college guidance, college planning, parenting, test prep

Heads Up…Freshman Parents!

high school juniorsThe beginning of the school year is approaching for new high school freshmen and it’s time to start thinking about college. Yes, that’s right. It’s time to start the college preparation process so that three years down the road you aren’t scrambling to pull it all together. As a parent, your involvement during the high school years will become even more intense as a source of guidance and encouragement.

Freshman parents–>It’s time to sit them down and formulate a plan for the next four years by establishing open communication and discussion. You can do this by talking about their goals, letting them know what is expected of them, and encouraging them to take an active role in their future.

Here are some topics that you might want to discuss with them:

  • The importance of an education and how it will affect their future
  • The goals and dreams you have for them and the goals they have for  themselves
  • Any rules you have regarding study time, curfew and school activities
  • The importance of balance between school and extracurricular activities
  • The classes and activities that will promote their interests and their college aspirations
  • The value of a good reputation, strong character, and leadership
  • Talk about establishing a strong work ethic and how it will benefit them as they pursue a career

It’s also a good idea to meet with their high school counselor early in the year to discuss the 4 year course plan and establish a presence as a concerned parent. You will be amazed at how many parents become less involved with their student’s education when they enter high school. Teachers and administrators will appreciate your involvement and your teen will know that you are still involved in their lives.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT become one of those parents who push and shove and control their teen. It’s a fine line between involvement and control. Be a guide, and an encourager, not a boss or a dictator.

college planning, parenting, scholarships

Will your teen be ready for college?

If you are the parent of an 8th grader, or younger, that is probably the last thing on your mind. High school looms ahead and so do the “terrible teens” and you’re just hoping to survive unscathed.

For one parent of an 8th grader, however, that question is much more prominent in the front of his mind. Michael Sparks’ daughter, Aubrey, will be skipping high school and headed off to college in the fall. She’s been bored in middle school and taken the SAT and managed to score high enough for college admission.

When I read the news story I wondered how could a 14 year old be ready for college life? My 18 year old was barely ready. As parents we try and prepare our kids for all the foreseeable scenarios that might happen once they are on their own and free from parental control and guidance. But there are always those moments when they are faced with choices and have to draw on the lessons they have learned and the values they’ve been taught.

Will your teen be ready for college? It doesn’t happen over night. It takes more than planning and preparation for the admissions process. Begin early training them on how to respond to peer pressure, making the right choices, establishing good study habits, and handling the financial aspect of being independent.

If your teen is headed for college in the fall, take a look at this post on Radical Parenting. It gives you some topics to discuss with them before they leave the nest and head off to that muchly anticipated college experience.

college costs, scholarships, Uncategorized

Blade Your Ride Scholarship

If you have a college-bound teen, (entering college in the fall) or a college student (all the way through grad school), check this scholarship opportunity out. Just click the link below for details on how to apply. The deadline is June 30, 2009, so don’t procrastinate! There are some BIG BUCKS available for the environmentally conscious.

blade-your-ride-scholarship

Blade Your Ride Scholarship

college guidance, college planning

Do all college students follow the 4-year plan?

 

college students

A recent article in the Boston Globe brought this subject to mind.The author of the article brought to light that the path to college is not always completed in 4 years. Many students end up dropping out, transferring, postponing and even re-evaluating their career paths. The statistics are a bit staggering, but I’d have to say not that surprising. He pointed out that the 4-year college plan is NOT the norm.

There are times when college is NOT the right path for your child after graduation. I’ve had personal experience with this and have watched many kids crash and burn because they weren’t ready. Preparing your teen for college is important, but it’s also important to know when they are ready and to be prepared for the unexpected. That’s the hard part of parenting: recognizing the signs and helping them to make the right decision when the signs are there.

Here are two cases in point: both from personal experience.

Case 1

My brother entered college after graduating from high school because it was the thing to do. He thought he wanted to study geology. But once he entered he struggled. He didn’t possess the best study habits nor did he have the academic focus or the drive at the time to be successful. After a few semesters, he dropped out and went to work full time. During the next few years, he found his passion. He reentered college, graduated, attended seminary, graduated, and pursued his doctorate in theology. It wasn’t that college wasn’t for him. It was just that he wasn’t ready until he found his passion. Once he did, it was clear that he had the academic drive and commitment to graduate.

Case 2

My son graduated from high school and entered the military. It was clear that college was NOT for him and that the military was where he needed to be. After serving for 4 years, he went straight to college. He was not ready. He crashed and burned after just one semester and went to work at a full time job. After another year, he enrolled in a community college, retaking all the courses he had previously failed. He managed to receive a 4.0 and entered a 4 year university, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Asian History. Once he was ready, his academic path was stellar.

