Category — Admission and Orientation

High school seniors have been doing their research on potential colleges, taking the appropriate high school classes, participating in plenty of extracurricular activities, making college visits, writing college essays, completing college applications, and finally awaiting the college verdict via acceptance or rejection letters.  Whew!

The college admissions process becomes a way of life for many high school juniors and seniors.  But amid the rush to get into just the right college, has your student taken time think about why she wants to go to college?

A college education is expensive.  No one would argue otherwise.  Depending on the college, the expense may feel manageable or overwhelming.  A college education for the right reasons is an investment in the future.  Heading to college for the wrong reasons may potentially be a monumental waste of money.

[Read more →]

Students who apply to college for Early Action or Early Decision often find the early part of December an understandably stressful time.  They hope to learn about their admission status before the holidays and be able to relax for the second half of their senior year.  Students who applied for Early Decision know that their decision will be a binding one.  Early Action students will have until May to make a final choice.

Although your Early Action or Early Decision applicant obviously hopes for a positive response from his chosen college, if he receives a denial he will know that he needs to move on to other choices for the spring regular admissions pool.  However, if your student receives a letter of deferred admission, he enters a state of limbo – his answer is not clear cut and is neither an acceptance or a rejection.  It is an uncomfortable place to be.

[Read more →]

College is a time of transition.  There is much discussion about the student’s transition to freshman year and to college in general.  But in many ways, college is a time of continual transition.  Your student moves into college, into and out of dorms and apartments, into (and sometimes out of) majors, and move on up the ladder of college class rank.  For some students the transition includes moving on to different colleges or to alternative paths.  Finally, students begin the transition out of college and into career.

Recognizing that this is a time of continual transition and change will help you support and encourage your student as he navigates his way through college.  We’ve included here some information about some of the transitions your student – and you – may face.

[Read more →]

College today is expensive.  There is no way around it.  Parents and students both are working to finance the cost of college tuition and fees, piecing together financial aid through scholarships, grants and loans.  Many students, and their parents, may be dismayed to think about the additional costs of outfitting the ideal college dorm room.

Your college student will need to make some purchases to furnish her dorm room.  Decorating that first “home away from home” is part of the college experience.  However, there are some ways in which your student can pare down the costs of the decorating process.  Here are a few suggestions to discuss with your student as you both prepare for Move-in Day.

[Read more →]

This is the third of three posts about decisions new college students may face during the summer before freshman year. As a college parent, you can help your student consider some of these important issues.(Read the post about academic decisions here, and the post about student life decisions here.) This post looks at some financial decisions students may face.

Your student has been accepted to college and made the choice of which college to attend.  You’ve paid the deposit and your student is now happily, if somewhat nervously, connecting with new friends on Facebook as she prepares to head off to college at the end of the summer.  You may be feeling relief that the decisions are over and you can all settle in for the ride.

It may not be that easy.  The summer before freshman year of college is still a time of many decisions for both you and your soon-to-be college student.  Some of the decisions will be easy, some may have been discussed previously, and some may take you by surprise.

It is natural for both you and your student to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the number of things that you need to think about and prepare during this busy summer. But starting now, and making some decisions early, will help both you and your student feel more in control of this transition process. We hope that you and your student will think about some of these issues – and follow the links for further reading.

[Read more →]

This is the second of three posts about decisions new college students may face during the summer before freshman year.  As a college parent, you can help your student consider some of these important issues.(Read the post about academic decisions here.)  This post looks at some student life decisions students may face.  The final post will discuss student financial decisions.

Your student’s been accepted to college and made the choice of which college to attend.  You’ve paid the deposit and your student is now happily, if somewhat nervously, connecting with new friends on Facebook as she prepares to head off to college at the end of the summer.  You may be feeling relief that the decisions are over and you can all settle in for the ride.

It may not be that easy.  The summer before freshman year of college is still a time of many decisions for both you and your soon-to-be college student.  Some of the decisions will be easy, some may have been discussed previously, and some may take you by surprise.  Being prepared for making some of these decisions will help both you and your student anticipate some issues that might arise. 

[Read more →]

This is the first of three posts about decisions new college students may face during the summer before freshman year.  As a college parent, you can help your student consider some of these important issues.  This post looks at some academic decisions students may face.  The next two posts will discuss student life decisions and financial decisions.

Your student has been accepted to college and made the choice of which college to attend.  You’ve paid the deposit and your student is now happily, if somewhat nervously, connecting with new friends on Facebook as she prepares to head off to college at the end of the summer.  You may be feeling relief that the decisions are over and you can all settle in for the ride.

It may not be that easy.  The summer before freshman year of college is still a time of many decisions for both you and your soon-to-be college student.  Some of the decisions will be easy, some may have been discussed previously, and some may take you by surprise.  Being prepared for making some of these decisions will help both you and your student anticipate some of the issues that might arise.

[Read more →]

It’s been a long journey getting your almost college student ready for freshman year.  You’ve helped and supported through the testing, the college visits, the applications, the acceptance or rejection letters, and the final decision.  But you know that your work isn’t done.  The summer before that first year of college is a busy and stressful one – for everyone involved.  Your student may be focused and organized, or he may seem uninterested in the transition about to take place.

As a college parent, you know that you are going to need to step back and let your student take control of her college experience.  Yet, you want her to start of on the right foot – excited and prepared.  As always, the key is helping your student prepare.  Encourage your student to take the lead, and resist the temptation to handle things yourself.  This is your student’s opportunity to become increasingly self-sufficient.

We’ve gathered here some previous posts about things you can do this summer to help the transition go well.  Think about how you and your college student can work together to prepare for those first steps during the freshman year.

[Read more →]

If your student is heading off to college and will be living in a residence hall on campus, she is probably wondering, and even nervous, about who her roommate will be.  This is only natural, as most students who will be living in a relatively small space with another student may be sharing a room for the first time.  You and your student may both be wondering how and when the college will be assigning roommates.

Different colleges use different methods for assigning roommates.  Some schools make matches randomly.  Other schools send students a questionnaire to determine some lifestyle preferences and then spend many hours making matches based on that information. In some cases students may be matched by computer. Many schools will allow students to request to live with a particular student as long as the request is mutual.

[Read more →]

Perhaps your soon-to-be college student has been invited to participate in a Summer Bridge Program at his college, or perhaps he is even being required to attend before he begins the regular semester in the fall.  Bridge programs may have varying names, but the purpose is similar at all colleges: to provide incoming students with the academic skills necessary to be successful in their college experience.

Bridge programs are designed to improve the preparation and ease the transition into college in the fall.  Students who attend, often students who are at risk or in need of remedial classes, may have a reduced need for developmental classes during their first semester of college.  According to a 2006 Journal of Higher Education, approximately 40% of students at traditional colleges and nearly 60% of students at community colleges take at least one developmental course during college.  According to the Economics of Education Review in 2010, fewer than 50% of students referred to developmental classes complete the recommended sequence. Students who are less prepared for college are less likely to return for a second year of college. Clearly, giving students a head start will help.

[Read more →]