All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

greek life, Guest Posts

Mom and Dad’s Guide to Greek Life

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Dropping your son or daughter off at college is one of the hardest days in a parent’s life. You know they’ll have all kinds of great experiences, but oh, wouldn’t it be nice to share in them, too! Rushing a fraternity or sorority and being accepted into that organization is just another excellent experience for your student, but you don’t have to be kept in the dark – we’re parents and Greek alums ourselves, and we’re here to help prep you for your college student’s emergence into Greek life.

  • Busy Bees! Your son or daughter will be participating in all their usual extracurricular activities – combined with attending Greek chapter meetings, participating in fundraisers, holding leadership positions, and spending time with their brothers and sisters. Greeks today do a great job of preparing students for the hustle and bustle of Greek life, but be sure to keep an eye on your son and daughter’s stress level.
  • Better Grades. Most fraternities and sororities require their members to maintain a certain GPA. It’s no surprise that your student may get higher grades – on average, the GPA of Greeks tend to exceed that of overall collegiate GPA. Greeks of today know how to have fun and are smart cookies, so don’t confuse them with the media’s portrayal of Greek life!
  • Participation Wanted! Many Greek chapters hold at least one parents’ night each semester, so your presence will be wanted. Greeks also conduct fundraisers for their own chapter as well as for non-profit organizations each semester, so your Greek student may be asking for your help in supporting their fundraising efforts.
  • Mentor? Check. Greeks today also do a wonderful job of connecting brothers and sisters with mentors in their field of study, so if you hear your student mention a local businessperson or community leader they’re meeting with, you’ll likely know why! 85% of Fortune 500 executives are Greek alums, and they do typically enjoy meeting and mentoring with current Greek students.
  • Greek Pride. Greeks also take a great deal of pride in being part of a Greek chapter and national Greek organization. Expect to hear quite a bit about what their fraternity or sorority is doing, as well as drinking from that Greek “Mom” mug your daughter got you for Christmas, and a Greek “Dad” keychain on your key ring!

Modern day Greek life has been revamped from the media’s negative portrayal of Greek life, and there are plenty of benefits to your son or daughter going Greek. Sure, the parties still exist, so educate your student on enjoying responsibly. Hazing is illegal and no longer tolerated by Greek organizations, so your student should not be hazed. It may sound poetic, but your son or daughter will really meet the friends they’ll have for life and be part of an instant support network. We have a feeling you just might want to go back to college and be a Greek, too!

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Today’s guest post was provided by GreekForMe.com. Here at GreekForMe.com, we’re parents ourselves and were Greeks in college, so we know all too well the concerns most parents have about Greek life. We’re happy to shed light on the real deal of Greek life and get parents excited for their son or daughter. Embrace that Greek spirit and support your college student with Greek Hoodies and Greek Blankets!

college guidance, Guest Posts, social networks

Top 5 Social Media Tips for Students

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Students who effectively use social media create an advantage for themselves with colleges and in the future job market. They can digitally network with professors, alumni, and fellow students before, during, and after college. Every student should invest some time in building their online presence. The days of MySpace are over, though, and your social profiles speak volumes to anyone who finds them. You never know if a college admissions rep, recruiter or employer will Google you before offering you an opportunity. For this reason, a professional filter should always be applied.

Here are my top five tips for college-bound teens and college students jumping into the social media river.

  1. Try new things. Facebook and Twitter are the basics. Consider expanding your reach by signing up for accounts on LinkedIn, Tumblr, or any other platform that intrigues you. And if you get your hands on a Google+ invitation, give it a test drive.
  2. Mind your audience. If you are using your social media for professional networking, then remember that anyone (uncle, co-worker, teacher, etc.) can find what you are saying. (Everyone from my grandmother to my boss can see my tweets.) Even if you “protect your tweets” or have really tight Facebook privacy settings, nothing is private. Anyone can take a screenshot of anything they see on Facebook, or retweet you into the twittersphere for all to see. There have been countless examples of people losing their jobs or even being denied admission because of inappropriate posts on social networks. Make sure you’re not one of them.
  3. Don’t be afraid to say “hello!” Social media has created the world’s largest networking event. Feel free to offer comments, ask questions, and challenge opinions. Never lurk in the corner.
  4. Speak clearly and carefully. Avoid spelling and grammar errors; watch out for foul language. If you want to be taken seriously, make your posts reader-friendly.
  5. Leverage your presence. If you’ve invested time in building your online influence, then make sure people know it. Put links to your social profiles on your resume, or consider building a personal website. Whatever your major or intended major, be it Dance, Sociology, or Marketing, your digital presence will set you apart.

