College Parent News and Views

December 31, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

The more that college parents know and understand about the college experience, the less we worry and the better we will be able to help our students to succeed and thrive throughout their college career. However, there is an overwhelming amount of information out there on the web. We’d like to help you find some of the information that might be most interesting and useful to you as a college parent.

In News and Views we share recent college related news and sources we’ve found as we do our research. We hope that this feature will help to introduce you to new ideas and to help you keep up with some of the current issues that may affect your college student — and you.

We invite you to read some of the articles suggested below — and to let us know what you think of some of the ideas included here.

The College Parent Central Year in Review – 2018

December 27, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

It’s that time of year when we can’t quite decide whether to look backwards at the year that is just ending or to look ahead at the year about to begin. We probably need to do a little bit of both. Looking back gives us some perspective to look ahead and think about our goals and plans for the New Year based on where we’ve come.

For the past 6 years, we’ve taken time to share some of our reflections about the College Parent Central year just ending. We like the tradition and so we’re taking a bit of time to look back at 2018.

We invite you to take a few minutes to reflect with us, and to think about how you view your role as college parent. Are you just starting your journey? Have you grown into the role over the past year? Where might you and your college student go next year?

Good for Everyone: Why Your Student Should Give Back

December 10, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

Many high school students spend time volunteering or participating in community service activities as part of their high school graduation requirements. Those who are not required to participate by their school often participate in order to bolster their college applications.

Volunteering, or participating in activities to help others, is always a good thing, whatever the motivation. However, one negative outcome of this requirement is that many students, once they get to college, feel they no longer ”need” to volunteer since the school no longer requires participation and their college applications are done. Like participation in extracurricular activities, some students see these activities as a means to an end (college admission) and may not realize many of the other benefits.

Talk about giving back

Help your student think about why volunteering or donating his time to a worthy cause might be a good thing to do. Aside from the benefit to the organization, he will gain much himself.

College Parent News and Views

November 30, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

We invite you to read some of the articles suggested below — and to let us know what you think of some of the ideas included here.

‘Tis the Season! 10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Your College Student – 2018

October 30, 2021November 26, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

It’s that time of year again. Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. We’re thinking about family and friends and we’re thinking about gifts. If you have a college student, or an about-to-be college student, you may be searching for some ideas for useful or fun gifts.

You know your student best, and can tap into interests and needs, but we’d like to offer some suggestions that may stimulate your imagination. We have ten new suggestions for 2018, but we’ve offered some suggestions in the past. Don’t stop with this post! Check out our Gift Suggestions tab for over 100 additional suggestions. There’s something for everyone there!

Check out our ideas, and then let your own creativity take over! If you have additional suggestions, share them in the comments!

Beyond the Pumpkin Pie: When Your College Student Comes Home for Thanksgiving

November 19, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

For many students and their families, Thanksgiving Break will be the first extended trip home from college. It’s a bit of an appetizer for the longer Winter Break to come.

We’re excited to have our student home. We have plans. We’ve been baking and cleaning and thinking about those long, important conversations. We’ll have a chance to catch up and learn all of the details about our student’s life at college.

Maybe. Be careful. Don’t expect too much. Be prepared so that you can make the most of the time that you have.

There will be plenty of time for more extended conversations over the longer Winter Break, but you need to give your student some space to relax and regroup for the final push of the semester. This will be a good time for a check-in, and with some thinking and planning you can make the most of the short break.

College Parent News and Views

November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

We invite you to read some of the articles suggested below — and to let us know what you think of some of the ideas included here.

When Your College Student’s Class Isn’t Going Well

September 10, 2019October 8, 2018 by Vicki Nelson

There are many reasons why your student may struggle in a class. It may be something that your student is, or isn’t doing. It may be the professor and/or teaching style. It may be the subject matter. It may be the transition to college, or to sophomore year, or to upper level classes.

But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what the reason is. If your student is struggling, or doing poorly in a class, you worry. You want to help. Perhaps they should come home more often so you can check progress and their academic planner. Perhaps you should call them every evening to make sure they are doing homework. Perhaps you should speak to the professor. Perhaps you should buy a duplicate set of textbooks so you can consult on the assignments to make sure they understand the material. (True story, it has happened!) Perhaps you should just pull them out of school.

Wait! It’s time to take a breath.

None of these options is the answer. You’ll still worry. There’s really no way to get around that, but your student needs to find their own solutions. This doesn’t mean that you can’t consult and help your student think through the options. That’s part of your coaching role. So here are some options to discuss with your student.