All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

college planning, social networks, Uncategorized

3 Things high school seniors should do now

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

For many high school seniors, the start of the new school year also marks the official start of the college application process.  While students should begin planning and research as early as 9th and 10th grade, there are many 12th graders who may just be diving in now.

With early application deadlines just around the corner (November 1st and 15th), Dr. Katherine Cohen, CEO and founder of IvyWise (www.IvyWise.com) and LinkedIn Higher Ed Expert, urges high school seniors who may be off to a bit of a late start to do these three things right away:

Narrow down your college list.

high school seniorsStudents should end up with a list of 12 to 15 good-fit schools, a balanced list of reach, target and likely schools, all of which are an academic, social and financial fit.  A great place to start your research is LinkedIn, which provides aspiring students and young professionals with the opportunity to make informed decisions on which universities, majors and skills will help them achieve personal and professional success in years ahead. LinkedIn University pages allows students to learn what’s happening on campus, ask questions of faculty, staff, students and alumni, check out notable alumni and explore the professional paths of graduates.

Create a college application checklist.

Senior year of high school can be overwhelming for many students.  It’s often the most rigorous year academically, and the college application process has gotten a lot more complex since mom and dad applied.  It’s important to create a college application checklist and calendar with key dates now so that you don’t miss any important deadlines.  Be sure to include due dates for early and regular applications at each school to which you’re applying, standardized test dates, deadlines to apply for scholarships and financial aid, as well as deadlines for school projects, mid-terms and final exams.

Approach teachers for letters of recommendation.

Most selective colleges and universities require one to three recommendation letters with a student’s application, usually from a guidance counselor and at least one teacher. If you haven’t done so already, identify two 11th grade teachers who know you well—not just the ones who gave you the easy “A”—and ask them to write a letter of recommendation immediately.  Teachers receive many requests and are not required to write these letters.  Often, teachers will limit the number of letters they write, so students need to ask early.  Be sure to provide a copy of your resume, examples of your completed assignments and information about the colleges to which you are applying, so they can personalize your letter. Also, don’t forget to write your own letter to thank your teachers for their time!

parenting, Uncategorized, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Parenting Styles

1 Comment

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from pocsmom.com to parentingforcollege and vice versa.

____________________

What type of parent college coach are you? Each of us has a unique personality that will influence the way we coach our teens. The key is to find yourself, recognize your weaknesses, identify your strengths and adapt to provide your college-bound teen with the best coaching possible.

1-The “let me do it for you” parent

parenting

If you are this type of parent, you’ve most likely been doing everything for your child over the years: making their bed, cleaning their rooms, preparing their snacks, all in the name of parenthood. Don’t get me wrong, when your kids were young, they depended on you to take care of them. But part of being a parent is teaching them to do things for themselves. We taught them to tie their own shoes, ride a bike, go to school on their own, and hopefully budget their money by giving them an allowance. As they get older and the tasks become more difficult, like driving and preparing for college, we tend to want to take back the reins, fearing they might make mistakes that are life altering. But that’s the worst thing you can do. It’s your role to guide them, teach them, and train them. Always remember, the college search and application process is a teen project. You can help, but don’t do it all for them. They need to be involved and when those admissions letters arrive they will own that accomplishment.

2-The “over-anxious” parent

It’s natural to worry and fret about something you do not understand, or have never experienced. Parenthood definitely has its over-anxious moments. Teenagers are by nature over-anxious. They worry about everything: will they be accepted; will they make the cheer squad; will they pass their finals; will they be asked to the dance. Their four years of high school present numerous opportunities for anxiety and the last thing they need is added anxiety over their preparation for college. Knowledge is power—if you have the tools and know the facts you’re anxiety will decrease and you will be less likely to pass that along to your teen.

