Category Archives: Uncategorized

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10 Ways to train your kids to live healthy

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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.

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healthy living10 Ways to train your kids to live healthy

With so many unhealthy choices available today, it’s difficult to steer your kids away from the types of behaviors that encourage an unhealthy lifestyle. The time before they leave home for college is the time to teach them how to live healthy and make wise choices. When they leave home and begin living independently, it will be easy for them to continue those good habits.

1. Have consistent family mealtime

Families should have at least one mealtime when they eat together. It may be difficult in today’s fast paced world, but it’s critical that you stick to this rule. You can teach them about healthy portions and healthy food choices when you are sharing a meal together. Let them participate in food preparation as well to teach them about healthy cooking habits such as limiting butter and salt.

2. Encourage them to participate in outside activities

Start at a young age to encourage them to get outside and play. Go on hikes together and play ball in the yard. Participating in outside activities teaches them to stay active and prevents them from becoming sedentary in front of the television. If they see exercise as fun it will be easier to get them outside to participate in sports and other activities.

3. Limit their technology time

Technology can rob your kids of valuable time spent being active. With all the distractions today, it’s not only difficult to keep their attention, but it’s also hard to deflect it to other things. Limiting their time gives you an opportunity to teach them that there are so many other activities that are just as fun as texting or playing games on the iPad.

4. Praise them when they make good choices

When your kids make good choices (healthy snacks, active play over sitting in front of the television, and even choosing a healthy meal at a fast food restaurant), encourage them by praising them for those choices. Kids instinctively want to please their parents; and if they are praised for doing so, they will continue.

5. Get them involved in healthy choices

Let your kids help with grocery lists and choosing healthy lunches and snacks. Encourage them to do household chores which keeps them active and let them choose an extracurricular sport to participate in after school.

6. Let them participate in meal planning

When you let your kid plan their snacks and lunches, a family meal or holiday feast, it teaches them to make healthy decisions. They also learn to make decisions and be responsible for the outcomes. You can also guide them as they choose which foods to add to the meals and how to prepare them.

7. Don’t use food as bribery

Just about every parent has done this: promise them sweets if they eat their meal. It may be effective but it’s not a good habit to teach them. Using food as a reward is one way to create food motivation, which can be detrimental if your child grows up seeing food as a special reward and was not taught how to limit this reward.

8. Let them see you live healthy

Every parent has spouted off at one time or another, “do as I say, not as I do”. But realistically kids mimic the behavior of their parents. If you lead by example by being active, eating healthy, and exploring activities outside the home, they are more likely to take on those healthy habits themselves.

9. Provide them with healthy options

Stocking your pantry and refrigerator with unhealthy food is the worst way to encourage healthy eating habits. Providing them with alternatives to technology will go a long way in teaching them the importance of exercise and fitness. If your kid lives in a positive, healthy environment they will become positive individuals.

10. Stress regular exercise

Make sure your kid’s physical education program at school is a good one. Exercise is a key component to a healthy lifestyle. If they learn it at a young age, they will continue this habit when they enter high school and head off to college.

Healthy living can be difficult, but the rewards are life changing. Later in life you and your kids will reap the benefits of your choices to live healthy.

Check out Wendy’s (POCSMom) article “10 out-of-the-gift-box ideas for a healthy lifestyle“

Scholarship Friday, scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarships Friday: Cancer survivors and families

 

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cancer survivorsFamilies dealing with cancer have astronomical medical expenses, often continuing after the patient is cured and in remission. Today’s post offers some organizations that offer scholarships to cancer survivors and their families. Since searching for these specific scholarships is often time consuming, I always recommend families register on a scholarship search site like Zinch or Cappex which usually ask specific questions that relate to scholarship criteria.

http://www.cappex.com/page/scholarships/details.jsp?scholarshipID=3792

http://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/cancer-scholarships/

http://www.uwhealthkids.org/pediatric-cancer/college-scholarship-opportunities-for-cancer-survivors/35357

http://www.beyondthecure.org/scholarships

http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/cancer.phtml

http://ulmanfund.org/gethelp/support-programs-resources/scholarships/

http://www.collegiatecancer.org/application.html

http://inheritanceofhope.org/scholarships

http://www.patientadvocate.org/index.php?p=69

http://www.ped-onc.org/scholarships/

http://www.mdanderson.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/cap-scholarship-program/index.html

http://cancerforcollege.org/CFC_Application.html

http://www.thescf.org/Application-Page.html

http://www.g-scholarship.info/2013/02/20132014-american-cancer-society-rock.html

http://www.cancerresourcemama.com/scholarships/diagnosis-specific-scholarships/breast-cancer-scholarships/

http://www.run4projectpurple.org/ways-we-help/scholarships/

http://www.thenccs.org/#

http://www.bobsfund.org/scholarships.php

http://angelonmyshoulder.org/programs/scholarships/

Articles about cancer-related scholarships with additional links

http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/127080.aspx

http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/cancer-students.htm

http://www.melfoundation.org/#/scholarships

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2012/10/18/dont-let-cancer-stop-you-from-earning-a-college-education

