5 Common dorm life issues

April 2, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer 1 Comment

During your first or second year of college you will undoubtedly be living in student housing – in a small cramped room with a roommate you will be forced to get to know. However, it isn’t all bad: you can learn a lot from your roommate, you get to decorate your room according to your own personal taste and you will have a lot more freedom than if you were living at your parent’s house. Yet, there might be some issues that you should know about before you move in.

Here are 5 common dorm life issues:

One of the biggest dorm life issues is cleanliness. Most of the time it is an issue of clutter, but sometimes it can be an issue of germs too. You might have a roommate that just can’t organize their side of the room and it is inching closer and closer to yours. There might be dirty socks and underwear not put in a hamper – either yours or your roommates. You might also have plates and cups covered in old food. Because a dorm room is so small it is easy for it to get messy and unorganized, so it is important to take measures every day to keep it clean.
You might also have a roommate you don’t get along with. This can be incredibly frustrating, because you will have to live within ten feet of this person for up to a year or more. There are a number of ways to rectify this situation, like having a set of rules or guidelines. If it gets so bad that there is no solution for peace in sight, you can always discuss the problem with the dorm resident assistance and/or request a room change and more often than not they will find someone else that fits.
Another common issue is privacy. When you are sharing a room with someone in a hall with dozens of other students, you will no doubt run into a situation where someone accidently walks into your room, or your roommate walks in, without knocking. College can be a time of a lot of exploration so this can end up being a bigger issue than you think. However, there are a number of preventative measures you can take to let people know you want some private time, like putting something on the door handle or developing a schedule system with your roommate.
There is also the issue of a dorm room being too unbearably hot or cold. In the summer time, colleges might run the AC system at full blast, which can end up being incredibly uncomfortable, especially at night when it is too cold to sleep. The same goes in the winter, when the heat is on full blast. A good way to prevent this is to have the college contact HVAC services so they can control the temperature in the room.
Lastly, mold can be another big issue. Because many dorm rooms are small with not a lot of ventilation, mold spores can start to grow and cause some nasty health problems. If you notice mold around the vents or in the dorm showers, let the dorm RA know so that the administration can correct the problem.

college planning, parenting

5 Great discounts for college students

April 2, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

There are many benefits to continuing academic studies, difficult as it may be. The long term payoffs are obvious, but there are several ways young adults can use their status as college students to make their lives easier in the present. Businesses everywhere understand the difficulties of managing finances during college, and many offer discounts to students. Discounts for college students like these can be a boon to any college student, especially in a rough economy where money is tight.

Tech Benefits
Going to school without a computer today is feasible, but some would consider it academic suicide. Students need access to current technology in order to get ahead in school, and computer manufacturers understand this fact as well as anyone else. Many leading companies offer competitive discounts on their computers and other tech products. Students can save hundreds of dollars on computers from Apple, Sony and other leading brands by inquiring about discounts. Students who purchase directly from Microsoft can get the Office Academic suite at a greatly discounted price. All students should take advantage of these offers.
Cell Phone Contracts
It can be difficult to keep up with cell phone bills, especially in an era of data plans that are driving up rates across the board. Luckily, student discounts can help alleviate this strain. Almost all major cell phone service providers offer a student discount, and many customers may be eligible for these benefits depending on their schools. T-Mobile offers discounted rates to students registered with StudentRate.com, and other companies offer discounts based on school affiliations. Everyone should be sure to inquire about student discounts on cell phone service.
Auto Insurance
The student driver has an especially difficult life. Dealing with campus parking and sky high gas prices would be enough, but insurance compounds the problem significantly for students and parents alike. However, doing well in school can be its own reward in this case. Most auto insurance providers offer a good student discount. By sending transcripts and reports of good academic performance to auto insurance providers, students and their parents can get greatly discounted monthly rates.
Entertainment and Education
Students can’t spend every waking moment of their lives in the libraries and lecture halls, but fortunately there are plenty of discounts available for experiences that can be both fun and educational. Almost all movie theaters offer a special discounted price for students. Museums usually have similar offers as well, often granting students free admission. Students who are interested in music, dance and theater can also get discounted prices on admission to exciting concerts and shows. Students should always inquire about discounts like these before paying full price.
Shopping
When shopping for school supplies, students can benefit from visiting local retailers and inquiring about discounts. Art students, for example, are often offered discounts on their expensive supplies when they visit shops and supply stores near their schools. Plenty more information about free items and student discounts can be found here and all over the web. No student should ever go shopping without this knowledge. Discounts like these can make any students life a whole lot easier.

college planning, dorm life

Organizing and packing for college

April 2, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

One of the most exciting times in any young person’s life is right before they head off for their freshman year in college. For many, it is their first time living on their own on a college campus and that means figuring out how to live independently of their parents’ daily assistance.

