All posts by Suzanne Shaffer

college costs, college planning, financial aid

Is it possible? Can it be done? Is it affordable?

My good friend Jeff Sheely over at the College Money Insider created this amazing Infographic about the college admissions process and what it takes to accomplish your goal of attending college.

If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen you may be asking yourself the same question, especially as it relates to paying for the education. You might want to jump over to my blog at CollegeParenting.com (The #1 Question Parents Ask Me) to check out my suggestions and then take a look at Jeff’s infographic to help you visualize the process.

View Original Size

Copyright © 2011 Student Loan Marketplace
 

college costs, college guidance, college planning, parenting

Would your student like the Sony S Series laptop?

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I’ve been blogging about this laptop for about a week now in the hopes that you can make an informed choice about the right laptop for your student.

Parents usually have a few simple questions about this type of purchase:

  1. Is it affordable?
  2. Is it durable and dependable?
  3. Will the laptop last throughout their high school and/or college careers?

Students on the other hand want to know the following:

  1. Does it have enough memory?
  2. Is it wireless and does it have a built in camera?
  3. Can I use it for watching movies, streaming videos, and gaming?
  4. Are there enough usb ports to plug in all my devices?
  5. How long will the battery last?
  6. How much does it weigh since I’ll be carting it back and forth to class?

Since my knowledgeable geek colleagues (and I say this with all due respect) have done an amazing job of reviewing the Sony S Series laptop to answer both parent and student questions, I’m going to defer to their expertise and post links to all of their informed posts.

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DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MICROSOFT’S CONTEST to win a FREE SONY S SERIES LAPTOP WITH SHEET BATTERY!

Deadline for entering is July 17, 2011 7PM PST.

Entering is easy. Just answer the question: What would you do if you had up to 15 hours of battery life?

Enter here!

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This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.

parenting, test prep

What “EdTech” Means to a New Parent

There have been a lot of new developments in my life recently.  I started a new job working with an online and mobile test prep company known as TestSoup that makes flashcards for a variety of different standardized tests.  I am learning about marketing, social media, and (of course) education.

But perhaps the most significant change in my life recently (within the past year and a half) is that now I am a parent, and am viewing the world through a very different set of eyes.  It affects everything, but mainly it forces you to look at everything in the long term.  When you go through something, you wonder how it will be for your child when he or she goes through it.

This is exactly what happened at the end of last month, when TestSoup attended its first conference: ISTE 2011.  Not only was it TestSoup’s first conference, it was mine as well.   It was an interesting experience, I must confess.  Lots of walking, lots of talking, and lots of hand-shaking.  There were other things too, but those are the three that stood out the most.

As I wandered around the conference, gawking at the amazing educational technology (EdTech) tools available these days, I couldn’t help but imagine what it will be like when my child goes through school.  What will schools be doing five or ten years in the future?  What are they doing now?

As it turned out, there was an entire section of the conference devoted to answering that question, and it was in that section that I spent most of my time.  I wanted to learn all I could about what these schools were doing.  Of course, I wanted to tell them how TestSoup could help them by offering their schools free access to our online test prep materials.  But in talking to people about what I could offer them, I ended up learning boatloads about what they were already doing for their students.

Some of these projects sounded absolutely out of this world.  Building a 3D replica of a botanical garden that you navigate on a computer?  Awesome.  Constructing and programming robots over the internet with students from Korea?  Amazing.  Helping Elementary School students run their own online newspaper?  Incredible.

These were the types of assignments that I hope my child will complete when he is in college.  Heck, these are the types of projects I would be happy to do now.  The face of education is changing, and we owe it almost entirely to technological advancement; to EdTech.

If you are a parent of a college-boud teen or current college student, I strongly encourage you to get involved and see what kind of EdTech can be adopted by their school.  There’s some very, very exciting stuff happening.

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This guest post was contributed by John J. Walters, Director of Marketing for TestSoup, the premier provider of online and mobile test prep solutions.

college costs, college planning, Uncategorized

Charged and Ready–Sony Delivers!

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I can’t tell you the number of times my laptop battery has run down while I was at a coffee shop, on an airplane, or in the hospital waiting room. My old IBM Thinkpad’s battery holds a charge for about 4 hours and then it’s time to plug it in. My son’s Mac lasts about 6-7 hours, depending on the usage. That’s why when Sony introduced me to their 15 hour battery life laptop, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

Let’s be realistic—college students need a laptop that stays charged and ready. They are on the go between classes, study groups, the library, coffee shops, and their dorm rooms. They travel back and forth between home and college, and even study abroad all around the world. Air travel, train travel and long car trips lend themselves to utilizing the laptop for all sorts of tasks: gaming, reading, studying (I had to add that as wishful thinking) and Skyping with friends and family. Rarely is there a convenient plug available if your battery needs a charge (especially on an airplane or other public place).