Speaking from a family who has been touched by cancer, I understand the medical expenses and the strain it puts on family finances. If you know of any other scholarship opportunities, please post them in the comment section on this blog for the benefit of others.

financial aid, how to, scholarships, Uncategorized

How to apply for scholarships

 

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scholarship application
Photo courtesy of FastWeb

There are many scholarship opportunities that anyone can apply for. Some are merit based, meaning you need to meet particular standards, some are based on financial need, and there are many for having a certain background. They can be awards of a few hundred dollars or can cover all of your tuition costs, but whatever the amount, they will decrease the price of your education. How do you apply for scholarships?

Search for scholarship information

Scholarship information can be found many ways. You can contact your college, your high school counselor, the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, state agencies, or nonprofit or private organizations. When searching for scholarships, be sure that everything is legitimate; you will never have to pay to find any financial aid opportunities. Moreover, be sure to only apply for awards you meet the requirements for; the last thing you want to do is waste your time on scholarships you don’t meet the criteria for.

Make note of the deadlines

The deadline for each scholarship can vary. Some may have deadlines as early as a year before you start college so you will need to start searching for scholarships during the summer before your senior year of high school. However, even if you have missed out on a few scholarships with early deadlines, there are still plenty with later dates. Once you have compiled a list of scholarships you meet the requirements for, prioritize those with the earliest deadlines and those you are most confident about getting.

Start the application process

Start the application process as early as possible and follow all of the directions. Most scholarships require high school transcripts, standardized test scores, your parents’ financial information, financial aid forms like the FAFSA or CSS, essays, and letters of recommendation.

If the scholarship is because you are part of a certain group, you will also have to prove your eligibility. Only submit what is mandatory, do not submit extra supporting materials or go over the word limit on the essays. Some applications might be similar and you may be able to submit the same work, or slightly edit your work for other scholarships. Keep the essay directions in mind, however, as the judges will use them to narrow the applicant pool. Once you have finished any essays or portfolio materials, have a teacher, parent, or anyone you trust for advice go over them for honest feedback; you really want to put your best foot forward here.

Applying for a scholarship is not difficult; it can be a pretty easy process! Once you have finished one application, it gets easier to complete the rest. Prevent getting overwhelmed by being organized and recording all the application deadlines and by starting early. You may feel unprepared, but after a little research, you will be on your way to completing scholarships and earning financial aid.

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About the author: Priya Sudendra is a junior at the University of Colorado and a staff writer for CollegeFocus, a website dedicated to helping students deal with the challenges of college, including housing, finance, style, health, relationships, and transferring from a community college to a four-year university.

You can follow CollegeFocus on Twitter and Facebook.

parenting, Uncategorized, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Straight Talk about Peer Pressure

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Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing! Or subscribe to my blog on the left and get email updates.

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.

_________________

Straight Talk about Peer Pressure

peer pressure

If your friend jumped off a bridge would you do it? 

This is a classic parental adage. I can’t count how many times my parents uttered that statement to me. My childhood consisted of daily reprehensible acts that I’m sure made my mother cringe in terror. I took every dare or challenge, even if it required any physical risk of life or limb. Oddly enough, I never broke a bone. I have many scares from cuts and scrapes, but never took a trip to any emergency room. Danger was exhilarating to me and I found pleasure in the simple acts of childhood defiance.

It seemed only fair that God would bless me with children who followed in my footsteps. My son was born with the same spirit of defiance. As a child, he was always “jumping off that bridge” and taking others with him. If it was dangerous, he was up for it. One hot summer day I came home from work to find him and some friends skateboarding off the roof into an above ground swimming pool. For months we had been trying to discern the cause of numerous indentations in the pool liner causing leaks. He had been doing this all summer long and crashing his skateboard into the bottom of the pool as he came off the roof. It did not even occur to him that this might be dangerous or risky. One of his friends had suggested they try it and he was more than willing to give it a shot.