So, as you’re helping to get your kids get organized and packed up for college, we wanted to provide you with five handy tips that can help you to help them make the process as easy as possible. Check these tips that will help while packing for college:

Prioritize. There aren’t many dorm rooms that have a ton of space and even fewer that won’t require your child to have a roommate (especially their first year there). So, one of the first things that they must do is decide what absolutely must go with them and what can stay at home. When it comes to things like clothes, remind them that they can always come home during a break or holiday vacation to swap out items based on the seasons of the year.
Purchase what can’t easily be bought there. Piling up on things like toiletries and food doesn’t make a whole lot of sense; those items can be easily purchased at a local grocery store or oftentimes, even on campus. Instead, focus on buying things like bedding, a mini-refrigerator, a laptop and any other items that they will absolutely need and would prefer not to share.
Speak with the roommate. Encourage them to discuss ahead of time with their roommate who is going to bring things like a television, a mini-frig, an iron and ironing board, a microwave and cleaning supplies for the room. In many cases, it just takes up more space than is necessary to have duplicated items in one small space. If for whatever reason, the roommate is not willing to share, then make a quick Target or Wal-Mart run with them in between helping your child to unpack their things.
Don’t buy in bulk. While providing for an entire household, buying in bulk is oftentimes a good idea. But, when purchasing things like laundry and cleaning supplies for one student in one dorm room, it can prove to be a waste of money and space. So, get big boxes or bottles of things rather than purchasing in bulk. If they use the items wisely, it can last them for months at a time.
Pack smart. When it comes to packing up things like clothes, dishware (or plastic ware) and miscellaneous items (such as a First-Aid kit, mattress pad, hangers and laundry supplies), although you could pack everything up in some eco-friendly storage boxes and then put some adhesive labels on them, don’t forget that you can also be a bit more creative. A couple of ottomans are ideal for putting things into, plus your child can later use them as extra storage space/seat for their dorm room. You can also go to the Container Store to get storage cubicles. You can unpack all of the items that you put in them to transport to school and then place them under their bed until they need them again at the end of the semester.

parenting

How to help your student overcome body image issues

April 2, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Negative body image issues can lead to frightening pathological and psychological conditions like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which can subsequently lead to a whole host of negative health effects. There are over 10 million female college students and over 8 million male college students with eating disorders. Due to the burdens of college, being away from home, stress and other factors, college students are even more susceptible to developing negative body issues. They might even put on weight from increased levels of stress, which can send students even further down a negative path and can effect both their grades and well-being. How can you help your college student overcome body image issues?

Determine the source of the problem

One of the best ways to help your student overcome their negative body issues is to find the source of the problem. Usually the source lies in a number of external circumstances contributed to the stresses of college, like waiting to the last minute to study for an exam or keeping a bad grade a secret. In most cases, these stresses can become internalized and will result in a negative self-image. However, by working with them to manage their stress, it can greatly reduce their body image issues.

Get them some help

You can also find them a psychologist near their school or perhaps even the college has a therapist they can speak to on a regular basis. Many young men and women need a therapist while they are in college to work through their stress. Because stress can cause students to gain weight, it can also make their body issues that much worse. Researchers say that students perform better in school if they have some sort of counselor to work with them through their stress while in college.

Take drastic measures if necessary

Next, if your child is showing signs of an eating disorder that is affecting their health, it is recommended that you admit them into an in-patient program at a hospital or a clinic. This can be the best way to save their lives, because eating disorders can be deadly. Usually, your college student will wait until it’s too late to share with friends and family that their body image issues have gotten so out of hand that they can barely take care of themselves and is effecting their health negatively. They might show signs that they are hording food, binging or not even eating at all, which can lead to a number of negative health effects and even death.

In the end, if your college student is always talking about their weight or asking about cosmetic surgery like cosmetic jaw surgery, because they have become obsessed with their appearance, these can be signs that they have developed some sort of pathological body image issue. You can get to the root of the problem before it gets out of hand, you can have them get help from a psychologist or a counselor at school, or even have them admitted to a clinic or in-patient program if their body image issues have turned into an eating disorder. Early intervention is the key to helping your student overcome this unhealthy behavior.

admissions, college guidance, college planning

Eat, sleep, and be merry: a college guide to health

March 29, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

The number of children going to college has grown steadily for the past fifty years. From a parent’s standpoint their children are leaving the home for the first time, and many are ill prepared for the realities of life on their own. Despite the financial, emotional, and physical preparations, many students are simply not ready for the day to day struggles of life away from home.

