All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

college planning, college prep, parenting

Using the Summer for College Prep

summer

Before you think I’m advocating “heads to the grindstone” this summer, rest assured these activities will not consume your or your student’s summer months. What this summer college prep will do is prepare your student for the upcoming school year and help him enter the next phase of his education thinking and planning for college.

The summer before middle school

Entering middle school is a huge transition for students. They go from one classroom to multiple classrooms, lockers, multiple teachers, and more homework. The summer before your student begins middle school is the perfect time to begin preparation for the future. Although it might seem premature to start thinking about college, it’s never too early. Your child needs a strong middle school foundation in order to take the high school courses that colleges expect of a college-bound student. 

For a list of 10 tips for soon-to-be middle school parents, click here.

Continue reading Using the Summer for College Prep →
college prep, parenting

4th of July Sale

sale

Happy 4th of July – Independence Day to everyone! For parents who want to do their own college prep and declare their independence, it’s your lucky day.

I’ve recently updated my Parenting for College Crash Course and in honor of the 4th of July, it’s on sale for just $44. Regular price is $69.

For a detailed look at what the Crash Course includes, simply CLICK HERE and it will take you to my product page. There you can easily purchase the Crash Course and download after purchase.

The sale is good until July 9th. After that, it goes back up to my regular price of $69.

Have a Happy 4th and stay safe!

admissions, college planning, financial aid, financial planning

Deep Diving for College Bargains

COLLEGE BARGAINS

Not all colleges are created equal. But are you looking for the college bargains?

Community college. State University. Private liberal arts college. Trade or technical college. Top-tiered business college. Ivy League college. Not all colleges are created equal.

If that’s the case, what makes a good college? Some might think it’s a #1 rated NCAA football team, or a college with an Ivy League designation, or even a school that is highly selective. A good college (as in good fit) meets the following three criteria: academic, social, and financial. The college that meets or excels in all three should be the college your student chooses. Even the best college (based on reputation) isn’t a good college if the student neglects the opportunities he is given while attending.

In terms of financial fit, does the college fit into your family’s college budget?

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internships, parenting, social networks, teen jobs

Skills That Impress Future Employers

skills

Applying for a first job as a student can be tricky. If your student is looking for a part-time job or an unpaid internship to help during their studies, chances are they are worried about their resume. Indeed, it can be hard to know which skills to promote when you have not yet graduated from college. That’s where soft skills and individual interests can make a huge difference. 

Employers appreciate that our students don’t yet have a degree. They understand they can’t expect a business-level skill set. However, students don’t need to have completed their degrees to apply for part-time jobs. More importantly, if your student is looking for a meaningful part-time job as an entry-level experience in their dream industry, they need to understand which extracurricular skills are going to make a difference. We’ve identified three skills that can make their resumes stand out. 

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scholarships

$5000 Journalism Scholarship

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journalism scholarship

POCKET AND HER CAMPUS ANNOUNCE

COLLEGE JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

WHAT:    Pocket and Her Campus present The Future Connection, a writing competition which will ask entrants to answer: “What does it mean for you to come of age in a hyper-online, always connected world?” 

The prize includes:

  • $5,000 cash prize
  • Having their final essay featured on Pocket to the millions of people who use the app every day
  • A mentorship call with a Mozilla exec

The winner will be selected by a panel of judges that includes Lindsey Shepard, Mozilla CMO; and Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, Her Campus Media co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief

  • The deadline to enter the competition is Tuesday, July 15, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. PT
  • The competition winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 30, 2021. 

WHERE:    To learn more about the terms and conditions, as well as to enter into the Pocket and Her Campus’s The Future Connection writing competition, please visit www.hercampus.com/mozillacontest. 

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be between the ages of 18-25.

Demonstrated Interest, social networks

Using Social Media to Demonstrate Interest

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social media

Data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling show there is a powerful tool students can use to improve their admission chances: demonstrated interest. How can social media play a part?

When a college receives your application, admission officers look for ways to determine whether you will accept their offer of admission. Since all colleges have quotas to fill and determine their admission offers based on percentages of acceptance, showing interest lets them know you will likely accept their offer. As they see it, why offer admission to someone who isn’t interested when there is someone who is likely to accept?

How do you find the colleges that place a strong interest on this?

