Important Dates for New College Parents

June 19, 2021April 28, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Congratulations! Your high school student has been accepted to college and is soon to be a new college student. You’re relieved, excited, and anxious all at the same time. Chances are you were involved in helping your student through the admissions process, and you’re happy to know that your student made all of the required admission deadlines.

Now that your student has been accepted, you and your student will need to continue to pay attention to several important dates and deadlines. Don’t let your guard down yet! Each school will have its own requirements and deadlines, of course, but here are a few things to watch for.

25 Gift Ideas for Your College Graduate

December 17, 2021April 18, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Your college student is graduating. Congratulations! It’s possible that your student will move on to graduate school, or he may be beginning his career. Whichever direction he takes, he is now at a milestone and you want to mark the moment with an appropriate graduation gift. Your graduation gift may be large or small, practical or sentimental, but it may be time for some ”real life” tools.

Here are some suggestions to help you begin thinking about what you’d like to do for your graduate. Use these possibilities to start your own imagination working about what your graduate might like or need.

When Is It Too Late to Apply to College?

May 17, 2023April 10, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Has your student procrastinated well past the college application deadline? Did your student decide they didn’t want to go to college but has now changed their mind? Is your student unhappy with the college acceptances they’ve received and would like to consider additional schools? Have your student’s grades improved so much over the past year that they’d like to expand their college search?

If any of the above situations sound even remotely familiar, you may be lamenting the fact that it is now too late to apply to college. The truth is that it may not be too late. Many colleges continue to accept student applications well past posted deadlines and throughout the summer. Some schools have Rolling Admissions, which means that they continue to accept students until the class is filled. Other schools have deadlines, but are willing to make exceptions and look at applications after the deadline. Some schools may even continue to accept students right up until the beginning of classes in late August or early September.

Another Anniversary for College Parent Central!

March 25, 2017April 3, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

College Parent Central has just turned two! We began this website on April 1, 2009 — somehow April Fool’s Day seemed appropriate for something that launched us into the unknown. Two years later, we continue to believe even more firmly than ever that college parents are an important part of student success.

After two years of writing about college parenting, talking to college parents, working with college students, and working and speaking with professional colleagues, we have learned much and continue to feel that we have a place in helping parents. We are grateful to those people who have shared their stories and wisdom and helped us as we continue to reach out to parents who may find our information helpful,

Our purpose

We began College Parent Central two years ago with five basic principles. Two years later, these basic beliefs still hold true for us.

We believe that parents can be important partners in their child’s education from pre-school through college.
We believe that most parents want to be involved in their child’s college experience.
We believe that parents do have a place in their child’s college experience.
We believe that many parents don’t know how to be involved in their child’s college experience.
We believe that many parents don’t understand today’s college experience. (Those of us who attended college ourselves need to learn how the college experience has changed in the twenty-first century.)

Eight Factors That Can Help Your Student Land a Job and Build a Career

June 1, 2023March 24, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Students attend college for many reasons; and students gain many things from their college education. One of the primary goals for most students, however, is to find a job after graduation and to begin to build a career. Students today are graduating at one of the most difficult times in recent history for finding that beginning job. Some students will find themselves better prepared than others for the road to their ideal career.

We’d like to suggest eight factors that can help your student take charge and survive the difficult early career building stages. As your student nears graduation, or perhaps well before that, you might share some of these ideas with them. Help them begin to think about their attitude and approach and begin to see the proactive steps that they can take to move toward their ultimate goal.

Can a College Revoke My Student’s Admission?

March 11, 2021March 21, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

The long admission process is over. The SAT or ACT test is done, the college visits are over, the admission essay is written, the applications are sent. Even the long wait is over. Your student has his acceptance letter in hand and can finally breathe a sigh of relief and let senioritis set in. But wait! That might not be a very good idea. Although colleges never like to do it, and thankfully don’t have to do it very often, it is possible for a college to revoke or rescind its offer of admission after the letter of acceptance has been sent.

If your student reads her acceptance letter carefully, it probably says that admission is ”contingent on the successful completion of the final year of high school” or language to that effect. Your student has been accepted with the assumption that she will maintain something close to the level of accomplishment that got her into the college in the first place. The college will want to receive her diploma and her final senior grades to confirm acceptance. Unfortunately, some students stop reading their acceptance letter after the ”Congratulations” part, and fail to notice or remember the ”successful completion” part.

Book Review: The Gatekeepers

December 17, 2021March 18, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students. There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years. We’ve created lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. Please check out our Resources and Tools page for suggestions.

The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College is a must-read for any parent whose son or daughter is in the process of applying to college. It is not a how-to book with secrets to getting admitted, but it is a book which tells the real stories of students and admissions officers as they take the journey of putting together a college freshman class.

The Gatekeepers grew out of a newspaper series. Specifically, it tells the story of one admissions officer and the high school seniors whose cases he and his colleagues considered that year. The story begins in the homes and classrooms of the applicants as they work with their guidance counselors and parents in their junior year. The narrative then travels behind the closed doors of the admissions office, as well as the officers’ homes as the applications are debated. It continues to follow the story as the applicants receive their responses and make their decisions.

The Middlework of College

March 11, 2021March 14, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

There is a lot of work that happens, for both you and your college student, as they transition into college during the first year. Both you and your student have a lot to learn about the school, and you need to work on new ways of relating to each other as well. When your student is a senior, there is a lot of work that happens as your student gets ready for the transition out of college into the world of work or graduate school. There may be work for you as well, if your student may be moving back home again.

Sometimes lost in all of the transitional work as students enter or prepare to leave college may be the sophomore and junior years when so much of the middlework of college happens. The major transition to college is over and the stress of senior year has not yet begun. Although at times this period may seem somewhat awkward, these years represent half of your college student’s career, and they represent much of the foundation of your student’s education. It is during these years that your student continues their exploration of who they are, choose or confirm a major, and begin to solidify their experiences. As college parents, it is important that we remember that although these may sometimes feel like ”quiet” years compared to the turmoil of beginnings and endings, important things are happening during this time.

The Problem with College Placement Exams

May 12, 2020March 11, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Many, if not most, students headed to college will be required to take one or more placement exams at their school. For many students, this may come as a surprise. As a college parent, you can help your student anticipate, understand, and cope with these important tests.

What are placement exams?

Placement exams or tests are given to students, usually after they have been accepted to the college, to determine how ready students are for college level work in basic core courses. They are most often given in subjects such as English and math. Students cannot ”pass” or ”fail” placement tests since they simply measure a level or readiness in a subject. They are used for placing the student in the appropriate level class.