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Adam Britten is a recent graduate of Syracuse University, where he worked as a member of the school’s social media team. In the fall, he’ll be pursuing a Master of Digital Marketing. He maintains the blog www.genYspot.com.

admissions, Guest Posts, parenting

Parent Orientation-One Parent’s Perspective

 

Today’s guest post is written by Lori Domingo, whose son in scheduled to start college in the fall. I’m glad to provide you with her “birdseye view” of college orientation in the hopes it will help other parents know what to expect and gain some insight into this part of the college admissions process.

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If asked what’s the first thing I noticed about NGCSU when I came down the hill and into Dahlonega, GA it would be that everything is uphill!  Seriously, I would have to say that the beauty of the campus strikes you immediately as you gaze at the dorms perched high up on the hilltops or the gold steeple that adorns the admissions building.  A close second would be that it’s very obviously a military school.  The grounds are maintained to perfection and it just looks like a military installation.

North Georgia College is one of 6 senior military colleges, not to be confused with the academies such as West Point, in the US and to quote the commandant, Col (RET) Palmer: “We don’t want to be the largest senior military program in the United States, just the best.”  The college is open to civilian students as well as those who come up to be cadets in the Corp.  They offer a wide variety of majors to cover any incoming freshman’s career goals but they are known for commissioning officers into the US Army upon their graduation.

While my son was attending his three day intro program, I attended a parent intro session as well.  Ours was only half a day and was run in a military fashion, where each speaker was given an allotted amount of time and was expected to adhere to it.  First up was the financial aid director, someone most of us really wanted to hear from.  As a parent of an incoming cadet from out of state, much of what she covered did not apply to me but I listened intently as she went over her presentation to make certain I didn’t miss anything that might be pertinent to my son.  Very few questions were asked at this session.

Following the introductory/financial aid presentation, we were offered several “breakout” sessions from which we were allowed to choose what we felt we needed to learn about the most.  I, of course, opted for the session pertaining to military students and was treated to a very professional, yet animated, 30 minute presentation from the Commandant of the program, Col. Palmer.  He got right down to business and gave us a complete list of do’s and don’t as well as an overview of what our sons and daughters could expect from their lives as a cadet.  The session moved right along and then we were rushed off to another session presented by one of the professors who explained to us the methods used in the classrooms here.  She was entertaining and likable and I left hoping all of my son’s instructors would be just like her.  Another breakout session followed, this time covering student services.  This was followed by a question/answer segment with some actual students.  Out of all the sessions of the day, this seemed to be where most of the parent questions were asked.  If I had to sum most of the questions up, I’d say they were all concerned about what each student on stage found to be the hardest part of adjusting to college life.  Answers ranged from eating too much to lack of time management skills to arriving thinking that academics was the only reason the student was here.  Every student sang their praises for the professors and others who helped them adjust to living on their own.  There were also several cadets there to answer any questions that were unique to the military students.

Dinner was a quick 45 minutes where we had the chance to see our kids for a few minutes and then we went our separate ways.  Our last parent session was a talk given by the school’s new president.  Her speech was uplifting and moving as she assured us that we were not letting go of our children but only leading them into a new chapter and that they would be taken very good care of…something that has been reiterated to me numerous times in all the various offices I’ve been to these last few days.