Which colleges want your student to show them some love? You don’t have to guess. You can use a tool like Collegedata.com to determine if a college uses demonstrated interest in its admission decision. The colleges are asked to rate 19 admission factors by using these four categories: very important, important, considered, and not considered. Each year, colleges are surveyed and this data is used to compile the information on its website.

To access the data, you simply search for the college, click on the Admissions tab, and scroll down to the Selection of Students heading. Then you can see the importance a college places on a student’s level of interest. Harvard, for example, lists this as “not considered.” In comparison, the United States Naval Academy, lists it as “very important.”

Social media makes it easier than ever to connect with colleges and admissions representatives because you don’t have to be on campus to make a connection.

Continue reading Using Social Media to Demonstrate Interest →
college costs, college prep, SAT

Take Advantage of FREE Pre-College Costs

college costs

Every parent knows about tuition, room, board, books, and other college-related expenses once your student is accepted. But what about the costs prior to being accepted to college? How can you score some fee waivers, free advice, and free tutoring. Let’s face it—every little bit helps when you are saving for a college education and cutting costs can put more in the college savings piggy bank! Take advantage of these free pre-college costs.

Fee Waivers

With all the standardized tests, AP exams, and college application fees, those fees can add up. Not everyone qualifies for fee waivers, but it’s worth asking.

On top of those fee waivers, there are colleges that don’t require application fees:

America’s 25 Top Colleges With No Application Fees

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/08/28/americas-25-top-colleges-with-no-application-fees/

348 Colleges with Free College Application Fees

http://diycollegerankings.com/290-colleges-with-free-application-fees/952/

Continue reading Take Advantage of FREE Pre-College Costs →
college visits, summer programs

A Busy Summer for Your High School Student

summer

Summer is here and the last thing you probably want to hear about is college prep. Summer is supposed to be a time for fun, relaxation and a break from academics. But what if I told you that you can kill two birds with one stone: have fun and improve your college chances? Believe it or not, it’s possible through a variety of teen summer programs and strategies to use the summer to enhance your high school resume.

Find something you love and volunteer

You don’t have to travel abroad to do community service and it doesn’t have to be a chore. Find something you are passionate about and spend the summer doing it. Are you interested in construction? Work for Habitat for Humanity. Do politics interest you? Work on a local political campaign. Are you concerned about the environment? Help with local environmental cleanup projects. VolunteerMatch helps you to find just the right activity that suits your interests.

Start a charity or a campaign

It’s not work if it’s something you love. Think outside the box. Gather used books for nursing homes and recruit volunteers to read to them. Create activity books for children in hospitals and deliver them. Gather used test prep books and donate them to local libraries. The possibilities are endless. Need some ideas? DoSomething.org can get you started.

Work on your social media profile

You’re going to be online anyway. Why not clean up your profiles? Colleges look at social media profiles when reviewing applicants. Boost your presence online by creating your very own personal website to brag about your achievements and your passions. If you’re an arts kids, social media could help you find an arts audience. While you’re at it, follow some colleges on any number of social media channels to learn more about them.

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college prep, parenting, study tools

Creating the Perfect Study Environment

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study

Most parents aren’t going to be all that hands-on with the kind of living environment that their kid makes for themselves while they’re out at college. However, if they’re looking to study more effectively, then it’s important to realize just how crucial their surroundings are for that. Here are a few tips to help them create an environment much better suited to their aims.

A comfortable place to study is key

First of all, you need to make sure those physical needs are taken care of. If studying involves poring over the books or working at the PC on a desk, then you have to make sure that can be done comfortably. Look at some of the ergonomic chairs at Chair Office that you could potentially invest in. Make sure there’s plenty of lighting to contrast any screen lights to prevent eyestrain, too.

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summer programs

Summer Programs for Your High School Student

summer programs

Summer is here. The country is slowly re-opening. Students are looking for summer activities to occupy their time—preferably not the activities of the last year like video games, binge-watching Netflix, and watching endless Tik Tok videos. Encourage them to get out and use the summer to expand their learning by taking advantage of some of these summer programs.

Summer Programs for High School Students: TeenLife’s Top 100 Most Popular Summer Programs for 2021

TeenLife reviewed all summer programs for high school students listed on their website and selected the top 100 programs with the most page views on our website. They then broke those programs into categories and arranged them alphabetically to create the list you find on this page. Use their menu to jump to each category.

Continue reading Summer Programs for Your High School Student →