All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

Wednesday’s Parent: No Regrets

May 14, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

No regrets. You know the feeling. It creeps up in the pit of your stomach after you’ve made a difficult decision. Life deals us many difficult decisions—the college choice is perhaps the first of many. After you send that acceptance off, especially if you had multiple offers, it’s common to wonder if the college you chose is indeed the best college for you.

We all have regrets

My daughter will tell you that after accepting an offer from her second choice college she had regrets. Was it a good idea to move so far away from home? Was the college going to provide her with a well-rounded education? After choosing a small college over a larger one, was it the best choice for her? She will also tell you that even though it wasn’t her first choice, she does not regret making the decision and is incredibly glad she chose the college she did.

Regrets aren’t productive

Embrace the decision and move forward. You can’t change the decisions you make, but you can make the most of them. Instead of worrying about your decision, decide to own it and plan for the future. Why waste your time regretting when you can spend your time looking forward?

“It’s better to have a whole bunch of “oh wells” than a life of ‘what ifs’ “

I love this quote. So many people choose not to decide because they fear making the wrong decision. I like to say there are no wrong decisions, only different paths. We often learn and grow from the decisions we make, even if the outcome isn’t what we anticipated. Life tends to throw us some curve balls every now and then.

After May 1^st decision deadlines have come and gone, leave the regrets behind and look toward future possibilities.

Read Wendy’s post: 3 Steps Forward, Leaving Regrets Behind

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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!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

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 parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

App Tuesday

App Tuesday: 10 Textbook Apps

May 13, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer 2 Comments

Any college kid or soon-to-be college kid needs an arsenal of textbook apps to help them shop for the best bargains, find the free ebooks and textbooks, and sell and trade when the semester ends. These apps should fit the ticket. But don’t wait until the fall of freshman year to download them. There’s no time like the present to create a folder and start adding these 10 textbook apps to your mobile devices.

1. BigWords

Nobody likes shopping for textbooks at the college bookstore.BigWords operates by the premise that students prefer to shop for textbooks on smaller and smaller computers in the palms of their hands and like to shop using their smartphone or tablets. They claim to help students about $1,000 annually on average.

2. Chegg

Chegg brings you millions of textbooks and solutions packed into one glorious app! Rent textbooks, get instant access (when available), and read eTextbooks on your iPhone, iPad or iPod and Android devices. The app allows students to easily search for textbooks by title, author, ISBN or by scanning a barcode. Rent or buy physical textbooks and while the book is on the way, get 7-day FREE instant access to the eTextbook to get started on classwork immediately.

3. Kno

Experience your same books, only smarter. The Kno™ app, now a part of Intel® Education, enhances the learning experience by bringing content, from one of the largest eTextbook catalogs in the industry, to life with interactive features that drive student engagement, and learning success in the classroom. The added features allow students to synchronize all content and notes across all devices. With over 70 features, Kno allows students to create flashcards, search for answers within the books instantly, watch videos and bring external content into the books.

4. CourseSmart

The CourseSmart eTextbooks app is a perfect complement to a CourseSmart eTextbook subscription. Students can benefit from the advantages of mobile learning–leaving their backpacks and laptops behind. The key features include: access to eTextbooks for quick reference, a keyword search to help locate information, synchronized notes and highlights along with a true digital equifalent of your textbook.

5. BuyBackTextbooks

This app makes selling back your old books & textbooks both fun & profitable. How it works is this; simply install the app and then grab some books you want to sell. With the app you can easily scan the barcode on the back on the book, once it beeps their system goes to work. In a matter of seconds you’ll see how much each store will pay for the book.

6. Cash4Books

Sell used books and college textbooks with the Cash4Books.net app. Scan book barcodes and get instant Cash4Books price quotes from anywhere. Have your books shipped to them for free and get fast cash back. Get a free quote on any book or textbook.