3-The “pushy” parent

Are you a “type A” personality? Do you push everyone around you to succeed? Do you strive for the best in everything? If you answered yes to those questions, you might be a pushy parent. There is a fine line between being pushy and being a cheerleader. If you push too hard, you will overwhelm your teen. You can encourage them by helping them to achieve their potential. Harping about deadlines and asking them constantly if they have completed their scholarship applications will only produce rebellion. The best way to handle your over-achiever personality is through organization. If you work with your teen to get them organized and they are aware of the deadlines, you won’t have to be that pushy parent.

4-The “my dreams are your dreams” parent

Did you dream of going to Harvard or Yale? Did you always want to go away to college and live in a dorm? Do you wish you had joined a sorority or fraternity during college or played college sports? Did you always want to be a doctor or a lawyer? We all had dreams that might not have been realized. But the worst thing you can do as a parent is to try to achieve those dreams through your children. Your teen will never be happy pursuing YOUR dreams. Their satisfaction is achieved from their own accomplishments. Their happiness comes from pursuing their own passion. The quickest way to ensure failure in college is to send your teen off to a place where they feel pressured to succeed at something they never truly wanted to pursue. If you have unfulfilled dreams, find something you can pursue yourself that will satisfy that passion; and encourage your teen to walk their own path.

5-The “I’ll think about that tomorrow” parent

This is where I fit in. I’m the world’s worst procrastinator. (The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem…isn’t that what they say?) This is the worst time in your teen’s life for you to model or encourage procrastination. The next four years can be daunting and even overwhelming, but if you approach them without planning and organization, you will never survive. The problem with this philosophy is that it won’t work with deadlines, and the college maze is all about the deadlines. If you miss them, there are no second chances or do-overs. Not only do you risk missing the deadlines, as this type of parent you add extra stress to an already stressful time. Preparation and organization are keys to overcoming procrastination. Thinking about it tomorrow will only lead to frustration, disappointment, and regret. Remember the famous maxim-Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)!

6-The “uninvolved” parent

Your teen still requires your input. They may protest greatly and say loudly, “I can do it myself.” But what they really mean is I want to try with your support and help. If you make the mistake of turning the whole process over to your teen, the odds are great that they will become overwhelmed and frustrated to the point of giving up. There are so many decisions to be made and things to keep track of over the next four years. If you have a tendency to be an uninvolved parent, your teen will most likely feel abandoned in a sea of forms, applications and deadlines. Your job is always to encourage, guide and lead your teen to stay on top of those all-important college-related tasks that require their participation. It’s great to expect them to be responsible, but you and I both know that teenagers will be teenagers. Their minds and lives are headed in hundreds of different directions and staying on task can sometimes be inconceivable. It’s your goal to steer them back on course and help them reach their final goal.

7-The “well-balanced” parent

The well-balanced parent utilizes the best organizational tools to help their college-bound teen stay focused and on track. This is the type of parent coach we should all strive to become. You balance coaching, encouragement and guidance with information gathering, organization and goal setting. Your teen does not stress about deadlines because you have sat down together and created a calendar of upcoming scholarship applications, college entrance tests, activities, and school related events. You and your teen are confident and aware of the course you have set together and assured that because you are prepared and organized, the end result will be that your teen is able to reach their goal of college acceptance. You have planned ahead concerning the financial process and have utilized all the tools available to assure an impressive financial aid award package from the colleges where applications are submitted. You coach without pushing, pressuring or stressing out and your teen knows that they have your support and can look to you for positive feedback.

We all have different parenting styles, but think about incorporating the best of each and becoming a well-balanced parent. The college process will be less stressful and your college-bound teen will be less stressed.

Read Wendy’s (POCSMom) approach on different parenting styles.

Sponsored posts

How to become a leader among student peers

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

leadershipStudents attending a university find many new activities to participate in and organizations to get involved with.  For some students, just participating and enjoying the camaraderie is enough, but for those who want to take the bull by the horns and act as leaders or managers, there is no better place to start than in college.  Getting experience as a leader not only looks good on a resume, but also helps you to understand what types of decisions to make in order to better at communicating and motivating others. 