Do I think that this parent orientation was helpful?  Most definitely.  I have 2 other children in college but have never been faced with all that preparing my son for NGCSU has entailed so I am very glad I took the time to attend the parent intro.  I will leave Saturday feeling more informed and much better about leaving my “baby” here on August 9th.  I can’t say enough about the school itself or any of the staff I’ve dealt with.  Everyone here has been more than helpful and very understanding about the fact that this is all new for me…and for my son.  If you have the chance to attend such an orientation, I would highly recommend doing so.  Now…here’s to a wonderful 4 years (and lots of hiking visits for mom) for my son at North Georgia College and State University!

college housing, college planning, dorm life, Guest Posts

Ship2School makes move in day bearable

I’m always looking for services that parents and students will find helpful throughout the college admissions process. When my daughter moved from south Texas to Boston for college, it was a nightmare as you can imagine. I wish I had known about these type of services. It would have made our move half way across the country bearable!

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Arriving at college on move-in day is an experience that is filled with strong emotions. Incoming freshman and their families want the college experience to be great, and can also appreciate that it is going to be the start to a new phase of their life – one full of challenges, discoveries, and wonderful achievements. At Ship2School, we want to get everyone off to a great start to this new path in life by making the actual process of moving in as easy and hassle-free as possible. We do this by simplifying the way your college-bound freshman gets their stuff from their room at home to their room at school. With our service, you will receive a box-kit that come in packs of 6 or 12 sturdy boxes, packing tape, and box labels to print out. How much you want to bring is entirely up to you! After all the boxes are packed, we will come by and pick them up and then have them sent straight to the dorm – from nearly anywhere to just about everywhere!

We start the process of simplifying your lives before the acceptance letters even start rolling in. As soon as you and your child start to discuss college preparation, we are ready to help you take one huge thing off your mind – getting all of your college-bound freshman’s things to their school, even before you know where they’re headed to in fall! You can go to the Ship2School website, fill out an order, and then let us know when the final decision has been made!

After the order has been placed, the college or university has been decided upon, and you’ve received your box-kit from us, you can tackle what’s next for you and your college-bound young adult – packing! The best advice we have for the sometimes overwhelming process of college packing is to make lists for 1) essentials, 2) maybes, 3) don’t needs, and 4) we’ll get laters. On our blog, we’ve written a lot about the process of packing for college, and you and your daughter or son can also do some searching and asking around for extra tips. For more information on packing, including our suggestions check here!

Once packing is finished and you’ve arranged for pick up and drop off with Ship2School, the real payoff comes on move-in day. There’s no loading the car or sitting in a cramped car for sometimes many hours while you try not to think about much stuff there is! You can enjoy all the free time and space you would otherwise be missing and have a more pleasant ride to campus. Once you’ve arrived, there’s no unloading of the car, so you and your family can just stroll into your freshman’s dorm relaxed and comfortable knowing that they will have more time to get themselves settled into their new situation.

Our Ship2School service delivers right to their dorm building and is very affordable, with highly competitive rates by locale and destination. For an extra $199 you can even upgrade and get the white-glove treatment and we’ll put their stuff right in their dorm room! Right now you can get $25 off any order. As well, we’re having a contest where one lucky student can ride like rockstar and show up move-in day with their friends in a limo!

Our best wishes to all those heading off to college and their families!

Check out us on Ship2School.com, follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook!

campus security, dorm life, Guest Posts, parenting

Prepping your College-Bound Student in College Safety…

…without them tuning you out!

It’s a proud feeling to have your son or daughter go off to college, but it’s a little scary for us parents at the same time, isn’t it? We go from making the rules and having them live under our roof to our kids being out on their own and making their own decisions, in the blink of an eye. Sure, we trust them and know they’ll do the right thing, but what happens if they find themselves in an unsafe situation, or with a person who doesn’t have their best interests in mind? It’s tempting to let our fear manifest itself into a lecture on college safety, but that’s probably going to fall on deaf ears – we don’t even like being lectured! Read up on prepping your college-bound kids on personal safety in college, without them saying “Ugh, Mom!”

Want to “Sit Them Down”? Resist!

How many times did your parents “sit you down” as a kid to discuss a weighty topic? More often than not, you tuned them out or felt they were making a bigger deal out of a situation. Prevent this from happening by mentioning personal safety casually in the months leading up to college – if you’re doing the dishes, mention to your daughter that you know after a long night class, it might be tempting to take the unlit shortcut path, but rapists really do exist on college campuses. While you’re grilling dinner, talk about how pepper spray is the perfect size for your pocket and purse, so it never hurts to have it on hand. Casually adding safety tips and advice into your normal conversation presents them in a non-threatening manner, helping your soon-to-be college freshman absorb these tips and heed them.

