College Parent News & Views

June 30, 2020 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.

8 Things Your Student Can Do During This COVID Summer

July 8, 2020June 22, 2020 by Vicki Nelson

This is going to be a summer like no other. Most of us are masked, staying ”socially distanced,” and trying to find what to do with ourselves as our favorite events and activities, gatherings, and in many cases, our jobs are cancelled, postponed or substantially changed.

For many college students, summer is usually a time to earn money or or to participate in internships to practice career skills. Since many of these activities may not be available this year, many students, and their families, may be at a loss.

This doesn’t have to be a lost summer

It’s definitely not ”business as usual” this summer, but that doesn’t mean that your student is limited to binge watching sitcoms and texting their friends. For many students, this summer may afford them some wonderful time to tap into their creativity and/or just enjoy more leisure activities. It may give your student a welcome break.

However, you may also need to help your student understand that this doesn’t have to be a ”lost summer.” Your student can move ahead and make sure that their return to school in the fall — in whatever form it takes — will go more smoothly.

Start by taking time to talk to your student about their feelings, fears and concerns and practice all of your listening skills. There’s a lot going on below the surface for a lot of us right now, and your student may welcome the opportunity to process their thoughts with someone.

Then consider offering some of these suggestions for things to do over the next few weeks. Everything won’t be right for everyone, but your student may find some items that make sense, will fill their time productively, and will move them ahead.

#016 – Staying On Track to Graduate On Time

November 27, 2021April 22, 2020 by Vicki Nelson

For those students who enter college intending to finish in four years, taking ownership of their progress is essential. However, not all students will be on the four year plan. Whatever timeline your student plans to follow, it is essential that they carefully track their progress toward the finish line. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn help parents understand what their student needs to know and do in order to complete college ”on time.”

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Eleven Years and Counting . . .

April 1, 2020 by Vicki Nelson

April 1^st, April Fool’s Day, is a milestone day at College Parent Central. It’s our anniversary, or birthday, or blogiversary. We like to celebrate every year.

This year, as we all settle in at home in the midst of a pandemic, our celebration is more subdued. We don’t know what’s ahead and we don’t know how long it will last, but we know we’ll make it through together.

It was April Fool’s Day in 2009 that we launched College Parent Central. We didn’t know where it would go or how long it would last. Eleven years later we’ve reached more parents than we can count. We’ve started a podcast. We’ve launched our first e-book. We’re still advocating for college parents as a key part of student success. We have an important job to do.

If you’ve just discovered College Parent Central, we hope you’ll find information and support here to help you in your new role. Know that you are joining the nearly four million parents who have also visited College Parent Central over the years. We’re grateful for the many parents, educators, and counselors who have shared our information with others, who have provided helpful feedback, and who have taught us so much over the years.

#007 – Second Semester of College: The Transition No One Talks About

December 3, 2021January 1, 2020 by Vicki Nelson

You worry about a lot of things when you send your student off to college for the first semester — and then you think you’re done. You and your student may be taken by surprise when the start of the second semester of college seems so difficult. In this episode Vicki and Lynn explore why some students may experience the ”second semester blues” and why some parents feel they need to increase their involvement. This episode focuses on strategies you can use to calm your fears and help your student make the most of this fresh start. There are some wonderful aspects to the second semester of college and knowing what to expect can help you send your student off more thoughtfully.

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College Parent News & Views

December 31, 2019 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

5 New Year’s Resolutions for College Parents (or Almost College Parents) — 2020

December 23, 2019 by Vicki Nelson

There’s something about the New Year. It is a time of reflection, thinking about the year that has just gone by. And it is also a time of hope, thinking ahead about what the New Year might bring. Somehow, life seems full of possibility at the beginning of a new year.

If you have a student in college, or one who will be heading to college soon, there’s a lot of transition going on in the life of your family. Your student is looking forward and preparing for their future. You are preparing too, while you also may be reflecting and remembering that kindergarten child just beginning school. Where did the time go?

As we turn the page on a new year, we’d like to offer some resolutions for parents of high school and college students. Take time to reflect, and to imagine into the future. Use this list as a springboard for your own ideas of how to approach the New Year.

Sophomore Conversations – Settling in to College Life

February 14, 2019 by Vicki Nelson

As parents, we worry about our high school senior’s transition to college. We know that this is a big step and we hope that both our student, and we, are prepared.

But even after your student has made those important first transitions to college, there are more changes ahead. Each year of college brings its own phase of development, and the phenomenon of the ”sophomore slump” is very real for many students. Parents may be less comfortable with knowing what conversations they should be having with their second year student, but the work isn’t done.

Knowing that the second year of college may be significantly different from the first and being prepared for some changes, or even a potential sophomore slump, will arm your student and may prevent some difficult times. Now that your student has some perspective on college life and studies, this is the ideal time to contemplate next steps. Not all topics are appropriate for everyone, but we’d like to suggest seven possible conversation starters.

The Decision to Volunteer — What to Do?

December 8, 2018March 28, 2016 by Vicki Nelson

This is the second of two posts about the benefits of volunteering for college students. In our first post, we suggested some advantages of volunteer work for your student. In this post, we offer some suggestions about helping your student decide where and how to volunteer.

Your college student has decided to find some time in her college schedule to volunteer somewhere. Good for her. There are many benefits of volunteer work.

College students who choose to spend time in volunteer activities may do so for many reasons. Some students find or believe in a particular cause and want to do all that they can to further that effort. Other students may want to give of their time, but they are not sure what they want to do, or they are not sure what options exist.

Some colleges have an office or a designated person whose responsibility is to help students find and manage meaningful volunteer or community service opportunities. If your student’s school has such a resource, this may be the best place for her to begin. She may also talk to faculty members or other students (particularly upper class students) about opportunities.

Why Your College Student Should Spend Time Volunteering

February 15, 2024March 21, 2016 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 community service activities 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 possible 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.