Join

It may seem obvious, but the first step to becoming a leader is to join into a student organization.  Students going to college tend to be inundated with requests to join everything from fraternities to clubs to frisbee teams to debate.  Choose which one or ones you want to join based on several criteria.  Most important, of course, is how much you think you would enjoy the group, but also whether or not it has an active community with strong participation.  Ask recruiters about their current leaders, and if possible talk directly with team captains or club presidents. 

Organizational Hierarchies

Whether you join a chess club or whether you find yourself getting a spot on the football team, spend your first few weeks in an organization determining how the social structure works.  Every group has some sort of leader and many have a pecking order, even if it is a fairly loose one.  Once you have an idea of the hierarchy of a group, play to your strengths.  If you are passionate about a particular idea, whether it is having a school debate or taking a road trip, talk it up.  Do not try to be an expert, and do not try to take the spotlight.  Help empower others if they have ideas they would like to see come to fruition.  Get as many people involved as you can, while doing your best to minimize conflicts.

Continue reading How to become a leader among student peers →

college guidance, organization, study tools, surviving college

5 Tips to help manage your studies

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

studyingOne of the unnamed difficulties of college is the allocation of resources and time. All too often, students are blindsided by the sudden responsibility of managing and scheduling their classes, courses and homework dates without any overseeing parental body to guide their hand. The proper management of time can impact the success of academic and social lives, while the mismanagement of the many distractions and temptations will result in a convolution of unmet deadlines, incomplete assignments, and a schedule that always seems to be one step ahead of the output.

The Compromise

The college compromise means finding a way to have your personal time and your academic time with their own allotted schedules and time frames. A successful college experience doesn’t have to mean focusing on studies without enjoying the social niceties, or conversely, partying without bothering to practice and study for assignments and tests. As with much in life, moderation is a key. Managing academic chores in one hand with personal choices in the other is the kind of mature grace that the most successful students exhibit.

Of course, some of this comes from proper preparation. Making sure that you have all the materials you need to take notes, investing in a laptop ahead of time, installing note taking software, all of this can be worthwhile. The same goes for how you manage the logistics of living on or off-campus. For instance, Off Campus Living can provide a very worthwhile alternative to mature students looking for a more peaceful, mature approach to studying and university life, rather than jumping in with the ‘freshers experience’ and ‘party accommodation blocks’ we hear so much about.

Continue reading 5 Tips to help manage your studies →

career colleges, college guidance, Sponsored posts, Uncategorized

How baby boomers are affecting education choices

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

baby boomersBaby boomers are people who were born in the late 1940s to 1960s and are defined so because the birth rate increased significantly during that time period. Currently, baby boomers are reaching retirement age and are facing the many ailments that elderly people face. Because of their current condition, the baby boomer generation has influenced the college degree and career choices of the current generation.

Baby boomers have influenced the current generation to receive medical degrees and go into medical professions. More elderly people are in need of healthcare or medical assistance than ever before because of the large baby boomer generation. The nursing and healthcare job market is very stable, as medical professionals are needed regardless of the state of the economy. The job security rate for these professions is currently high because of this, catching the eyes of many young college students.

Jobs in the healthcare industry generally pay very well, with nursing positions on the lower end of the spectrum and doctors at the higher end of the pay scale. This is part of the reason why these positions are so attractive to college students. Another reason is altruism.

The baby boomer generation was inspired by their hard-working, depression-era parents, who instilled realistic goals and a good work ethic, as well as stressed the need for financial and economic security, in their children. These values were then passed down onto their children, along with the encouragement to follow their dreams. Many college students today are a product of the “follow your dreams” generation, and many of their dreams include helping others. The medical industry is probably the best place where one could practice helping others. People from all economic backgrounds, ages, and needs come to hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices for medical help and advice, whether their need is dire or not. The notion and opportunity to help a variety of people attracts young people as well because of their interest in uniqueness and diversity.

