Tag Archives: college prep

college prep, parenting, senioritis, Uncategorized

How to Help Your Senior Fight Senioritis

senioritis

Senioritis is a disease contracted by most high school seniors. Its onset might be hard to recognize because it starts innocently. But once the disease has taken hold it can have a devastating effect on your senior’s future college aspirations. As with any disease, knowing the symptoms is the key to an early diagnosis and treatment.

All kidding aside, however, senioritis is a very real problem for most students, especially if they have already been accepted early decision or early action. They are coming into the home stretch and it’s only natural for them to try to rest on their laurels, so to speak. But every parent needs to be vigilant and act to stop it before it’s too late.

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academics, college books, college prep, life lessons, parenting

Books for Students and Their Parents

books

My daughter loves books. Her joy of reading began in grade school and she still loves reading and collecting books. Books never get old and there are so many to choose from. If your student is into digital versions of books, there are many programs available as well.

I’ve done the research for you and each link has multiple suggestions for you and your student. I hope these books are helpful and will be great additions to your library.

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college planning, college prep, parenting, Uncategorized

Supportive Parenting During College Prep

supportive parenting

The teenage years are a challenge for parents, and many find it hard to prepare for their kids going to college. In this guide, we’ll discuss some steps you can take to practice supportive parenting as your children get ready for their next adventure.

Learning and tuition

The years that lead up to college are among the most intensive and stressful for children and their parents. The workload can get heavy, and many teens feel under pressure to perform. With exams and entry tests looming and a steady stream of assignments to complete, it’s hugely beneficial for parents to play a supportive role in learning and tuition. Some parents may want to take an active role at this point, while others may feel more comfortable letting their children study with friends, teachers and tutors.

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college planning, college prep, organization

Organization During College Prep

ORGANIZATION

Believe it or not, research reveals that Americans spend an average total of 2.5 days a year looking for misplaced stuff. That’s nearly half a workweek we lose just searching for things. But time lost isn’t the only costly consequence of being forgetful. The study also shows that 60% of people have either been late to work or school because of lost items, followed by 49% who have missed appointments or meetings, and even 22% who’ve missed flights, trains, or bus rides. Turns out misplacing things can be more than just expensive; it’s a major time drain too. Don’t let disorganization cost you and your student. Make organization a priority.

Organization is half the battle when it comes to helping your teen prepare for college. If you stay organized, you won’t be fumbling around senior year in a panic. And as with any organizational system, it’s important to have the right tools. These tools will make the organization simple because you will have a place for everything, and everything should stay in its place. You’ll not only save time, but you won’t miss deadlines and be stressing to find that all-important application information.

Take the following steps to help you and your teen stay organized during the college prep process:

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college planning, college prep, Guest Posts

How to Get the Most Out of College

Today’s guest post is from Elliot Felix, author of “How to Get the Most Out of College”.

College can really feel like a maze. It’s complicated, expensive, and the future is at stake. It’s also a different maze than what we went through a generation ago, and so are today’s students. They are more diverse in terms of age, race, income, and experience. More transfer between colleges. More work during college, live off campus, and study part-time. Even before the pandemic, about one in six studied fully-online and about one in three took at least one online class. Compared to 30 years ago and adjusted for inflation, private colleges are twice as expensive and public colleges are three times as expensive. Students today have only a 50% chance of making a better living than their parents compared to an 80% chance 30 years ago. Is it any wonder why today’s students and families are more career-focused, more value-conscious, and need more support?

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admissions, college planning, college prep, college visits

Moving Beyond the College Visit

COLLEGE VISIT

Believe it or not, colleges want to know you are interested in attending and many students simply stop with the college visit. This interest will influence their offers of admission. If they give you a coveted “accepted” slot, it only makes sense that those slots will go to the students who demonstrate interest. They are selling a service and they want interested customers, not casual shoppers. You can find out how much weight a college puts on “demonstrated interest” by researching the college’s statistics on College Navigator.

The college visit is a great place to start: taking the student-led tour and connecting with other students on campus. But if the college truly interests you, you should take that college visit a step further by considering these additional campus experiences.

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homeschooling, parenting

Expert Homeschooling Tips

homeschooling

Nowadays, more people are educating their children from home because of the advantages of flexibility, productivity, and bringing out your child’s unique talents. But if you haven’t homeschooled before, it might be difficult to know where to start – read the expert tips below. 

Stick to a routine 

Whether you home school your children part-time or full time, it’s important to stick to a routine. Traditional schools are excellent for creating formal structures and routines for students to follow, which frames their psychology for learning. However, when you don’t have a strict routine to follow, there is a tendency to cut corners and take breaks here and there – this doesn’t make for the best homeschooling environment. 

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college prep, parenting

Involved Parenting Paves the Way for College

involved parenting

Getting the best out of your teen is easier than you think. A lot of the time, there are solutions that we don’t think of because they are too simple. Instead, we try to complicate things when there really is no need. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some involved parenting to get the best out of your teen and help them grow towards independence before college.

Show Up

The first, and arguably most important thing that you are going to need to do is to show up. Kids and teens live by example, so if you are not showing up, why would they? Your kids need you to show up, be there, support them and do everything that you say you will. You don’t realize it at the time, but your teens are constantly watching you and learning from you. When people talk about having a mini me, this is literal. Your kids are either going to follow what you do, or go in the complete opposite direction, depending on a number of factors, though the former is the more likely of the two options.

If you show up, your kids will know that you care. It really is as simple as that. Showing up is the most important part to your teens, so make sure that you do this. 

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college guidance, college planning, college prep

The College Deal-Breaker

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college

What is your student’s college deal-breaker? My daughter’s college deal-breaker had nothing to do with academics or college rankings. From the time she was small, she wanted to go to college in Boston. Coming from Texas, that was a bit of a surprise–especially since she had never visited Boston.

But when college decision time came around, Bentley College beat out SMU because of location. My son’s college deal-breaker came when a buddy of his in the Marine Corps told him a college in Texas had “hot chicks” and a party school reputation. Perhaps neither was the best criteria to base this decision, but they demonstrate this fact: emotion plays a factor in choosing a college.

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college planning, college prep, parenting

Using the Summer for College Prep

summer

Before you think I’m advocating “heads to the grindstone” this summer, rest assured these activities will not consume your or your student’s summer months. What this summer college prep will do is prepare your student for the upcoming school year and help him enter the next phase of his education thinking and planning for college.

The summer before middle school

Entering middle school is a huge transition for students. They go from one classroom to multiple classrooms, lockers, multiple teachers, and more homework. The summer before your student begins middle school is the perfect time to begin preparation for the future. Although it might seem premature to start thinking about college, it’s never too early. Your child needs a strong middle school foundation in order to take the high school courses that colleges expect of a college-bound student. 

For a list of 10 tips for soon-to-be middle school parents, click here.

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