7. Half.com

eBay’s app helps students quickly find great deals on textbooks (and more fun stuff of course) heading into the school year. It’s the second eBay app to integrate barcode scanning technology and allows users to scan the barcodes on items to find the best deals on textbooks, DVDs, video games and more. The app provides Half.com buyers access to over 80 million active listings from more than 700,000 sellers. Half.com also uses the “Buying Wizard”. Based on the user’s criteria for item condition and seller feedback, the Buying Wizard identifies the lowest cost items and shipping discounts (if applicable) to help shoppers get the best deals on Half.com.

8. CampusBooks

With the free CampusBooks apps, everything you love about CampusBooks.com’s powerful money-saving search engine and price-comparison tool is now with you on the go! Wherever you are, you’re just a few touches away from finding the best deals when buying and selling textbooks. The app finds the cheapest books when buying, gets the highest prices when selling, in-app barcode scanning, and uses GPS tracking technology to display local results.

9. Yuzu

Yuzu™ by Barnes & Noble lets you organize, read, and annotate your textbooks right in the palm of your hand—making the experience of learning simple, gratifying, and much easier on your back. Go to the Yuzu store to find your textbooks and download them to your iPad®. You can also access them using an internet-connected Mac or Windows PC. That way, you’ll be able to follow along in class on your iPad and pick up where you left off on your home computer or even in the campus computer lab.

10. Kindle

The Kindle app is optimized for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, giving users the ability to read Kindle books, newspapers, magazines, textbooks and PDFs on a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. You’ll have access to over 1,000,000 books in the Kindle Store plus hundreds of newspapers and magazines. Skip the campus bookstore and search for the best book bargains on Amazon.

mom approved tips, parenting

Mom-Approved Tips: Graduation Anxiety

May 12, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

May means graduation. You may be thinking about gifts for graduates. But there is so much more to think about. Your student will be graduating—but you are too. You’re graduating from years of college prep. For most parents it starts early—thinking and planning for their college education. When they are born, you think you have all the time in the world. This month, that time has flown by and you can’t believe they will be leaving soon for college. And the anxiety over losing your baby begins.

Have you done enough to prepare them for adulthood?

We all ask that question. And even when they are grown, it’s going to whirl through our minds from time to time. Parenthood has its challenges and throughout the 18 years or more that they are with us, we’re bound to struggle and wonder if we did everything we could do to teach them independence, consequences, and moral values. You may not feel like you did, but kids are like sponges. They soak up everything they see. They hear everything they say. And they will use it when you least expect it.

What will you do with yourself?

After years of shuffling them to school, sports, working on homework, and most recently spending every waking moment on college prep, what will you do with all this free time? If this is your only child, you’re going to feel lost. If it’s not, the other kids will absorb your time—don’t ask me how but it happens. If this is your last one and you’re facing an empty nest, be prepared to grieve. It’s going to happen; embrace it. Then, as with all grief, it will pass and it’s time for you to readjust your priorities. It’s time to ask yourself this question: What do “I” want? For 18 years or more it’s been all about them; now it’s time for it to be all about you!

How will they survive without you?

How will they remember to do their homework, wash their hands, clean their rooms, and get up in time for class? What will they eat and when will they eat? Will they get enough rest and concentrate on their health? Will they make friends easily? Will they succumb to peer pressure?

You’ve been their lifejacket for the last 18 years. It’s time for them to swim, and possibly sink, on their own. Trust that you have taught them well and if they do start to struggle or fail, they will work it out as all adults must do. It’s scary standing on the sidelines but it’s time to remind yourself that they will be fine without you.

Isn’t that our goal from the day they are born? We just didn’t think it would come so soon. Wipe the tears, celebrate their achievement, and look ahead to the future. It’s going to be an exciting era—for both you and your kids.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: Introducing the MatchMade Scholarship

May 9, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

In today’s world of college finances, student loans, and high dollar tuition, parents are searching for ways to reduce out of pocket expenses with scholarships. Many scholarships available to students are simply for high school seniors. Some are only available to current college students. And others are restricted to a small demographic of the population.

