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:
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.
Need for help with summer college prep? Learn everything you need to know about applying for college by using my Parent Crash Course.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I will never forget the moment we received our Student Aid Report and I saw the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) on the right-hand corner. I was in shock as most parents are. How could the powers that be believe we could afford to pay that amount for college? It was a mystery to me how they came up with that number, as it is to most of you.
The EFC determines how much financial aid the colleges will award to your student. You can’t receive any federal or institutional aid without getting an EFC when you complete the FAFSA. We are stuck with it and will probably never truly understand how they use to determine how much money your family can afford to pay.
If you are going to need financial aid for college (and who doesn’t?), you will need to understand the EFC.
Inflation, rising gas prices, and higher property taxes are placing burdens on American families. Those of you who are looking at an upcoming college bill are concerned about how to get the most for your money with the best return on your investment and the best earning potential.
The college education is a major purchase for families and as tuition rises, more and more students are vying for financial aid. It stands to reason that parents want to make sure their student is getting a degree in a field that will support them after graduation.
Payscale’s College Salary Report can help you and your student when you are researching colleges. The report is based on a comprehensive database. In 2022, their rankings come from the alumni salary data of 3.5 million respondents, representing more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the U.S.
When you are trying to get your child into college, getting a place seems like the be-all and end-all. However, the bigger picture is that college, while a formative time in a young person’s life, is a stepping stone to securing a role in their desired career field. Indeed, your child will still need support with this as they navigate their way through college. Read on to find out how you can help.
There’s a new documentary on PBS called “Try Harder!”. It chronicles the lives of some students at Lowell High School, a prestigious high school in California with predominantly Asian students. Their goal–get into the Ivies or the UC colleges. Why? Because according to them, anything else communicates failure.
I was struck by one young man who said, “If I don’t get into one of these schools, I won’t make a difference in the world or be successful.” How sad. What type of message are we conveying to our students? Try Harder.
It’s seems unreasonable for us to think that our college-bound teens should know what they want to study in college. They haven’t had many career-related experiences other than part-time jobs while in high school or during summers and breaks. Knowing this, should we assume that our college-bound teens should be able to choose a major when they enter college?
Let’s consider some key points about college majors:
