Category Archives: college planning

college planning, parenting

Are You a Mother or a Smotherer?

mother

If you are a mother of a college-bound teen, it’s easy to become a smotherer. After all, there are deadlines that need nagging. There are scholarships that must be applied to. There are battles to fight and recommendations to be secured. It’s impossible to expect your young teenager to handle these matters on their own. They need help. They have always needed help.

But, and I say this will all humility, it’s hard to let go and let them handle these things on their own.

Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs you will ever have. You want your teenager to become independent but you worry they never will. What if they fail? What if they forget to do something that’s important? What if they are hurt or rejected? It’s in our nature as mothers to fix things and help them avoid anything that would be painful. Some mothers have mastered this technique so well that their kids don’t have a clue how to deal with failure, disappointment, and pain.

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college housing, college planning, dorm life, parenting, surviving college

5 Ways to Prepare Your Teen for Living Away from Home

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prepare your teen

As teens grow into young adults, their horizons begin to expand. They begin to explore their interests more, make new friends, and think about leaving the nest. As they head to college, there are skills they will need even if they live in a dorm. If they live off campus, these skills will be even more valuable. It’s important to prepare your teen for independent living.

Here are five ways you can help your prepare your teen for living away from home.

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college majors, college planning, parenting

The Dreaded U-Turn: What Happens When Your Student Decides to Change Their Major

changes paths

It’s something that we hear so much, that we need to “follow our dreams.” But as parents, we may have fought hard for our children to get scholarships and have started on their college journey, but if they have turned to a different path, this could be a big shock to us. If they choose to change their major it could shock you.

But this may warrant a more important discussion. Do we encourage our children to follow their passions when they’ve worked so hard towards one path in college and suddenly changes paths? 

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college guidance, college planning, college prep, parenting

Resolving Parent – Student Conflict During the College Process

parent-student conflict

When parents and students enter the college-bound process, issues arise. It’s the inevitable clash of what parents think is best for their kids, and what the kids want. Over the past 18 years the clashes have been over such things as food, friends and entertainment choices. As college approaches, the parent-student conflict intensifies.

Following are five areas that typically cause parent – student conflict along with some advice on how to handle it and work toward a compromise.

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college costs, college planning, financial aid, financial planning

10 Ways to Pay for College Without Incurring Debt

pay for college

Debt from college tuition has skyrocketed over the last several years. Parents and students are weighing their ROI (return on investment) before making their college choices. As college costs have shot up, so has student debt. How can you pay for college without incurring debt?

According to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, outstanding student loan debt stood at $1.58 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2021, an $8 billion decline from the third quarter. About 5 percent of aggregate student debt was 90+ days delinquent or in default in the fourth quarter; the lower level of student debt delinquency reflects a Department of Education decision to report current status on loans eligible for CARES Act forbearances. 

That’s the bad news. But if you’re a savvy consumer and research the costs before signing on the dotted line, you should be able to go to college without incurring debt. Zac Bissonnette, author of DebtFree U, is proof that it can be done. He graduated from college with zero debt.

Believe it or not, you may be able to graduate without debt if you use these 10 ways to pay for college:

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admissions, college planning, college prep, financial aid, parenting

You Heard from the Colleges – Now What?

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colleges

For seniors who applied regular decision, March brings those long-awaited college decisions: deferred, accepted, rejected, and waitlisted. One knowledgeable college counselor once told me, “I don’t like to call these letters of acceptance. I use the term—offers of admission.” As a parent, I like that distinction. This alternative wording makes it easier to stomach those not-so-pleasant responses and help your college-bound teen work through the gamut of emotions that come when decisions arrive.

Your student may be the one receiving these communications from the colleges, but you feel every emotion they do from failure to excitement and everything in between. But unless you understand what each term means, it’s hard to know how to help your student (and yourself) with appropriate responses and proper action.

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admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, financial aid, parenting

Weighing Your College Options

college options

It’s that time of year when seniors will be weighing their college options. Choices will be made as parents and students evaluate colleges who offered admission.

The long wait is over and it’s time to make a decision. Which college will your student attend? This decision feels like the most important decision in his life up to this point and will weigh heavily on his mind and yours over the next month.

Before your teen makes the decision, however, you should weigh your college options. You would never purchase a home without determining its value, its fit for your family, or even its location. This college decision should be approached in the same manner. And to complicate matters, the decision has to be made in a timely manner—the National Candidate’s Reply Date is May 1st.

If your student didn’t get an offer of admission from his first or even second choice college, or he is accepted without enough financial aid, it’s time to re-evaluate the colleges on his list. Your teen should take a closer look at those schools on the list that weren’t on top. If he did his homework before applying, these schools should be more than sloppy seconds.

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college planning, parenting, study tools

5 Common Study Distractions (and how to help)

study

If you want to help your college-bound child learn how to study effectively as possible so they can reach their full potential now, and later when they head off to college, one of the best things you can do is help them to learn how they can deal with the various distractions that could make studying difficult.

With that in mind, here are some of the most common study distractions and what you can do about them:

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college planning, college prep, parenting, Uncategorized

Supportive Parenting During College Prep

supportive parenting

The teenage years are a challenge for parents, and many find it hard to prepare for their kids going to college. In this guide, we’ll discuss some steps you can take to practice supportive parenting as your children get ready for their next adventure.

Learning and tuition

The years that lead up to college are among the most intensive and stressful for children and their parents. The workload can get heavy, and many teens feel under pressure to perform. With exams and entry tests looming and a steady stream of assignments to complete, it’s hugely beneficial for parents to play a supportive role in learning and tuition. Some parents may want to take an active role at this point, while others may feel more comfortable letting their children study with friends, teachers and tutors.

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college planning, college prep, organization

Organization During College Prep

ORGANIZATION

Believe it or not, research reveals that Americans spend an average total of 2.5 days a year looking for misplaced stuff. That’s nearly half a workweek we lose just searching for things. But time lost isn’t the only costly consequence of being forgetful. The study also shows that 60% of people have either been late to work or school because of lost items, followed by 49% who have missed appointments or meetings, and even 22% who’ve missed flights, trains, or bus rides. Turns out misplacing things can be more than just expensive; it’s a major time drain too. Don’t let disorganization cost you and your student. Make organization a priority.

Organization is half the battle when it comes to helping your teen prepare for college. If you stay organized, you won’t be fumbling around senior year in a panic. And as with any organizational system, it’s important to have the right tools. These tools will make the organization simple because you will have a place for everything, and everything should stay in its place. You’ll not only save time, but you won’t miss deadlines and be stressing to find that all-important application information.

Take the following steps to help you and your teen stay organized during the college prep process:

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