My daughter, for most of her life, stood back and watched. She did very little “jumping off of bridges” until her last few years of high school. It was at this point that she decided to literally jump off her first bridge. One summer night, while driving to the beach with friends, they decided to stop on a bridge that crosses over an island with a small channel that passes from the Gulf of Mexico to the intercoastal canal. Apparently it was a common practice among teenagers to do this because there was a sign posted warning against it. That didn’t stop my daughter. She jumped off that bridge that night and continued to take dangerous risks all through her college years.

As parents it is our natural instinct to protect our children from danger. At a young age, we caution them about looking both ways before they cross the street. When they get older, we teach them to ride bicycles and warn them of the dangers of riding at night without reflectors. During their teenage years, our greatest fear is that they will get into the car with a reckless or drunk teen driver. And in college, we’re afraid they will do something to put their lives in jeopardy because they are impaired by alcohol. These peer pressures keep parents up at night and even the most stalwart of heart frightened.

If they don’t want to play with you, then find some other friends

When my kids were younger, I must have said this at least once a week. The simple fact is that kids can be cruel. They don’t care about hurting your kid’s feelings or making them cry. And a group of kids can be even crueler. Sadly, I have found that these same kids grow up to be teens and later adults. Those same kids that tortured you as a child continue to torture people as adults. It doesn’t matter what their groups are called: cliques, “the in-crowd”, fraternities, “junior league”, society, power circle, the “rich and famous”, or even the cool ones. They exclude the ones who are not like them.

What can you do about these “friends” that don’t want to play with you? The real question for me is why do you want to play with them at all? Why would anyone want to be that shallow, opinionated, callous, uncaring and insensitive? Why would anyone want to be accepted into a group that sets its values as money, power, prestige and the right address? You can strive your entire life to be accepted by these people, but when push comes to shove, they will never be friends. They let you play with them when it’s convenient or beneficial for them. They will never sacrifice any of their needs, wants or desires to meet you halfway or even try and see things from your point of view. They will never change. They have been that way since they were children and will continue to set their values and goals as they relate to the group they belong to.

My advice to anyone in this situation is to find some new “friends”. Find some friends that have the same values as you. Find some friends that are kind to those around them. Find some friends that sacrifice and give for others. Find some friends that speak to you in love and compassion, not judgment and condemnation. Quite frankly, this group is much larger than the ones who don’t play fair.

What’s a parent to do?

Unfortunately, you can’t keep your kids in a cocoon and protect them from themselves or their friends. And you can’t spend your whole life worrying about what they are doing with they are not with you. You can teach them basic survival skills and instill in them moral values. You can help them choose friends that don’t “jump off bridges”. You can give them every opportunity to take supervised risks so they will be less likely to take the dangerous kind.

When they come to you and ask to do something because “all their friends are doing it”, be a wise parent and don’t reach for the closest parental adage. Explain to them your reasons for concern and reaffirm your love for them. Make sure they aren’t giving in to peer pressure. Have them give you their reasons for wanting to go on a 5-day unsupervised trip to Mexico. After both sides have stated their cases, it is your responsibility as a parent to make the proper decision. Your kids may balk and scream and say they hate you forever. They may storm out of the room and slam the door when you tell them no. But even though you didn’t say it, you know that just because their friends “jump off bridges”, it doesn’t mean they have to follow.

Note: This is an excerpt from my book: Biscuits Taste Best with Chocolate Sauce (or Because I’m the Mother). Soon to be published in 2014.

For Wendy’s take on Peer Pressure, read her blog as well.

college guidance, how to, Uncategorized

How to find the best college advice

 

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adviceAdvice. Everyone gives it. Most of us don’t ask for it. Sometimes we need it.

The nature of the college beast is that we all need advice. Advice from other parents. Advice from college experts. Advice from the colleges. Advice from the high school counselor. For some it’s freely given, for others it’s withheld until asked. But there’s one underlying truth—everyone needs help and direction now and then, especially when navigating the college maze. But before you set out on this adventure to find the best college advice, beware-it’s a jungle out there!

Books

I gravitate towards books; probably because I’m old fashioned. I assimilate information easier if I can read it and stew on it for a bit. Books are excellent resources for information about college. There are the “big” books that many parents use which contain all the colleges in the United States and extensive lists of scholarships. But the books that seem to help parents the most are ones written to guide them through the college process and answer all of their questions.