Improper hygiene and the lack of good eating habits is one of the major causes of illness with college students. It’s true that students try to survive on mac-n-cheese and soda, but these type of eating habits can affect the student’s overall health. Combine poor eating with too much drinking and not enough sleep, and it’s a wonder that college students are continually at the health center. With only a few minor changes and instruction, the health of our youth at college can be vastly improved.

Encourage your kids to get regular checkups. With all the sicknesses that go around it’s important to guard against the ever-present flu and cold viruses through proper hygiene. Simply washing your hands can ward off many potential threats. There are a few services to help beyond the campus health clinic; services like the school medical center can provide a wide range of answers to important health issues.

Some people might believe that just because you’re studying medicine, you’ll be far better prepared to avoid being sick. Maybe your child is medically-minded, already looking to change from an online paramedic to rn (Registered Nurse)! But still, even medical students get sick sometimes!

Make sure your students get vaccinated and that their vaccinations are up to date, especially if they plan on taking any exciting holiday excursions out of the country. But even if they don’t travel, the close proximity to so many other students makes vaccinations imperative.

Fight fatigue by getting plenty of restful sleep. Insufficient sleep can negatively affect the brain processes, making test taking and even attentiveness in class a serious problem. Encourage your students to establish a good sleep routine and to avoid excessive drinking, caffeine and all night study binges.

Eating a balanced diet is perhaps the most important factor in staying healthy and being able to ward off viruses like colds and flus. Learning what foods are healthy and which are not is often beyond the experience of many students. Knowing how to cook is an important skill that helps ensure a balanced diet.

Exercise can vary radically from student to student but the reality is that daily exercise is an essential part of staying healthy. How they exercise is not so important, but vigorous daily exercise helps students develop a routine of heart pumping fun that builds their stamina and increases the blood flow to essential areas of the body, the brain included. It is the brains we’re trying to improve.

When health is the goal students will find their college life more fulfilling, more fun and more exciting. They will be able to participate in as many activities as possible, enjoy the excursions and learn to enjoy the process of learning and be ready to take on the world.

scholarships

Varsity Tutors Announces $1000 Monthly Scholarship

March 26, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Students Can Enter Every Month for a Chance to Win $1,000 Toward College

St. Louis, Mo. (March 26, 2013) – In its continued effort to help students achieve academic excellence, Varsity Tutors, a premier one-on-one academic tutoring and test prep provider, announced today that it has launched a monthly college scholarship contest. The merit-based scholarship program, open to U.S. residents ages 16 and older, provides students with the opportunity to win $1,000 toward their college tuition.

“At Varsity Tutors, we believe it is imperative that students have what they need in order to successfully achieve their academic goals,” said Chuck Cohn, founder and CEO of Varsity Tutors. “We recognize that in addition to academic support, students sometimes also need help funding their studies, so I’m incredibly proud to announce that each month we plan to award a $1,000 college scholarship to a deserving student.”

To enter, students must submit an essay during the submission period. Essay themes center on academic-based topics and encourage students to reflect on their aspirations and plans for their education and beyond. Two scholarships have been awarded since the program started in January 2013.

“Opportunities like the Varsity Tutors $1,000 Scholarship Contest are very rare and valuable,” said Taylor Hudgins, freshman at Meredith College and the January award recipient. “Winning this scholarship means a new world of opportunities, making unpaid internships and paying for books possible. Thanks to Varsity Tutors, I can look forward to next semester without financial worries.”

A monthly winner is determined through two rounds of review. Each month, the submission period opens on the 1^st and ends on the 15^th. Valid entries are then displayed on the Varsity Tutors website and put to an online public vote beginning on the 16^th via social media shares. Once the voting period closes at the end of the month, a panel of judges reviews the five entries that received the most votes and then proceeds to select a winner. Entries are judged based on clarity of expression, creativity, originality of expression and sincerity.

The next submission period begins on April 1^st. To learn more about the Varsity Tutors College Scholarship Contest and view the official rules, visit www.varsitytutors.com/college-scholarship.