Provide The Information, and Let Them Lead

Your future college student is a young adult, and although they will always be your child, it’s time to let them take the lead. Email your son or daughter a few links once a month or so to college safety blogs and personal safety tips. Keep it minimal – just three or so links here and there. If email isn’t your thing, simply print out the articles and leave them on your son or daughter’s bed. Then, leave it up to your son or daughter to read the information. You won’t be prodding, so they are much more likely to actually read the articles.

Give Them The Essentials

Your son or daughter may want to buy pepper spray and personal safety alarms, but the summer is going to go by fast. Instead, consider personal safety items just another college essential. If pepper spray is legal in your state, pick it up for your son and daughter. Same with a small flashlight and a keychain personal safety alarm so they can quickly sound a piercing alarm if they’re in a threatening situation.

By casually talking about personal safety to your college-bound student, providing them with the info and tips they need, and giving them the safety essentials for college effectively arms your son or daughter with the safety tips to ensure their college experience is filled with only happy memories! Share your own college safety tips and advice by leaving a comment below.

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Today’s guest post was provided by SpyTown.com. We have kids of our own here at SpyTown.com, and we know a thing or two about sending our kids off to college and helping them stay safe and secure. From Pen Cameras to help them record info in class to Home Security Cameras for their apartment to deter theft, we’re your experts for security equipment and college safety advice!

college costs, college planning, financial aid

Is it possible? Can it be done? Is it affordable?

My good friend Jeff Sheely over at the College Money Insider created this amazing Infographic about the college admissions process and what it takes to accomplish your goal of attending college.

If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen you may be asking yourself the same question, especially as it relates to paying for the education. You might want to jump over to my blog at CollegeParenting.com (The #1 Question Parents Ask Me) to check out my suggestions and then take a look at Jeff’s infographic to help you visualize the process.

View Original Size

Copyright © 2011 Student Loan Marketplace
 

college costs, college guidance, college planning, parenting

Would your student like the Sony S Series laptop?

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I’ve been blogging about this laptop for about a week now in the hopes that you can make an informed choice about the right laptop for your student.

Parents usually have a few simple questions about this type of purchase:

  1. Is it affordable?
  2. Is it durable and dependable?
  3. Will the laptop last throughout their high school and/or college careers?

Students on the other hand want to know the following:

  1. Does it have enough memory?
  2. Is it wireless and does it have a built in camera?
  3. Can I use it for watching movies, streaming videos, and gaming?
  4. Are there enough usb ports to plug in all my devices?
  5. How long will the battery last?
  6. How much does it weigh since I’ll be carting it back and forth to class?

Since my knowledgeable geek colleagues (and I say this with all due respect) have done an amazing job of reviewing the Sony S Series laptop to answer both parent and student questions, I’m going to defer to their expertise and post links to all of their informed posts.

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DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MICROSOFT’S CONTEST to win a FREE SONY S SERIES LAPTOP WITH SHEET BATTERY!

Deadline for entering is July 17, 2011 7PM PST.

Entering is easy. Just answer the question: What would you do if you had up to 15 hours of battery life?

Enter here!

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This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.

parenting, test prep

What “EdTech” Means to a New Parent

There have been a lot of new developments in my life recently.  I started a new job working with an online and mobile test prep company known as TestSoup that makes flashcards for a variety of different standardized tests.  I am learning about marketing, social media, and (of course) education.

But perhaps the most significant change in my life recently (within the past year and a half) is that now I am a parent, and am viewing the world through a very different set of eyes.  It affects everything, but mainly it forces you to look at everything in the long term.  When you go through something, you wonder how it will be for your child when he or she goes through it.

This is exactly what happened at the end of last month, when TestSoup attended its first conference: ISTE 2011.  Not only was it TestSoup’s first conference, it was mine as well.   It was an interesting experience, I must confess.  Lots of walking, lots of talking, and lots of hand-shaking.  There were other things too, but those are the three that stood out the most.

