Show Gratitude
When mom is a college counselor, her kids tend to pick up a few things. College and money were constant topics around the dinner table at Cynda Mullikin's house in Galveston, Texas, but when her son was picking out colleges last year, that did not make paying for it any easier.
Although her valedictorian son was eligible for free, first-year tuition at any Texas public school, he wanted to go to a smaller, liberal arts school and maybe even go out of state.
Mullikin explained, with spreadsheets, that he would need scholarships and loans to cover the shortfall.
He landed $32,000 in renewable scholarships, which will be enough to cover the bulk of his costs if he keeps up his grade point average. "He worked his little tail end off. That boy made so much money," said Mullikin.
Mullikin encouraged him to write thank-you notes to each organization that gave him money. His roommates recently saw him crafting these notes and started to tease him.
But the pay-off is worth it. "One gentleman appreciated his handwritten thank-you note so much that out of his pocket, he gave him $500," Mullikin said
What did her son do? He wrote another thank-you note.