Continue reading How baby boomers are affecting education choices →

Sponsored posts, Uncategorized

Is law school in your college-bound teen’s future?

 

FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

Law schoolAre you fascinated by law? Then you should consider law school. There is stiff competition for slots, especially at the most popular universities, but you should be able to get into a good school if you play your cards right. Build up your credentials by obtaining excellent grades as an undergraduate and a high score for the LSAT.

Pre-law Degree

Before you can study law, you must complete a 4-year degree in virtually any field of study. Most people try to take a course that is related to their projected specialization. For instance, those who wish to practice corporate law might want to finish a course on business management. Those who want to enter politics may study public administration. This isn’t necessary, though. Plenty of law school students started out as engineering or math majors. Others took up literature or philosophy. Each of these add different skill sets to the table and will help lawyers achieve success in the profession, however they may define it.

Continue reading Is law school in your college-bound teen’s future? →

career colleges, college guidance, Uncategorized

Is medical school in your college-bound teen’s future?

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

medicalFor those who have a passion for helping others recover from injuries and sickness, a career as a doctor can be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding, as well as lucrative, available.  This does not mean, however, that becoming a doctor is easy: as little as six years and as much as ten may be necessary before you can provide a single patient with care independently.  Here are some tips to get over the first hurdle: getting into medical school itself.

High School Preparation

Not many high school students may know what career they want to pursue, but for those who are interested in medicine, early preparation will help.  When in high school, spend time thinking about what universities you could get into that would best prepare you due to strong coursework and good reputations.  Ask advisers about universities that have strong medical school placement rates.  Look for scholarships to help pay your way through university, so that you spend less time worrying about paying tuition or working to support yourself.

Apply Yourself In Undergrad

A doctor needs to have many skills, but above all else they need to be very good at remembering information.  Medical school, after all, can be summarized as instructors teaching students the entire book of human anatomy and known diseases.  Thousands of different bits of knowledge need to be committed to memory, so students should begin to work on their study skills once they enter into college.  Show medical school applicant reviewers that your time in a four-year university was well spent by doing your best to succeed in courses.  Pursue a life science degree, such as biology or biochemistry, which will give you prerequisite knowledge for understanding what health and life really means, right down to the cellular level.  You do not need a 4.0, but few medical schools will take applicants that do not get better than a B average.

Continue reading Is medical school in your college-bound teen’s future? →

college planning, Guest Posts

Support for students with learning disabilities: New Frontiers in Learning

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

There has been a recent trend towards an increasing number of students with learning differences attending college each year. While this is a tremendous accomplishment, colleges may not have the resources to support students with challenges in academic learning, executive functioning, and social interaction. In addition, these students may not have the self-advocacy, executive functioning and independence skills necessary to be successful at the college level.

New Frontiers in Learning comes to the rescue

new frontiersWith this new wave comes New Frontiers in Learning, the next generation of secondary and post-secondary supports designed specifically to meet the academic, social, and career development needs of students with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and related learning differences. New Frontiers allows students to choose a college or university based on where they want to attend, and not on what type of support services are available. Academic, social engagement, and career development supports can be brought directly to the student and supplement the supports the colleges are providing based on the individual needs of the students.

Providing support for learning disabled students

New Frontiers provides academic, social, and career development support to students, as well as executive functioning instruction and the development of college readiness skills. The New Frontiers staff has considerable experience supporting students through the transition from high school to college, through college, and beyond. Each member of the administrative staff holds a Master’s degree or beyond in special education. New Frontiers’ coaches possess a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from a highly accredited university.

A summer program for students

The New Frontiers in Learning summer program, Summer in the City, is a hands on experience tied to the development of each student’s executive functioning skills, while working on social relationships as students experience the culture and excitement of New York City. Morning sessions include reading and writing at the high school and college level and strategy instruction to build executive functioning competence for everyday personal management. Afternoons are filled with New York City experiences and adventures.