Does Sony’s S series laptop with extended battery address this problem and answer the call for college students everywhere? Decide for yourself by reading my “a day unplugged” journal.

7:45AM-Starbucks—unplugged with added battery pack (100% available on both batteries)

This is one of my favorite morning destinations and it’s always crowded. I didn’t have to look for a seat near outlets–great freedom. I booted up the laptop and checked email, communicated on Twitter, updated my Facebook Fan page and downloaded several articles for blog posts. The Wifi worked seamlessly on the ATT network. There is a button on the laptop keyboard that allows you to switch from “speed” to “stamina” to conserve battery life. Since I wasn’t using any graphics programs or other programs that required quick response, I switched it to “stamina” to conserve the battery life. I noticed the laptop turned off the DVD-CD-BR player to conserve energy as well.

Worked two hours and still have 88% battery remaining (11 hours 42 minutes)

At this point, I turned the Wifi off by using a convenient “wireless on/off” button on the front of the laptop. I spent two more hours working on blog posts and articles completely unplugged.

1:00PM-Barnes and Noble (after a short lunch break and powering down)

I have never understood it, but our local store only has ONE plug located in the coffee area. But with this laptop, there is no need to fight for the one plug because I still have 9 plus hours left on my battery. After booting up (which occurs rather quickly with Windows 7), I turned on Wifi and checked my email and social media.  I also plugged in my headphones and decided to live stream news on the Casey Anthony drama (yes, I’m obsessed!). I posted a blog and read some blogs related to college admissions. Then I turned off the Wifi again to work on another article and conserve the battery.

Still have 71% of my battery life remaining (7 hours and 25 minutes). I love the flexibility and the fact that this gives me an entire day to work on the go and without need for carrying around burdensome power chords to recharge.

4PM and I still have 49% of my battery remaining (5 hours 33 minutes)

I just witnessed an altercation over the one and only plug in the store. Another reason this laptop gets an A+ rating from me for battery life!  I would have had to stop hours ago to find a plug or leave the store altogether. I’ve been switching my Wifi on and off manually, conserving the battery. I posted another blog, responded to several emails, and wrote two more articles. It’s been a productive day and it’s not over yet!

During dinner, I left the laptop on and carried it into the kitchen for some Manilow tunes (showing my age here) from his new album 15 Minutes in my iTunes library.

8PM-Twitter Chat with 37% of battery remaining (4 hours 12 minutes)

I attended two Twitter Chats simultaneously (#theonlinemom and #campuschat) opening two windows to watch and participate.

Afterwards, I turned off the Wifi and worked on my book for 2 hours while listening to music with the headphones plugged in to the laptop.

10 PM Time to call it a day with 17% battery remaining (2 hours 4 minutes)

I decided to end the day with a late night movie and my favorite actress Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), popped into the DVD/CD/BR player on the laptop.

After the movie was over, there was 3% battery remaining. I managed to go the entire day without plugging this little jewel in to recharge, leaving it on all day. It powers down when not in use, conserving the battery life.

Is this a good investment for your high school or college student? Speaking from experience I would say unapologetically–YES!

If you think this might be the best laptop to help your student succeed in college, please visit Sony’s online store to check out all your options and be sure to take advantage of their FREE student battery offer. 

If you would like to win one of these laptops for FREE, Microsoft is currently running a laptop give-a-way sweepstakes. The lucky winner gets a shiny new Sony S – Series laptop (including the 15 hour sheet battery option). It’s easy to enter and worth your time to CHECK IT OUT!

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Check back later this week as I outline “my personal favorites” related to this laptop and how it could benefit your soon-to-be or current college student.

This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.

college costs, college planning, Uncategorized

Choosing the right computer for college

When my daughter was ready for college, she had hardly even used a computer. We had one computer in our home and that was my home office/work desktop. She was allowed to use it for research and type papers for school, but that was the extent of her computer usage. The college she chose to attend was a top-tiered business university and required all their incoming freshmen to purchase IBM laptops as a part of their initial fees upon acceptance.