Here’s a unique scholarship opportunity for a specific demographic-children or step-children of Match.com matches. According to Match.com, more than one million babies have been made by Match.com connections. To celebrate these connections, they are introducing the MatchMade Scholarship.

What do I “love” about the MatchMade scholarship?

It’s eligible to a large demographic and age group (13-20).
It’s a yearly scholarship which means your kids can reapply each year from 13-20.
It’s a large award-$50,000 to the Grand Prize Winner and $5000 to the parents for a MatchMade getaway.
It’s not an essay.
It’s a video.
The 10 finalists are picked by Match.com, then the public decides by using video sharing.

What are the details and how can your child enter?

Those who enter must be between the ages of 13-20.
They must be born to parents who met or re-married through Match.com.
They must submit a 1-2 minute video telling about their parents love story.

What are the important dates to remember?

The scholarship contest began May 5th and goes through June 30th; kids can submit their videos through MatchMade.com.
In July, Match.com picks the finalists.
On August 18th, the finalists are announced and begin sharing their videos to the public.
On September 1st, the video with the highest number of video shares takes home the grand prize.

The finalists will be picked by choosing the videos that are the most creative and heartfelt, telling their parents love story. Each story is unique and each family has its own social network to begin sharing the video once it’s made using the #MatchMade hashtag.

Need some inspiration, watch this video: What Happens When You Ask Kids about Life and Love?

Did you meet through Match.com? Do you know parents who did and have eligible children? Spread the word to your social networks and start the buzz about the #MatchMade Scholarship. Visit MatchMade.com to enter and find out more about the scholarship.

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This is a sponsored post for Match.com

tech gadgets, technology

Best Laptops, Gadgets and Software for College Students

May 8, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

It’s the classic parent dilemma – your son or daughter has just been accepted to college and needs some technology to take with them. It can be an exciting time full of adventure, however you feel it’s also important for them to manage their workload and maintain their studies.

Thankfully technology can now make this process easier, more fluid and fun at the same time! Following is a list of the best laptops, gadgets and software for college students.

The Best Laptops

There are hundreds of laptops to choose from and it can be difficult to select the most appropriate and practical. Here are some of the top choices:

Asus T100 Transformer Book

This hybrid laptop offers both a 10.1” multi-touch detachable HD screen as well as 32 GB storage and complimentary MS Office Home and Student 2013. The detachable screen converts into a tablet – suited to taking notes or playing games.

Apple Macbook Pro Retina Display

This high spec laptop features a compact 13.3” screen – ideal for studies on the go. It features 8GB ram, 256 GB hard drive and an Intel dual core i5 processor making it perfect for art and design students looking to run powerful programs and applications. Its retina display and anti-glare make it ideal for reading e-books or watching movies while on long journeys too.

Acer Chromebook

The Chromebook is the ideal travel partner when it comes to keeping on top of work. It is light and features a portable 11.6” screen, 16 GB hard drive and 2 GB ram. Its low price makes it perfect for taking to class and your son or daughter won’t have to spend time worrying about it getting lost or stolen!

The Best Apps/ Software

There are some great apps and software on the market that take the hassle out of organizing your kid’s work schedule.

Simplemind

This app is great for visualizing your ideas on the move – save important ideas and develop them further, creating simple mind maps or spider diagrams.

Dropbox

This is the essential travel app for all students on the move! Dropbox allows for wireless backup of work in the cloud network, there is also access to work anywhere with a computer and network connection!

iStudiezPro

This clever app aids organization on the go in a quick, stress-free manner – color code schedules, create reminders and set up a work timetable. This app is perfect for ensuring your child manages their workload succinctly while they are away.

The Best Gadgets

There are plenty of gadgets available on the market that will make attending classes and studying abroad a less stressful experience for both children and parents too!

Toshiba Store Basics 500 GB External Hard Drive

This portable, external hard drive is compact, light and hosts bags of storage space, all for a reasonable price!