My advice? Check out these 10 books that I believe will help you navigate the college maze with confidence and ease.

Blogs

There are websites and there are blogs. You can’t beat blogs for some good parent to parent advice and support. Subscribe to their blog or RSS feed so you will receive an email every time they post. This is the easiest way to stay on top of recent posts.

My advice? Subscribe to these: Dr. Strange College, PocsMom, The College Solution, Smart College Visit, More than a Test Score, Perfect Score Project and Best College Fit. There are hundreds more, but these are my fav picks. I find them to be filled with information and encouragement.

Social media

Believe it or not, you can get advice on social media. With social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ it’s easy to have information overload.

My advice? Follow me on Twitter and you will see I’ve made some lists of the accounts with good college advice: collegeinfo, tutoring, and scholarship info. Facebook is a good way to connect with colleges, other students and parents. Do a little research and find experts like me, University Parent, The College Solution, How to Win Scholarships and more. Pinterest is also quickly becoming another social media source for college advice. Follow me on Pinterest and you can follow my boards: college prep and scholarships. Look for colleges and follow their parent boards as well.

Websites

The world wide web is cluttered with college-related websites. Navigating them can be just a bit overwhelming. You can do Google searches and hope you find good advice and information, or you can trust the experts to steer you in the right direction.

My advice? Narrowing down the field should help a bit and keep you from pulling out your hair over hundreds of search results. Focus on a handful of websites that you consider to be most helpful.

It truly is a jungle out there, littered with all kinds of advice and opinions. Pick the ones who come recommended with an extensive network of experts who endorse them. The best way to find the best is to ask the best—it works every time.

 

scholarships, Sponsored posts, Uncategorized

Potential Scholarships for Engineering Students

 

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engineeringEngineering is a great college major. It is a versatile degree and that makes getting a job in a related field right out of college a lot easier. The downside is, even though engineering is a high-paying field, getting the right education is still expensive. One of the best ways to reduce expenses without giving up getting an education altogether is to apply for scholarships. Here are five scholarships for engineering students.

SMART Scholarship

Award: $25,000-41,000

Deadline: December 16

Eligibility

This scholarship is available to United States students who are at least 18 years old and pursuing further education and a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Current enrollment in a college or university and a high school diploma or GED and are required. Applicants must be available for summer internships, willing to accept a job after graduation with the Department of Defense and have at least a 3.0 GPA.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online at http://smart.asee.org/. The scholarship may cover up to 5 years of education.

Maureen L. and Howard Blitman, P.E., Scholarship

Award: $5,000

Deadline: March 1

Eligibility

This scholarship is open to high school seniors who have been accepted into an engineering education program at college or university. The program must be ABET-accredited and applicants must be legal residents of the United States. The scholarship is specifically for those of an ethnicity that is under-represented in the field of engineering. Specifically Native American, Hispanic or African-American engineering students.

How to Apply

Applications can be downloaded at http://www.nspe.org/Students/Scholarships/blitman.html and must be mailed in to the NSPE Education Foundation and received before the deadline.

Lillian Moeller Gilbreth Memorial Scholarship

Award: $10,000

Deadline: February 15

Eligibility

This scholarship is awarded by the Society of Women Engineers. Only women in their junior or senior years of pursuing a an ABET-accredited college or university education in Engineering. Applicants must be full-time students and maintain a 3.0 GPA.

How to Apply

The application must be started online at https://scholarships.swe.org/applications/login.asp. The application and the contact information for your faculty and personal references must be submitted before the applicant deadline. If FAFSA has also been filed, then the Financial Aid representative’s contact information must also be submitted by that first deadline. The deadline for the letters of recommendation is a bit later. The scholarship may be renewed once for undergraduate education only.

Continue reading Potential Scholarships for Engineering Students →

spotlight on, Uncategorized

PrepTalk for students and parents

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In today’s world of technology, it’s much easier to connect with colleges and other students. It doesn’t require a plane ride or a car trip to talk with college representatives. Imagine being able to interview before the college visit. Imagine having a college available to ask a question, verify receipt of documents and connect about financial aid.

preptalkIn a nutshell, PrepTalk has created a virtual, 2-way webcasting platform designed to connect college representatives with prospective students and parents.

