All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

Destressing Before Tests

It’s exam time, and you’re feeling the pressure. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, and your mind is racing through all the possible outcomes – good and bad. You know you need to calm down, but it feels like everything is working against you.

Don’t worry; everyone has been there. The good news is that there are ways to calm yourself before an exam, so you can go in feeling prepared and confident by destressing.

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5 Ways to Handle Difficult Situations in College

college

No one ever said that college would be easy. In fact, for many students, it can be downright difficult. From balancing classes and work to dealing with personal problems, there are a lot of situations that can arise during your time in school. If you’re not prepared for them, they can easily throw you off track. That’s why we’ve gathered some tips from the pros on how to handle difficult situations at college.

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How to Pay Less for College

pay less for college

If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen, you know the stress this adds to your family. If you are like most parents, the money you saved for college has not kept up with the increase in tuition. If your son or daughter isn’t one of the ones who snag a full ride, you are going to be looking for ways to cut those college costs.

Here are just a few tips that might help you pay less for college:

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STEM Scholarships

STEM scholarships

STEM careers have become a national priority and students who aspire to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math will be happy to know that STEM scholarships abound.

Often, when you apply for scholarships in a specific area of interest, the competition is much less than if you apply for national scholarships with thousands of applicants. The fact there are fewer applicants improves your odds of being offered the scholarship.

STEM scholarships may be plentiful but how do you find them?

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5 Things to Make Time for Before College in the Fall

college

The days and weeks before your child heads off to college can be manic. You have so many things to arrange to ensure that they are prepared for flying the nest and starting classes that you rarely get a moment to sit down and think. 

However, there are a few things you should absolutely make time for before they head off to college and out of your home, including the following:

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When Parent and Student College Choices Differ

college choices

The teenage years are all about the battles. The nature of the relationship between teens and their parents lends itself to conflict. The wise parent uses these conflicts as teaching lessons. The wiser parent learns when to recognize their teen’s desire for independence and let go and when to stand firm.

The college process often brings conflict between parent and student college choices. The following is a list of do’s and don’ts for parents when the conflict arises:

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Helping Teens Build Positive Relationships

Every parent wants their child to build strong relationships and friendships that have a positive impact on their health and well-being. It’s not always easy to make friends, and this can be a source of worry and anxiety for parents as their kids prepare to start high school or college. In this guide, we’ll outline some top tips to help teens forge positive relationships. 

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10 Tips for Moms This Summer

Need for help with summer college prep? Learn everything you need to know about applying for college by using my Parent Crash Course.

10 Tips for Moms

Summer has begun and your student is enjoying some down time from their academic studies. Down time is good, but if you have a college-bound student, summers are also a great time to do a little bit of college preparation.

As parents, it’s our responsibility to make sure our teenagers make the most of their time in the summer and help them get ready for the upcoming school year. That’s why I have broken down the summer for each year your student will be in school in the fall by providing 10 tips for moms to follow. Just follow the links below each year to help your student make the most of their summer.

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Will Your Student Be Bored This Summer?

Get a head start on college prep this summer. Learn everything you need to know about applying for college by getting my Parent Crash Course.

summer

When my kids were teenagers, “I’m bored” came flowing out of their mouths almost every single day during the summer. They missed their friends. They missed the constant activity. They missed participating in all the school-related extracurricular activities. If you have kids, it’s inevitable that those words will be spoken in your household during the summer.

When you hear those words (and even if you don’t) here’s a list of summer activities that will keep your college-bound teen busy AND help their college admissions process in the future.

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We Need to Protect Our Children

protect our children

I’m sitting here today thinking about what happened yesterday in my state. Being so close to home for me made it even more difficult to believe and digest. We need to protect our children.

We have so many small towns in Texas. Uvalde is one of them. They are all close knit. Everyone knows everyone. The kids grow up together and the parents know each other’s kids personally. I can’t even begin to imagine how broken this community is or how absolutely devastated and angry those families who lost loved ones are feeling today.

Death is never easy. But when it’s a child and it’s from violence, it’s hard to understand how this could possibly happen. We need to protect our children.

I don’t want to start any political arguments, but it’s time we do something–anything to protect our children.

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