That laptop was her best friend during her four years of college. She carried it to class with her. She used it for in-class presentations. It accompanied her to Paris and London to study abroad. She also used it to communicate with her family and friends at home via email and messenger. It became an invaluable tool in her college education in the world of business. Her university was one of the first to incorporate technology in and out of the classroom, having an actual NYSE trading room on campus.

When my son started to college after the military, he opted to go the Mac route with a MacBook. He’s a Mac user at heart (my daughter loves the PC solely based on her first experience with computers). But both would say that they couldn’t have graduated successfully without their trusty computers.

I say all of this to underscore the importance of having a reliable computer while in college; and that was 10 years ago. Today, it’s more than a luxury as it was when she attended—it’s a necessity. In just 10 years our world has changed dramatically and there isn’t a college student alive that doesn’t have either a desktop or a laptop to use for their studies. Choosing the right computer has become almost as important for parents and students as choosing the best fit college.

Laptop vs Desktop

Based on my own kids’ experiences, I would recommend that you purchase a sturdy, durable, dependable laptop.  Laptops represent portability and convenience. They also take up less space in a dorm room and can be carried back and forth from college to home if necessary.

You want one that holds a charge throughout the day. Your student will need one that is wireless ready, with a camera and some multimedia software included. They are going to be doing presentations in college that require photo editing software, perhaps video editing software and the necessary Microsoft Office for word processing and charts and graphics.

Which laptop should you choose?

If you’re like me (unless you’re a tech geek), it’s hard to tell one laptop from the next. There are Macs and PCs and the laptop scenery is massive and varied. You and your student have to decide which best fits their needs and lands within your price point. Choosing a laptop is much like choosing a car—you want the best bang for your buck and you want one that is dependable and reliable.

Sony has just released a new laptop targeting the college student population. During the next week, I will be talking about this new product and whether or not it might meet your student’s needs during college. It’s a key investment and I hope to help you make the right decision.

In the meantime, here’s a short video to whet your appetite.

 

 

This post is part of program called “Charged and Ready” by Sony Electronics and Microsoft, where a group of college bloggers have been given a Sony VAIO-S series laptop to test and review.

 

admissions, college planning, Guest Posts

Getting a Leg Up by Socializing Admissions

To many students and parents the college search, application, and decision process can be very overwhelming.  Students work with their high school counselors, siblings, and friends to figure out which school is the right “fit” for them … all the while not truly understanding what happens on the “other side of the table” at the colleges they looking at.

For admissions representatives it is getting harder and harder to truly get to understand what motivates a student as well.  With the advent of the Common App and easy to complete online applications, schools are seeing a surge in application numbers while still trying to figure out the best way to personalize the admissions process for the students that are truly interested in their school.

Enter Zinch.

Zinch.com is a social communication platform that enables students to better manage their college search, while allowing college admissions representatives to connect with students that are interested in their school.  Using Zinch a student can create their first professional profile to “showcase themselves” during their college search.

Traditionally colleges have recruited students with partnerships with the College Board and ACT to segment students by their standardized test scores, get a list of student names, and send recruitment messages.  This practice fuels the misconception that the most important thing schools look at is a student’s SAT or ACT score during their admissions decisions.  On Zinch, students are more than a test score. Colleges on Zinch (close to 1,000 of them) reach out to students based on their interests, the type of school(s) they are most interested in, extra-curricular activities, and more … making a student with a complete profile attractive to colleges!

Zinch makes admissions social as well. College Admissions Officers have profiles that they use to respond to student questions on their school’s page, reach out to students from their geographic area, and be “on call” to answer questions a student has about their application process, financial aid, or anything else they can think of while they are looking at schools.  This breaks down the barriers of a traditional “one way” college search.  All of this in addition to close to $2 Billion in scholarships to apply for, study abroad and test prep opportunities to explore, and educational discounts on computers and books exclusive to Zinch members.

Zinch is free to join, and searching for schools or scholarships does not require a registration.  Students only register when they are ready to apply for scholarships and reach out to specific schools.

See you on Zinch!

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Today’s guest post was submitted by Gil Rogers, Director of Marketing and Outreach for Zinch.com.  Gil recently joined Zinch after nearly 5 years at the University of New Haven in West Haven, CT where he served as Associate Director of Admissions and Enrollment Technology.  While at UNH Gil supervised the undergraduate admissions recruitment staff, as well as reviewed application for admission to the university.