For students/parents: One of the most influential factors when determining where to attend college is a live conversation with a college representative. Unfortunately, due to time and budget constraints, a college is only able to visit an average of 500 of the 27,000 high schools in the United States. These high school visits often take place during school hours, making it difficult for parents to be involved. The PrepTalk platform allows colleges to expand their reach by offering virtual, informational webcasts targeted at students and their parents. It also allows colleges to interact with prospective students on a one-one basis, for mentoring and support through the application process.

For colleges: Through the platform, colleges will have the ability to broadcast information about their college, and students will be able to ask questions and interact directly with the college in a live setting. Colleges now have a new tool to interact with prospective students and their parents prior to applications being submitted, and can monitor a student’s level of interaction and interest in a college. The platform allows colleges to educate students that they might not discover otherwise due to budget or accessibility constraints.

Signing up is easy. You can use your Facebook profile or sign up for PrepTalk using an email address. Once you’ve signed up following are the pages you can explore. Take it out for a test drive!

Continue reading PrepTalk for students and parents →

Guest Posts, test prep, Uncategorized

Last minute study tips for the PSAT

 

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psat

For many high school students, their first big standardized test is the PSAT, which is scheduled for this Saturday across the country. The PSAT is more or less a practice test for the SAT, but with one big distinction; scoring well can get you named as a National Merit Scholar finalist and earn you cash for college. It’s the perfect test to figure out your best strategies for test prep — especially if you’re a sophomore taking it for the first time.

Many students don’t prep for the PSAT like they would for the SAT or ACT. If you’re starting today or just looking to squeeze in a few last minute prep sessions before Saturday’s test, read on for some quick tips and tricks.

Take a Practice Test

The PSAT takes about 2 hours from start to finish. If you’ve never sat for an exam of that length, going through a practice exam can accomplish three things. First, it will give you confidence that you can actually sit for the complete test and get through the entire exam. Second, it will give you a sense of areas you can make quick improvements on. For example, you may discover that you aren’t getting through all of the math questions, or that you’re rusty on some aspects of the geometry but are racing through the algebra. Third and finally, it will get you familiar with the test structure. Remember that the PSAT has the exact same structure on every single test; only the questions change.

Brush Up on What You Don’t Know

Now that you’ve taken a test and identified areas for improvement, drill down on those areas. Don’t waste time reviewing every topic covered on the test since undoubtedly you’re zipping through some questions without an issue. If you’re struggling with Algebra, spend time getting Algebra help and reviewing factoring and quadratics, instead of using your valuable last minute study time reviewing geometry concepts.

Develop a Strategy For Skipping Questions

Figure out when you’re going to skip questions, and when you’re going to guess. According to the College Board (who administers the PSAT), “Students can earn an above-average score by getting only half the questions right and omitting answers for the rest of the questions.” Random guessing won’t help you earn a great score, but if you can narrow your answer choices down to two answers, it’s worth it to guess (you’ll lose ¼ point for every wrong answer). Give yourself a time window for answering tough questions; you won’t benefit from spending 5 minutes on question you inevitably get wrong. If you’re struggling to figure out how to tackle a question in the first 15 seconds and don’t have an inkling of how to solve it, move on; you can always come back later.

Don’t Stress Too Much

Remember that the PSAT is a practice test (except for the National Merit qualification). It won’t determine the rest of your life and stressing out too much won’t help you much anyway. Make sure you eat a healthy dinner the night before, get a good night’s sleep, and then eat a healthy breakfast the morning of. If you can, get some exercise the day before as well (working out can aid in brain function).

The PSAT is the first of many standardized tests — SATs, ACTs, APs, placement tests — that you’ll encounter in your life. And for the most part, this is one of the few exams whose outcome is not all that important. Use this as an opportunity to build up good test-taking strategies that you can apply not only to the PSAT, but to other standardized tests as you come across them in the future.

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Today’s guest blogger, Laura Oppenheimer, works for InstaEDU, the online tutoring company that offers online PSAT test prep and tutoring.

college visits, Uncategorized, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: College Visits from the Trenches

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Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing! Or subscribe to my blog on the left and get email updates.

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.

_____________________-

college visitsAutumn leaves signal the beginning of fall (for those lucky enough to live in a state where the leaves change color) and the beginning of college visits. For juniors it’s time to start the process. For seniors, it’s time to visit again and narrow down the college list. What better way to kick off the season than to give some “past parent” experiential advice and draw from the stories I’ve heard from others. Sit down, grab a cup of coffee and exhale. You’re in for a wild ride.