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About Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors is a premier private academic tutoring and test prep provider designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence. Varsity Tutors delivers in-home, personalized, one-on-one instruction in any subject from STEM to the humanities, as well as customized preparation for all standardized exams including the ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT, and graduate exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT. Students from elementary to graduate school are expertly matched with an exceptional tutor who is best able to address their unique needs and goals. To ensure satisfaction and safety, only the highest caliber tutors are selected to join Varsity Tutors following a rigorous screening process. Varsity Tutors currently serves 19 cities nationwide and offers a variety of tutoring packages. Students and their families interested in learning more about Varsity Tutors should visit www.varsitytutors.com.

college planning, financial aid, organization, parenting

Basic accounting for your student

March 24, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Many students graduate high school and head off to college with no real experience with money. Sure, your child may have worked a part-time job to pay for the movies and to put gas in the car, but that doesn’t mean he has any understanding of accounting. Basic accounting for students is easy enough to master, as long as you take the time to sit down and truly understand the meaning. As a parent, it’s up to you to make sure this happens. You might not see the point, as most accounting details are automated these days. But perhaps your child plans on studying accounting as a major? Additionally, if your high school student has any plans to get involved in the world of business, accounting skills will always serve him well. Here are some of the basic accounting concepts for students.

Affirm the basic concepts

At its heart, accounting is all about tracking numbers. The concepts are big, but you’re basically monitoring how money and resources move from one place to another.

Start off by discussing some simple definitions. You can begin the process by discussing assets. Most parents know that an asset is anything that a company or an individual has at their disposal. This could be products, people or cash, but the value of a business (and an individual) usually boils down to the assets on the books. Then you have liabilities. A liability is anything that belongs to other parties. That could be a debt or it could mean a contract that hasn’t yet been fulfilled. College students will most often experience liabilities when it comes to credit cards. And the more liabilities on the books, the more difficult your financial situation. Finally, there’s equity. Equity could be a financial investment put towards goods or services, or it could be money paid towards a debt, such as when you repay a mortgage.

Good debt versus bad debt

There’s such a thing as good debt versus bad debt, and that’s a difficult concept for the beginning accounting student. For example, a student loan is looked at as good debt, because it is stable, usually has a low interest rate, and was accrued in order to better the student. A credit card issued by a retail store is bad debt, because it often comes with a high interest rate and will lower your credit score.

Moving on to the balance sheet

The balance sheet is quite similar to the budget your student should begin to use now that he’s joining the adult world. It tracks those three elements, the assets, equity and liability, to give you an overall snap shot from one moment in time. The first real lesson of accounting is to bring the balance sheet to a state of equality. That means in an ideal world the assets and equity would either equal or outweigh the liability. Otherwise you’re operating at a debt, and that’s bad news for all involved.

Ask a CPA and accounting firm how they handle balance sheets, and they’ll probably laugh. That’s a core of their business. Just because it’s a basic of accounting doesn’t mean you understand it and then move on. The opposite is actually true. Learning to trust the valuations determined by a balance sheet is crucial, to running a business or running your personal expenses.

You can easily explain basic accounting to your student

Don’t spend more money than you take in. Don’t borrow more money than you can afford to repay. Once they have these basic concepts down, they can carry them to college and use them the rest of their lives.Put in the work now to help your young student comprehend these basics, and they’ll be much better off in the long run.

college guidance, college planning, financial aid, parenting

Should you co-sign on a student loan?

March 24, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

As a parent, you probably want to do anything within your power to make your child’s dream of college come true. Hopefully you’ve saved up enough money to help them afford tuition, but that college fund may not stretch nearly as far as you once thought it would. Tuition rates continue to rise and finding grants and scholarships take some work on the part of your college-bound teen. For the vast majority of students and families, taking out loans is the only recourse. But some private loans will require you to co-sign on your child’s behalf. This complicates things, and could cause a host of problems. But, should you co-sign on a student loan?

It’s important to remember that any loan offered by the federal government will never require you to co-sign.

Those loans make up the bulk of the borrowed money for any student, and they come with low interest rates and controlled payback periods. In addition, some federal loans won’t accrue interest or require any payments to be made until after the student graduates. Federal subsidized Stafford loans do not charge interest until graduation. Unsubsidized Stafford loans begin charging interest on the day they are disbursed.

If you’re being asked to co-sign, that means it’s a private loan.

You must make sure that your child has looked for all government loans first before going this route.Repaying a private, co-signed loan is also far less flexible. You may have to start paying it off immediately, and the lenders don’t always offer the same deferment and forbearance options as the government. This makes it much harder to manage repayment, which also greatly increases the chance of a loan default. If your child does need some sort of deferment, they’ll often be charged a fee to do so. Overall, this option is far less favorable.

Co-signers are held responsible.