As I wandered around the conference, gawking at the amazing educational technology (EdTech) tools available these days, I couldn’t help but imagine what it will be like when my child goes through school.  What will schools be doing five or ten years in the future?  What are they doing now?

As it turned out, there was an entire section of the conference devoted to answering that question, and it was in that section that I spent most of my time.  I wanted to learn all I could about what these schools were doing.  Of course, I wanted to tell them how TestSoup could help them by offering their schools free access to our online test prep materials.  But in talking to people about what I could offer them, I ended up learning boatloads about what they were already doing for their students.

Some of these projects sounded absolutely out of this world.  Building a 3D replica of a botanical garden that you navigate on a computer?  Awesome.  Constructing and programming robots over the internet with students from Korea?  Amazing.  Helping Elementary School students run their own online newspaper?  Incredible.

These were the types of assignments that I hope my child will complete when he is in college.  Heck, these are the types of projects I would be happy to do now.  The face of education is changing, and we owe it almost entirely to technological advancement; to EdTech.

If you are a parent of a college-boud teen or current college student, I strongly encourage you to get involved and see what kind of EdTech can be adopted by their school.  There’s some very, very exciting stuff happening.

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This guest post was contributed by John J. Walters, Director of Marketing for TestSoup, the premier provider of online and mobile test prep solutions.

college costs, college planning, Uncategorized

Charged and Ready–Sony Delivers!

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I can’t tell you the number of times my laptop battery has run down while I was at a coffee shop, on an airplane, or in the hospital waiting room. My old IBM Thinkpad’s battery holds a charge for about 4 hours and then it’s time to plug it in. My son’s Mac lasts about 6-7 hours, depending on the usage. That’s why when Sony introduced me to their 15 hour battery life laptop, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

Let’s be realistic—college students need a laptop that stays charged and ready. They are on the go between classes, study groups, the library, coffee shops, and their dorm rooms. They travel back and forth between home and college, and even study abroad all around the world. Air travel, train travel and long car trips lend themselves to utilizing the laptop for all sorts of tasks: gaming, reading, studying (I had to add that as wishful thinking) and Skyping with friends and family. Rarely is there a convenient plug available if your battery needs a charge (especially on an airplane or other public place).

Does Sony’s S series laptop with extended battery address this problem and answer the call for college students everywhere? Decide for yourself by reading my “a day unplugged” journal.

7:45AM-Starbucks—unplugged with added battery pack (100% available on both batteries)

This is one of my favorite morning destinations and it’s always crowded. I didn’t have to look for a seat near outlets–great freedom. I booted up the laptop and checked email, communicated on Twitter, updated my Facebook Fan page and downloaded several articles for blog posts. The Wifi worked seamlessly on the ATT network. There is a button on the laptop keyboard that allows you to switch from “speed” to “stamina” to conserve battery life. Since I wasn’t using any graphics programs or other programs that required quick response, I switched it to “stamina” to conserve the battery life. I noticed the laptop turned off the DVD-CD-BR player to conserve energy as well.

Worked two hours and still have 88% battery remaining (11 hours 42 minutes)

At this point, I turned the Wifi off by using a convenient “wireless on/off” button on the front of the laptop. I spent two more hours working on blog posts and articles completely unplugged.

1:00PM-Barnes and Noble (after a short lunch break and powering down)

I have never understood it, but our local store only has ONE plug located in the coffee area. But with this laptop, there is no need to fight for the one plug because I still have 9 plus hours left on my battery. After booting up (which occurs rather quickly with Windows 7), I turned on Wifi and checked my email and social media.  I also plugged in my headphones and decided to live stream news on the Casey Anthony drama (yes, I’m obsessed!). I posted a blog and read some blogs related to college admissions. Then I turned off the Wifi again to work on another article and conserve the battery.

Still have 71% of my battery life remaining (7 hours and 25 minutes). I love the flexibility and the fact that this gives me an entire day to work on the go and without need for carrying around burdensome power chords to recharge.