 

 

admissions, college planning, organization

8 Steps for Staying Organized

 

If your teen thinks their bedroom floor is a filing cabinet, watch this video!

admissions, college planning, essays, Uncategorized

Free Webinar-College Essay Tips

UPDATE: If you missed the webinar, here’s the link to the recording:

http://www.videocollegeadvisor.com/gelb

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The essay is one of the key components of the college application. If you have a student that is contemplating college (even if they are in middle school), tonight’s webinar should be a priority. If you have a college-bound teen that will be a senior next year this is the perfect time to get the best information related to the college essay.

Alan Gelb, essay expert and author of “Conquering the College Essay in 10 Steps” will be the guest of the webinar, hosted by Paul Hemphill. Alan will be offering his best tips on writing the college admissions essay, drawn from his best-selling book.

Register for this FREE Webinar at 9PM EST Tonight (Thursday, June 23, 2011).

admissions

Is college really attainable for everyone?

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If you work hard in school, study and do your best you should be able to get into a good college. At least that’s what I told my kids who were from a middle class background. But what about the disadvantaged and those who don’t have parents in their corner cheering them on.

Here’s a quote from an article called, Where Poor People Don’t Go to College, and Why posted a few months ago in the Washington Monthly:

Asking why low income people don’t make it to America’s most exclusive colleges is sort of like asking why low income people don’t buy more BMWs. It’s because the price of the good largely prohibits the economically disadvantaged from purchasing that good.

It’s a sad fact that the elite tend to fare well and the disadvantaged aren’t afforded the same opportunities.Here’s an infographic that says it all:

Rags to Rags - Riches to Riches

admissions, college guidance, college planning

Getting In-The Zinch Guide to College Admissions

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When Gil Rogers at Zinch asked me if I would be interested in getting an advance copy of this book I jumped at the chance. First of all, I love reviewing books for parents. Secondly, I knew it was going to be quality material and I was excited to get my hot little hands on a copy.

I’ve read plenty of books on college admissions. Some are so scholarly heavy that you need a degree to figure them out. Others are so shallow you can find most of the material in your teen’s high school handouts. Zinch’s book is neither of the above. It’s geared toward the student, but is also extremely valuable from a parent’s perspective. Zinch reminds the student that while the college process often involves the entire family, the final choice must be their own. I agree with this whole heartedly. Every parent should grasp this truth.

Since this book is jam-packed with information, it would be difficult to speak about all of it. Suffice it to say that Zinch covers EVERYTHING from beginning to end. It’s an invaluable resource to have for your student (especially at the beginning of the process), because it walks them through admissions step by step.

Following are some of the highlights (and my favorite parts):

  • The Truth About College Admissions-This chapter alone is worth the cost of the book. They debunk the myths about college, college rankings, and tell you the things colleges don’t want you to know. Superb!
  • Behind the Scenes-This chapter goes into great detail about what goes on in a college admissions office. As a parent, this chapter will be an eye opener. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on, Zinch spells it out!
  • College Input-One of the impressive components in the book is the input Zinch includes from actual specific college admissions officers. It helps you see how they think and how they view the process.
  • Social Media-Zinch recognizes the importance of social media and how it can affect the college admissions process. The book talks about your student’s online presence and reminds them that Google never forgets.
  • The Hook-This is the first book that I’ve seen that talks about “marketing” the student to the colleges. Zinch explains how important this is in order for your student to stand out.
  • The Application process-Since this is the most important part of college admissions, the book goes into specific detail about every aspect of the application with step-by-step guides and tips.
  • Three Case Studies-This is my favorite part of the book. Zinch takes three college applicants of different backgrounds and academics and presents their entire application to various colleges for review. The colleges then give their recommendations for acceptance, wait listing or rejection, giving you insight into the “whys” of the decision, along with how they came to their decision. It’s a wealth of information for both students and parents.

The book reads easily and provides many highlighted examples related to each chapter topic. Zinch tells the reader in the first few pages how to use the book:

  1. Read it. (to get an overview of the entire process)
  2. Ask your parents to read it. (to liberate the student and parent from the myths surrounding college admissions)
  3. Start early. (they recommend no later than junior year—I say freshman year)
  4. Role play. (put yourself in the role of the admissions officer and evaluate each one)
  5. Reread the appropriate chapter. (refer to the information as you need it)
  6. Work smarter, not harder. (the book provides you with the tools you need to be prepared)

If you are a parent of a college-bound teen (that means even middle school) you should pick up a copy of this book. Amazon has it on sale now for $9.86 and you can get a sneak peek inside the book as well. If you pick up a copy, let me know what you think. You can also post your comments on Twitter using the hashtag #GettingIn.