Keep in mind that as the co-signer you will be held responsible if your son or daughter fails to make payments. In fact, the lending institution will consider you 100% liable for this money, just as if you personally borrowed it. You don’t ever want to think about your child running into these sorts of problems, but it happens all too often to be ignored. Not only will they hold you responsible, but just as with those title loans in Arizona that went into default they will hit you with legal action if you fail to pay. That means action from the IRS, penalty payments and a massive dent in your credit score. This can bring about a whole host of emotional issues within the family, and the financial strain just isn’t worth it. All in all, consider co-signing to be an absolute last resort move.

Parents can co-sign on a student loan.

There are some positives to be found going this route. First of all, your student will be able to secure a lower interest rate, thanks to your involvement. Even if your college-bound child has been saving diligently, chances are he or she has not built up much credit to date, if any at all. If you have a solid credit history, you should be able to help your child secure a far lower interest rate by co-signing. And that means the cost of the loan will be lower over the life of the repayment period. In addition, by co-signing you are helping your child establish his or her own credit history. This process is crucial, as it will help them get future loans. Building credit often starts by opening up credit cards, and that comes with all sorts of other issues. By going this route you’ll work together to build your child’s credit.

Parents do have another option-PLUS loans (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students).

To qualify for PLUS Loans, parents must have children who are enrolled at least half-time at an approved educational institution. The maximum allowable amount that can be borrowed for a PLUS Loan is the difference between the cost of the student’s attendance and any other financial aid the student receives (a number set by the school’s financial aid office).Unlike Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans feature neither a grace period during which no payments are due nor any period during which interest doesn’t accrue. The upside of this choice is that you control the repayment and do not have to rely on your student’s job procurement after graduation, or their ability to repay their loans.

college planning, dorm life, parenting

5 Necessities for a college dorm room

March 22, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

When teens head off to college, they probably have a few ideas about how they want to decorate their dorm rooms. They may lobby for trendy linens, bean bag chairs, batik wall hangings, and black light posters. But questionable style aside, they are likely thinking about impressing their new friends with the goods they choose to adorn their dorm room. As a parent, you have to try to strike a balance between letting your college-bound teens express their personal style and ensuring that they have what they need to create a functional, comfortable living space for the next few years.

Your best bet is to write a checklist of things they’ll need and then let them choose from those items so that they can get the style they want and the comforts of home. Here are just a few necessities you’ll want to be sure to add to your list for their college dorm room:

Bedding. If you’re like most people, you aren’t exactly stocked up on Twin XL linens – it seems like only dorms tend to feature these oddly-sized beds. This means you’ll probably have to send your teens off to college with an armful of brand new bedding. You should include at least two sets of sheets (so they can keep one on the bed while the other is being washed), a comforter, and an extra blanket just in case. You’ll have to provide pillows, as well.
Storage solutions. Space is at a premium in any shoebox-sized dorm room, so providing your teen with a multitude of storage options is a must. For bulky items like winter clothing and extra linens, space bags offer a quick and easy way to minimize thanks to vacuum packing. And when it comes to storing books and school supplies, consider using shelving and bins; while floor space for cabinets and drawers is definitely limited, there’s plenty of room overhead that can still be utilized. If wall mounts are forbidden, simply get a wall unit that stacks on the desk.
Lighting. Most dorms come with only the overhead fluorescent fixture and any natural light that might come in through a single window on one side of the room. For students that need to work at night, while their dorm mate is trying to sleep, the lighting situation can be a problem. So provide your teens with a desk lamp (an LED option is great for students that have to work on computers since it won’t compete with the flicker like fluorescent lights can) and perhaps a book light for late-night study sessions.
Shower essentials. In addition to providing your teens with towels, soaps, shampoos, and the like, you might want to include a handy shower caddy in your equation. Even if you’re lucky enough to find dorms that offer in-room sinks, the toilets and showers are housed elsewhere. A caddy, while not precisely essential to continued existence, certainly makes life (or at least showering) a lot easier for dorm denizens. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to throw in some inexpensive flip flops to shower in and avoid all the “nasties” from other people’s feet.
Compact electronics. Your teens could probably put ERH power inc out of business with the amount of energy they draw for their electronics. But thankfully all of them won’t fit in a dorm room. So narrow it down to essentials like a laptop, a portable printer, and a cell phone, for example. And don’t forget the noise-cancelling headphones for those nights when the neighbors are blasting their music.

Lastly, help your teen understand that they don’t have to take their entire collection of stuffed animals or other comforts of home with them to their college dorm room. A few pictures from home along with some small personal items should be sufficient. Dorm rooms are small and made to house the basic living necessities. Pack wisely and consider that a few photos or a photo album and some small personal nick knacks will remind them of home and save on space.

Parenting for College

5 Common dorm life issues

5 Great discounts for college students

Organizing and packing for college