You, better than anyone, know your teen. My daughter was ready and excelled, graduating in 4 years and attending graduate school and graduating in 18 months. While she and my son took different paths, they both graduated. It’s important not to discourage your child if their academic path has detours and they don’t follow the 4-year plan. Because according to statistics, it’s not the norm.

college costs, college planning, Uncategorized

Exploring Community College Options

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Many graduating seniors have decided to take the community college path before heading off to a 4-year university. They will tell you that they’ve made that choice for several reasons: cost, academic preparation, and the freedom to stay at home for the first few years. Community colleges aren’t just training grounds for technical careers, they are also the first stop for about 4 in 10 of college-bound high school graduates.

Here are 8 reasons why community college might be a good fit for your college-bound teen:

  1. They lack the academic preparation to succeed in a 4-year program.
  2. They want to get the basics out of the way before taking on a rigourous college courseload.
  3. Cost is an issue and by going to a community college for 2 years provides  relatively inexpensive start to a higher education.
  4. They need flexible class schedules to accomodate a full-time job.
  5. They lack focus and don’t have any idea what type of career they want to pursue.
  6. They need extra attention from instructors and a smaller class environment.
  7. They feel intimidated by the prospect of attending a 4-year college.
  8. They want to pursue a technical career and can do so with a degree from a 2-year college.

Community college might not be for everyone. But, it might be a perfect fit for your teen. And, if your teen is planning on making it the start of a 4-year degree plan, do some research and verify that the classes will transfer to the university they plan to attend. There’s nothing more frustrating than taking a class and finding out the credits won’t transfer.

admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, extracurricular activities, financial aid, scholarships, social networks, test prep

U.S. News & World Report-Best Colleges

This is not a commercial plug for this publication. It is however, an explanation of why I believe this is a MUST read for any college-bound teen. There are three options available for your use:

  • The print edition for $9.95
  • The online edition for $14.95
  • The combo package (print and online) for $19.95

If you don’t want to fork over the cost for either of these, you can browse their website and find a wealth of information.

It is my recommendation that you invest in at least the print version of this publication. If you’re in the process of choosing a college or even widdling down some choices, this publication will give you the needed information to make the right choice.

What does it provide?

  1. It is packed with articles about how to choose a college, how to prepare, how to get in, and how to pay for the education.
  2. It provides information about the best colleges concerning tuition, aid packages, student body, room and board cost, email addresses and website information.
  3. There is also explanation on how they determine their rankings based on several key measures of quality: academic reputation, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance, and alumni giving rate.
  4. It is an invaluable tool for determining past financial aid packages and will help you gauge if applying to a top-tiered college will be affordable based on alumni giving.
  5. Schools vie for the prestige of being in this publication. If a school makes the list, you can be assured that the quality of the education you receive is worth every penny you spend.

And…Since this is such an invaluable tool for college-bound teens and their parents, here’s what I’m going to do:

To qualify for a giveaway of the U.S. News and World Report 2009 Best Colleges, simply sign up for my College Tips Email and post this on Twitter:

@suzanneshaffer is giving away a FREE U.S. News and World Report-Best Colleges 2009 http://tinyurl.com/kk6zg4

I will be choosing a random winner on June 15th. Spread the word to all your friends who have teens heading off to college !

admissions, college costs, financial aid

Choices. Choices. Choices.

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The college acceptance letters arrive. You would think it would be easy after that. Your teen has gotten into their 1st choice school and it’s simple; you fire off the acceptance letter to that school and the deposit and it’s a done deal.

But wait. What if some of the other schools offer financial aid packages that are just too good to be true? Like for instance: a full ride, numerous academic scholarships and grants, along with other incentives like reduced housing for the freshman year. Since the college market is highly competitive, it’s possible that you could be faced with an even more difficult dilemma: attend your 1st choice school OR attend a school offering a better financial aid package.

That’s exactly what happened to us. Through a series of events out of our control, the high school neglected to send my daughter’s mid-year transcript to Boston University.  Because we neglected to follow up, we did not know that was the case. When her financial aid package arrived from BU, it was completely defunct of ANY aid, except a small Stafford Loan. All the other colleges offered her multiple academic scholarships based on her mid-term transcript. One phone call ascertained the reason behind it and since the tuition was incredibly high, it knocked out her 1st choice school immediately.

Here are some lessons we learned:

Always follow up on important submissions to colleges–it’s your responsibility to verify they received ALL documentation prior to the financial aid decision

When your acceptances and financial aid packages arrive, compare them carefully. It’s highly possible that an aid package from an expensive private university will outshine the aid package from a state funded public university

Remember that there are many factors to take into consideration when making the final choice: aid package, course offerings, size, location, and don’t exclude your “gut” feeling.

