As an independent college counselor with years of direct experience working in college admissions, I applaud Noel Gallagher’s article “Cost of higher education draining Mainers” (Oct. 12). It was refreshing to see the level of depth and balance given this important topic that is too often reduced to a headline or too focused an angle.

What can get lost amid conversations about financial aid and college costs, however, is what is best for the individual student, or what I like to call “right fit.” That encompasses private or public colleges and universities for which the individual student’s academics, way of learning, extracurricular and career interests, and family understanding of what affordability means are all part of the college search and selection process. This is a much more holistic approach than focusing first on costs, or worse, not considering affordability until acceptance packets arrive in spring of senior year.

The good news for high school students and their parents now entering the college search process is that they need not jettison what they had envisioned for their college experience amid important financial considerations. There are literally thousands of accredited institutions of higher education in the U.S., not counting Canada and abroad, where students can find good matches to their educational and career interests and goals.

Each student and family situation is different, and the college search and selection process should reflect that uniqueness while ensuring no one enters college blind to its real costs over four years and beyond.

Kathy Strand

CollegeSearchU

Portland