My son and I deciding whether he'll go straight to college or take a gap year. I'm fine with whatever he chooses.

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Planning for college begins early for a lot of families. My brand-new 10th grader and I are just starting to speak seriously about his post-high school plans, and I recently learned that for many families, college planning starts even earlier. Though it feels early to me, some start talking about what comes next the summer before their kids begin high school.