Tutoring and coaching services

The academic year and summer and winter session tutoring and coaching services at New Frontiers have been designed to provide individually customized academic and social support services to adolescents and young adults with challenges in academic learning, executive functioning, and social interaction. Services begin in ninth grade and continue through college and beyond. The program works to maintain high academic and social standards for all students, promoting strong relationships in all phases of the student’s life. New Frontiers works with students closely to become a strong liaison between students and their respective institutions. This includes assisting with communication between peers, school officials, residence life advisors, and faculty to make each student’s experience as enjoyable as possible.

 

mom approved tips, parenting

Mom-Approved Tips: Out of Control Parents

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

out of control parentsYou know you’ve experienced them: out of control parents. They show up at their kids sport events and yell at the coaches and the umpires. They show up in the education system bullying teachers, coaches, administrators and other parents. Their kids rarely have consequences and cannot fend for themselves in most instances. They have a strong sense of entitlement that is passed down to their kids. Nobody likes them AND nobody wants to be them.

In Early Admissions, a novel based on Lacy Crawford’s experience in college admissions office, the author relates a story:

There’s a father who rewrites his son’s Common Application essay after his son has been rejected early decision by his first-choice school. In the revision, the father argues — in the first person, ventriloquizing the boy — that communities benefit from a range of people, the superstars and the average alike, and that the student should be admitted to the other schools on his list not because he is stellar but because he is not. This happened. On the night in question, the father summoned me to proofread his new essay before ensuring that his son submitted it. It broke the boy’s heart, and it broke mine. (I did not oversee submission of that essay. I told the student how I felt, and left it in his hands to decide what to do.)

This is just an example of the many stories I have heard from admissions officers. The college world has labeled these parents: helicopter parents and other names like snowplow parents. College admissions officers all have stories to tell. If you were to hear them all, you wouldn’t believe them. Or would you? Do you sometimes think you fall into that parental demographic? I know I did and still do at times.

It’s not all bad

Unfortunately, a few bad apples spoil the bunch for the rest of us. Educators see parents coming and immediately they put their helicopter radar up. Can you blame them? We all have a little “rescuer” in us, after all. We start from the time they are born protecting them, caring for them, fighting battles for them, and most importantly, loving them. Just because they grow to be adults we don’t stop parenting. Most parents, get it. Sometimes, however, we rush in before our kids have the chance to be adults.

Drawing the line

Good parenting means involvement and participation in your kid’s lives, but when does it become more than that. Crawford asks some tough questions and points out some difficult truths:

Where do we draw the line? When does support become manipulation? When does tutoring stop helping a child, and start teaching him that on his own he’s not good enough? How can we come to realize that character — resilience, curiosity, dedication, a moral compass — is the prize here, and value that over the name on the diploma? Over time, I think, parents know this. But in the heat of senior fall, when everyone is feeling crazy, perspective can become clouded.

Clouded judgment causes parents to do unspeakable things. Competition among other parents can also cause parents to

What happens when parents are out of control?

When parents are out of control kids suffer. Not only are they embarrassed, but they are robbed of the chance to learn life skills and the thrill of doing something on their own. They don’t learn to self-advocate and they don’t get the experience of being independent.

The next time you feel like losing control and rescuing your kids, take a deep breath and think about the future. Will you be robbing them of the satisfaction of accomplishment? Will you be robbing them of learning that for every action there are consequences? Sometimes tough love is the best love of all.

Do you ever feel like an out of control parent? They say that admitting it is the first step to recovery. Here’s your chance (leave a comment)!