Be sure when you apply that every school in your application pool is one you would like to attend. If you are offered a free ride to a school that was bottom on your list, but you put it there for a reason, you want to be able to seriously consider choosing it.

And…my personal final thought:

Everything happens for a reason. Although my daughter was not able to attend Boston University, another Boston college was in her pool of schools and it turned out was a much better fit for her in the long run.

If you do your homework in advance, the choices, although they might be difficult, will end up being the right ones in the long run and your teen will enjoy a wonderfully exciting and academically challenging college experience.

admissions, college costs, college guidance, college planning, extracurricular activities, scholarships, social networks, Uncategorized

"Has the mail come yet?"

We’ve all asked that question throughout the course of our lives. But for a senior in April, it’s a daily stress point. Because it’s the month that college acceptance letters arrive. It’s the month that all their hard work (and yours) finally pays off. When they rush home from school and open that envelope and see this word, “Congratulations…” (they rarely read past that word) it’s one of those life moments that brings all their high school struggles into perspective.

The New York Times has devoted a series, “The Envelope Please”, to stories of seniors who received that envelope. There are numerous accounts of acceptances and even rejections; because rejection is a part of the process many times and something we all have to learn to deal with. If you’re a parent of a soon-to-be senior, you should read the articles. It might help you with that all-important time down the road.

I remember very clearly that month in my daughter’s life. She had a list of 7 schools that she had applied for admittance. Her #1 choice was Boston University. She had worked so hard with admission interviews, phone calls, and making sure her application was complete. When the letter arrived she was afraid to open the envelope. But when she did, she jumped up and down, screaming with joy and excitement.bu-acceptance-letter

As it turned out, she was accepted to all 7 of the schools that she applied to.  The four years of hard work paid off and the wait was over. Now the decision followed: which school would she be attending? This decision was a difficult one. And one that many parents and teens struggle with. Why? Because for most families, college choice is weighted by the amount of the college’s financial aid package. As it was for our family.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about that decision and the lessons we learned along the way. If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen, you won’t want to miss that post.

Do you have a teen that just received their acceptance letter this year? What was your experience like? Was it a positive one?

college guidance, test prep

College Test Prep for the rest of us

sat-test-prepLet’s face it. Those students who have some sort of test prep prior to taking the SAT and/or ACT tend to do better. There are always those Type A parents that shell out hundreds and thousands of dollars to get their teens ready for test day. Those programs are available to anyone, but what about the rest of us who can’t afford that added expense because we’re scraping together all our extra pennies saving for college?

Since preparation ALWAYS pays off, here’s some good news on how your teen can do some summer test prep on a limited budget:

  • Check out the SAT and ACT official websites. They have free resources that your teen can use from sample essays, to practice tests, and the SAT question of the day. Signing up for this free email is a great way for your teen to get acquainted with the types of questions on the SAT test.
  • Use the resources available at the library. Many libraries offer FREE prep courses. In addition, you can check out practice tests books.
  • Check out The Princeton Review online. They offer all kinds of FREE practice tools and are offering a NEW SAT Vocabulary challenge for $4.99 for the IPhone and the ITouch.
  • Check out test prep companies in your area. Many of them offer FREE, no obligation tests for students.

If you encourage your teen to take advantage of these preparation tools during the summer, they will be less stressed and more prepared when test day rolls around in the fall.

Uncategorized

Being a Parent College Coach: The 3 C’s

 

Parenthood. There have been thousands of books written on this subject. From my experience, the hardest part of parenting is coaching them to do things themselves and attain increased levels of independence. As far as the college process goes, you have 3 roles as a parent. I like to call them the 3 C’s of Coaching.

Chart the Course

It’s your responsibility to help them plan for the future. It all starts in the 8th grade as they prepare themselves to enter college. Picking the right classes and mapping out a plan for the next four years is crucial.

Catalog the Journey

Keeping track of the next four years is critical. You will be amazed at the plethora of activity your teen will be involved in over their high school careers. When senior year rolls around and you’re applying to colleges, their resume is a vital part of the application package. If you’ve done your job and helped them catalog their awards and accomplishments, the resume part of the application will be painless

Cheer them on to find their passion

This doesn’t mean do it for them. It means guide them and encourage them to be a part of the college process. Help them understand that their grades matter. Encourage them to become well-rounded teens by volunteering and being involved in school activities. Guide them to find their passion and use that passion to help them establish their personal brand–that brand the sets them apart from all other applicants.

I’ve observed parents that push and poke and nag their teens to be like them. I’ve witnessed teens feeling overwhelmed by the expectations of parents who wanted them to be successful to dissuade their own insecurities as parents.

Be a cheerleader, not a taskmaster. If you follow the 3 C’s (Chart, Catalog, and Cheer) your teen will be happy, well-rounded, and prepared for college.