lighthousecollegeplanning.com for help in finding an internship. According to internships.com …

Summer is a great time to spend time with people who are in careers that interest you. Most professionals are more than willing to spend time with someone who has an interest in their field. Ask you parents, neighbors and teachers who they know that are in the fields of your interest. Also, you can research companies in your area …

As you consider taking out loans for college, it’s a good idea to understand what it will take to repay the loans. The information from http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/OtherFormsOfRepay.jsp will help you determine how much you’ll need to pay each month for the money you borrow. It’s a good idea to find out how much a college graduate will earn with the degree …

It’s an exciting time for seniors. The year is winding down, prom is coming and now it’s time to choose a school. Each school will send an award letter. Now it’s time to see what college will really cost. It can be tricky evaluating the offers. Be sure to look at all the fine print. For example, if the student …

The ICE college fair is tonight at North Central College. Be sure to take your resume with you to give to admissions representatives. We recommend you ask for the admissions reps business card of the schools you are interested in and send a personal thank you note to the schools that interest you. This will show a demonstrated interest to …

Spring break is a great time to visit college campuses. We thought this article contained some good questions to ask when visiting. We have a comprehensive checklist our clients use when visiting a college. If you’re interested in speaking to one of our counselors about how to evaluate different schools, call us at 630-907-9830. From: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2010/10/19/36-questions-to-ask-on-a-college-visit Ideally, you’ll want to …