4PM and I still have 49% of my battery remaining (5 hours 33 minutes)

I just witnessed an altercation over the one and only plug in the store. Another reason this laptop gets an A+ rating from me for battery life!  I would have had to stop hours ago to find a plug or leave the store altogether. I’ve been switching my Wifi on and off manually, conserving the battery. I posted another blog, responded to several emails, and wrote two more articles. It’s been a productive day and it’s not over yet!

During dinner, I left the laptop on and carried it into the kitchen for some Manilow tunes (showing my age here) from his new album 15 Minutes in my iTunes library.

8PM-Twitter Chat with 37% of battery remaining (4 hours 12 minutes)

I attended two Twitter Chats simultaneously (#theonlinemom and #campuschat) opening two windows to watch and participate.

Afterwards, I turned off the Wifi and worked on my book for 2 hours while listening to music with the headphones plugged in to the laptop.

10 PM Time to call it a day with 17% battery remaining (2 hours 4 minutes)

I decided to end the day with a late night movie and my favorite actress Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), popped into the DVD/CD/BR player on the laptop.

After the movie was over, there was 3% battery remaining. I managed to go the entire day without plugging this little jewel in to recharge, leaving it on all day. It powers down when not in use, conserving the battery life.

Is this a good investment for your high school or college student? Speaking from experience I would say unapologetically–YES!

If you think this might be the best laptop to help your student succeed in college, please visit Sony’s online store to check out all your options and be sure to take advantage of their FREE student battery offer. 

If you would like to win one of these laptops for FREE, Microsoft is currently running a laptop give-a-way sweepstakes. The lucky winner gets a shiny new Sony S – Series laptop (including the 15 hour sheet battery option). It’s easy to enter and worth your time to CHECK IT OUT!

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Check back later this week as I outline “my personal favorites” related to this laptop and how it could benefit your soon-to-be or current college student.

This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.

college costs, college planning, Uncategorized

Choosing the right computer for college

When my daughter was ready for college, she had hardly even used a computer. We had one computer in our home and that was my home office/work desktop. She was allowed to use it for research and type papers for school, but that was the extent of her computer usage. The college she chose to attend was a top-tiered business university and required all their incoming freshmen to purchase IBM laptops as a part of their initial fees upon acceptance.

That laptop was her best friend during her four years of college. She carried it to class with her. She used it for in-class presentations. It accompanied her to Paris and London to study abroad. She also used it to communicate with her family and friends at home via email and messenger. It became an invaluable tool in her college education in the world of business. Her university was one of the first to incorporate technology in and out of the classroom, having an actual NYSE trading room on campus.

When my son started to college after the military, he opted to go the Mac route with a MacBook. He’s a Mac user at heart (my daughter loves the PC solely based on her first experience with computers). But both would say that they couldn’t have graduated successfully without their trusty computers.

I say all of this to underscore the importance of having a reliable computer while in college; and that was 10 years ago. Today, it’s more than a luxury as it was when she attended—it’s a necessity. In just 10 years our world has changed dramatically and there isn’t a college student alive that doesn’t have either a desktop or a laptop to use for their studies. Choosing the right computer has become almost as important for parents and students as choosing the best fit college.

Laptop vs Desktop

Based on my own kids’ experiences, I would recommend that you purchase a sturdy, durable, dependable laptop.  Laptops represent portability and convenience. They also take up less space in a dorm room and can be carried back and forth from college to home if necessary.

You want one that holds a charge throughout the day. Your student will need one that is wireless ready, with a camera and some multimedia software included. They are going to be doing presentations in college that require photo editing software, perhaps video editing software and the necessary Microsoft Office for word processing and charts and graphics.

Which laptop should you choose?

If you’re like me (unless you’re a tech geek), it’s hard to tell one laptop from the next. There are Macs and PCs and the laptop scenery is massive and varied. You and your student have to decide which best fits their needs and lands within your price point. Choosing a laptop is much like choosing a car—you want the best bang for your buck and you want one that is dependable and reliable.

Sony has just released a new laptop targeting the college student population. During the next week, I will be talking about this new product and whether or not it might meet your student’s needs during college. It’s a key investment and I hope to help you make the right decision.

In the meantime, here’s a short video to whet your appetite.

 

 

This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.