Hudl 7” 16GB Wi-Fi Android Tablet

The compact Hudl offers real value for money allowing kids to keep in touch with emails while on the go, take some photos of their college life, or simply watch a film.

Sandisk Cruzer Edge 16 GB USB Flash Drive

This keychain flash drive has enough storage to hold plenty of work, and is extremely portable meaning work is always at hand regardless of carrying around a laptop.

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Author bio: Alex is a dad and journalist who loves trying out the latest technological gadgets for both work and play.

parenting, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Mother’s Day, Smother Day

May 7, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

Sunday is Mother’s Day and it’s time for those of us who have sacrificed, loved, cared for and smothered our kids to be honored. Yes. I said smothered. Some mothers have mastered this technique so well that their kids don’t have a clue how to deal with failure, disappointment, and pain.

Do you relate to this type of mother? My daughter does. She says it’s going to be her—right down to making sure her kids are the center of her universe and vice versa. We laugh about it, but her boys might not think it’s so funny.

So in an effort to help all those teens (and mothers) from celebrating another smother day, I’ve compiled my list of tell-tale smothering signs.

You might be a smotherer if . . .

You incessantly text your teen during school to ask about __________ (you fill in the blank).
You go on the college visit with them and ask questions about campus security on the walking tour.
You send ________ (fill in the blank) to admissions officers to butter them up; and call to ask if they received them.
You show up at school unannounced with __________________ (fill in the blank), embarrassing them in front of their peers.
You call the coach because your teen didn’t make the team.
You spend the night in his dorm room for the first week of school.
You move close to campus so that you can be available.
You drive hundreds of miles to college to deliver _________________ (fill in the blank) because she called and said she “had to have it”.
You fill out their college application for them (because they can’t possibly do it on their own).
You call the mother of the son who broke up with your daughter to ask why he did it.

Are these extreme? For some, yes. But all of these are true stories, based on talking with parents and admissions counselors. Is it hard to believe? Probably not in today’s world of over parenting. If you see yourself in any of these scenarios it might be time to join our support group of smotherers: Hi, my name is Suzanne, and I’m a smotherer!

Happy Mother’s (Smother) Day!

Read Wendy’s post: Embracing your almost adult children on Mother’s Day

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App Tuesday, technology, test prep

Vocabulary.com and the App

May 6, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

Since this is App Tuesday and I’ve been focusing on apps that help students with college prep, I came across a website and an accompanying app that make learning vocabulary not only productive, but fun. Vocabulary.com uses the following methodology

1. Answer a few questions

They created more than 120,000 questions designed to help you learn words
2. We build a model of your knowledge

Their magical technology models your brain. The more you play, the more they know about your vocabulary knowledge.
3. They predict which vocabulary words you don’t know and teach them to you

Get a question wrong? They will schedule Review and Progress questions so that you’ll learn the word, and won’t forget it in the future.
4. You learn useful words and improve your vocabulary

Track your progress as you quickly master the words that are essential to success in an academic or business environment.

It’s that simple. You can also access vocabulary lists from great literary works, historical documents, speeches, the news and vocabulary lists for test prep.

It’s Like a Personal Trainer for Your Brain

They use their own adaptive learning system to ensure that you get the right question at the right time. They build a model of your vocabulary and abilities as you answer each question, and then serve you up with questions that are not too hard and not too easy. From the results of these questions, they determine what words to focus on in your personalized learning program.

A Personalized List of Words Just for You

As you answer questions, they begin to compile a list of words to learn. If you get a question wrong or choose to use a hint, the word is added to the list. Once they add a word to this list, they keep working with you until you’ve mastered that word. You can see your list by clicking on the My Progress tab on the top of the screen.

Vocabulary.com-The App

The Vocabulary.com app, a perfect tool to access at any time, is your personalized adaptive learning game. The dictionary was written for humans, by humans. Look up a word, and you’ll read a friendly explanation that you’ll actually remember. It’s as if your favorite teacher were explaining it to you. They include clever usage tips and thousands of real-world example sentences that’ll show you how words live in the wild and will make you more confident about using them yourself.