You’re going on a nice visit to some colleges. You’ve done your homework and you’ve planned several within driving distance of each other. You’re proud of yourself and you know that your kid is going to fall in love with at least one of them. You’re all decked out for the college tours (dressed to not get noticed or embarrass him) and you’re ready to listen and let your kid ask the questions. Sounds like a perfect trip–adventure and information gathering all at the same time.

But your kid forgot to read the notes. He’s nonchalant about the whole thing and acts disinterested in the car as you are driving towards the first college. What happens after this disrupts your mojo and you begin to wonder if an alien isn’t inhabiting your kid’s body.

The skeptic

Before you even get out 0f the car your kid announces that he’s just not feeling it. Don’t even attempt to decipher what that means because it’s impossible to understand. You’ve driven (or flown) to go to a college he had on a list and now he’s just not feeling it. Bench your anger, take a deep breath and get out of the car. You’ve come all this way and you’re going to visit the college. In the best of worlds he will get out with you. In the worst of worlds he’ll stay in the car. There’s not much you can do with an obstinate teenager; it’s best to move on.

The architect

And yet another alien appears. You’re walking around campus and your kid announces that he doesn’t like how it looks. Never mind that he’s not going to college for the buildings or the landscaping. He’s going for the academics. But for some reason his blinders aren’t allowing him to see anything but the buildings and no amount of pointing out the pluses is going to change his mind.

The critic

You’re walking around campus and your kid announces that the students don’t seem friendly. Mind you he’s probably not even spoken to any of them and it’s a good bet he didn’t like the tour guide. Don’t try to convince him otherwise because the more you say, the less likely he’ll come around. Just wait until a cute girl approaches him. He’ll change his tune quickly.

The panic-stricken

You get back into the car after your last visit and he announces, “I’m not sure I want to go to college”. Don’t panic. He’s just realized the whole thing is real and he’s terrified. Give him some time to think it through and tomorrow he’ll most likely change his mind again. The worst thing you can do is draw a hard line in the sand now because his feelings are likely to go up and down like a roller coaster over the next few months (or years).

What’s a parent to do?

Even though your kid wants you to treat him as an adult, he’s still a teenager. His emotions are all over the place and this next step in his life is frightening. Remember that college is largely an emotional decision and you should expect that emotions will play into that decision. When the dust settles and the emotions clear, he will make a decision based on all the factors, including his campus visits. After all, you don’t want him to attend a college he just isn’t feeling and you don’t want him to make a decision and leave out the emotional factor. He’s going to spend the next four years of his life at this school. It will become his second home and it’s important that he likes where he is.

Before the college visits start resolve to be flexible. Your lives will be less stressful and the college application experience will be more exciting. And in the end, your kid will move on to the next phase in his life–college.

For another look at college visits, check out Wendy’s blog: Collegecation.

 

Sponsored posts, Uncategorized

Why study or improve your level of English?

 

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englishFurther to our recent article highlighting the benefits of studying a foreign language, we thought it logical to next discuss the importance of learning English. It is after all, the most widely used language today, both socially and in the working world. It is hardly surprising then, that a high level of English is highly sought after by employers in an increasingly competitive and international work market. As a native English speaker, be it in the US, UK or Australia for example, it is often easy to take for granted our English speaking and writing capabilities. Is your fluency in English as good as it could or should be? As for non-native speakers, English is most commonly studied as a second language. Education systems around the world now place greater emphasis on the teaching and learning of English from an early age, not just as a subsidiary subject, but as essential as mathematics or science.  This article will seek to answer some of the most important issues when it comes to studying English, and to hopefully convince you that it´s never too late to get out those books and start learning something new!

The Benefits

Okay so we´ve already touched on this, but why else should you learn English? In simple terms, English is a truly global language. Let´s have a look at the figures… According to the British Council, English is the first language of approximately 375 million, while it is believed that around 750 million speak it as foreign language. One in four of the world´s population has at least a basic command of the language, and this is growing.

Of course there are benefits attached with learning any language, as discussed in our previous article. Specific to English however, it allows native speakers to consolidate and improve their current level, and perhaps even lead to a future career in English teaching. After all, the demand for such profession is huge and often lucrative. Nowadays it is not just enough to write in your CV “Fluent in English”. Employers want proof. For assistance in gaining an English qualification, you can take an IELTS course at an English language school in England. Such courses are also recommendable for those learning English as a second language, as visiting and learning in an English-speaking country (where better than London, England?) is one of the best things you can do to improve your fluency. This brings us neatly on to…

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