 

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: 10 Easy Scholarships

 

Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

scholarship

What could be easier than winning a scholarship and you didn’t even have to write an essay and/or fill out a long application? There isn’t. The rewards may not be as big as those long, involved essay scholarships, but 10 $1000 scholarship add up to $10,000. That’s not chump change! Most of them just take a few minutes to enter:

Zinch Weekly Scholarship

Every week, Zinch gives away $1000 to one high school or college student. Zinch believes strongly in education and works hard to connect students with their best-fit colleges. But they also know that it can be expensive which is they award this scholarship this easy to enter scholarship. Just a short form and answering a question in three sentences and you could add $1000 to your college fund.

College Week Live Monthly Scholarship

There are two requirements for entering this $1000 scholarship program:

  1. Apply online by registering at College Week Live’s website (http://www.collegeweeklive.com). Limit one (1) Application per person. Application includes complete name, contact, and high school information as required on the CollegeWeekLive registration form.
  2. Additionally, applicants must login and participate in a CollegeWeekLive virtual event held between the first and last day of the month by no later than the last day of any given month at 11:59 PM EST to be eligible for that month’s scholarship. Participation requires visiting at least 3 college booths.

College Prowler $2000 No Essay Scholarship

The $2,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students and those planning on enrolling within 12 months. The monthly winner will be determined by random drawing and then contacted directly and announced on our Facebook page. One entry per person, but you can come back each month to try again. High schoolers, adults looking to head back to school, current college students and anyone else looking to attend college or graduate school within 12 months.

Scholarship Points

The ScholarshipPoints program is free to join and provides you with the opportunity to win thousands of dollars in scholarships each month. Members earn points by doing what they already do online: shopping, reading, gaming, searching, quizzes, polls, and more. The more you do – the more you earn – the better your chance to win a scholarship! Register today and you could be the next $10,000 scholarship winner!

Do Something Scholarships

If you’re ready to hop on your phone and start applying, one of your first stops should be DoSomething.org’s scholarship listing. The long-standing youth activism organization offers a rotating array of scholarship competitions that usually require nothing more than a text message to enter. Deadlines and programs vary, so it’s worth following @DoSomething on Twitter for updates.

University Language $500 Scholarship

What could be easier than uploading your favorite photo? What does college look like through your camera lens? Show University Language Services for a chance to win a $500.00 college scholarship! As a prospective student making college campus visits, you have a lot to take in: the dorms, the classrooms, the cafeteria, the football stadium … not to mention the atmosphere! Whatever it is, submit a photo you’ve taken, along with a description of between 100-200 words on why that photo represents what college means to you.

$1000 GPA Isn’t Everything Monthly Scholarship

Tell Cappex about yourself and don’t hold back in a simple form to be eligible for the $1,000 A GPA Isn’t Everything Scholarship. This scholarship opportunity will be available at any college or university. Applications accepted for a limited time so apply now.

Got Chosen $1000 Monthly Scholarship

GotChosen is offering a recurring monthly scholarship to help college students. The GotChosen $1000 Every Month Scholarship is easy and free to enter. The scholarship is not awarded based on academic achievement or financial need. Instead, a new winner is selected every month by a random drawing.

Open to all fields of study, the $1,000 must be used for educational expenses, this includes: tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment required for study, or towards repayment of outstanding student loans. Virtually anyone 18 years old or older is eligible to participate.

Frame My Future Scholarship

Students are asked to submit an original “creation” through an image which expressed what they hope to achieve in their personal and professional life after college. Entries include photographs, poems. essays. collages, drawings, paintings and other imaginative pieces. The entry needs to communicate: This is how I “Frame My Future”, and include a brief accompanying description. Four winners will receive a  $1000 scholarship.

Scholarship Detective $1500 Scholarship

ScholarshipDetective is a free scholarship search engine. To celebrate their launch we are awarding two $1,500 college scholarships. To enter just complete this application including a 140 character or less statement on how you plan to use the scholarship money. Deadline for entry is December 31, 2013.

Don’t delay. Many of these entry deadlines are within the next few months. 10 entries mean 10 chances to win. And remember: you can’t win if you don’t enter!