If that’s not enough, vocabulary learning becomes an addictive game. Accumulate points, achievements, and badges while competing against your Facebook friends, your classmates, or other members of the Vocabulary.com community.

Check out their website AND the app for iOs or Android devices. For just $2.99 it’s a bargain and an investment for the future. Use both the website and the app to build a strong vocabulary for not only test prep, but to prepare for the rigorous reading and writing in college.

financial aid, mom approved tips, parenting

Mom-Approved Tips: What Are Your Priorities?

May 5, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

Every day parents complain about the high cost of college and the fact that even though they have saved, it’s not going to be enough to cover present day costs. When the kids enter high school, most parents begin to panic. The time has slipped away from them and they are faced with some difficult decisions. The thought of disappointing their kids seems unfathomable and the thought of telling their family and friends that they can’t afford to send their kids to college is even worse.

Consequently, we exhibit behavior that has devastating consequences for us and for our kids:

We make unwise decisions related to student loans
We neglect to tell our kids “no” when a college is beyond our ability to pay
We don’t include our kids in the financial aspects of the decision in the beginning

I read a post by Lynn O’Shaughnessy on The College Solution blog entitled “We are Done Paying for College”— it made me stop and think: what are our priorities as parents? Lynn and her husband began planning when their kids were little. They scrimped and saved and prepared for the day when they would go to college. It required sacrifice and commitment. But they did it and can say that their kids graduated without any student loan debt. You owe it to yourself to read her post, even if your kids are already in high school. It’s a definite wakeup call for all parents of college-bound teens.

Step back and evaluate

What are your priorities? Is college important enough for you to make some sacrifices? This means financial sacrifices and sacrifices of your time.

Make a plan and stick to it

If paying for college means driving an older model car for a few years, do it. If you need to supplement your education savings by taking on a second job and insisting your kids work during high school, make it work. If your family has to forgo some vacations, a new home, or a eating out often, it’s worth the sacrifice. But whatever you decide, make a plan and stick to it.

Be creative and think outside the box

There are so many creative ways to attain a college degree. Your kid isn’t bound to the typical four-year University or attending four consecutive years in a row. It’s also not necessarily essential that they attend college right out of high school. Do whatever it takes to attain the degree without debt and causing the family financial hardship.

It doesn’t matter where you are in the college prep process. You should evaluate your priorities and ask yourself some tough questions. It may sting in the beginning but once you’ve examined your options, you’ll sleep easier and so will your kids.

Scholarship Friday, scholarships

Scholarship Friday: Show Your College Love Scholarship

May 2, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer

So many college scholarships require long essays and detailed applications. When I find one that doesn’t, I like to share it with my readers. The Show Your College Love Contest is sponsored by Popp and Associates, an educational consulting company providing guidance and direction to parents and students.

The 2014 Show Your College Love Scholarship Contest is for high school seniors (Class of 2014) and current college students attending a 4-year college in the United States now or beginning in the summer 2014, fall 2014, spring 2015, or fall 2015 semesters. Students are invited to submit photos and/or videos along with a brief text explanation of why they chose the college they plan to attend or what they love about their current college experience in no more than 250 words. What could be simpler?

Contest submissions will be accepted until midnight EDT May 9, 2014 and can be completed online.

Entries will be judged for originality of content, creativity of presentation, and the quality of the personal statement writing (including spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.). The winner will be selected by the Popp & Associates staff. Decisions of the Popp & Associates judging committee are final.

The winner will receive a college scholarship in the amount of $500, and a charitable donation in the amount of $250 will be given to the winner’s high school, college or charity of choice.

social networks, twitter chats

25 + 25 Twitter Accounts Every Parent Should Follow

May 1, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer 22 Comments

In 2012 I compiled a list of 25 Twitter accounts every parent of a college-bound teen should follow. Since then, I have added 25 more to my list. Following are the first 25 and the second 25.