Your Penny-Pinching College Student

July 28, 2021August 26, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

College is expensive. There is no way around it, and no argument about it. Tuition and fees are high, the cost of textbooks has skyrocketed, and there are more unexpected expenses than you anticipated. Sometimes parents pay all costs, sometimes students pay costs, and often parents and students together share the burden. Some costs are fixed and some are flexible. Although most parents and students have no control over the price of tuition and fees, there are some living expenses over which your student may have some control.

Hopefully, you’ve discussed costs and expenses with your college student and helped them create a budget. Whether you will be sending your student spending money or they will be responsible for their own finances, there are some things that your student can do to keep expenses in check. Depending on your student’s situation, they may want to include a few of these suggestions or as many as possible. Whenever you have your financial chat with your student, you may want to help them think through some ways in which they can shave a few expenses. Ask your student to consider implementing a few of the following suggestions.

How to Help Your College Student Use the College Appeal Process Effectively

June 4, 2019July 5, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Your college student may never need to appeal any decision made by their college. They may never be in a situation involving a dismissal from school, late withdrawal from a class, grade change, judicial decision, or other special circumstance. If that is the case, good for your student! However, a few students may feel that some policy or decision should be reconsidered. Those students may need to appeal the decision to the appropriate board or committee at the college.

Is an appeal wise?

Appealing a college decision is not always the best thing for your college student. The purpose of an appeal is usually to allow the student to explain extenuating circumstances or to provide additional information that may not have been available at the time that the decision was made. The student may be able to demonstrate that some circumstance has changed — perhaps a health situation, work situation, family situation, or even a change of focus or field of study. It is important that you and your student remember, however, that an appeal is meant as an exception and to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances. It is not meant as an avenue simply because the student is unhappy with the decision of the college. An appeal may not be in the best interest of the student. If nothing has changed, taking a break or accepting the decision may be in order.

Seven Things Returning College Students Might Consider to Enhance Their Experience

December 29, 2017June 28, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

There is a lot of focus on the new college student and both the student’s and parents’ transition to the world of college. Entering college is a major life experience for both the first-year student and for his parents. Underestimating the enormity of that shift may cause difficulties, so colleges run orientation sessions for both students and parents, authors write books for both students and parents, and colleges run special programming for first year students.

However, once students get past that first year of college they are often on their own. Students are expected to have settled in and ”know how to play the game”, and parents are often more comfortable with the idea of their student being away and navigating the world of college. Unfortunately, some students do experience a sophomore slump in spite of a good first year experience and in spite of parental and college efforts to prepare them for the differences and changing expectations.

We’d like to offer a list of seven things that your returning student (sophomore, junior or senior) might want to consider to give a new focus for his year and to raise the level of his college experience.

Why Your College Student Might Want to Become a Peer Tutor

September 18, 2021June 17, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Tutoring can make the difference of academic success for many students. Having a tutor can mean that a student has a stronger grasp of the course material and may receive a better grade. Most of us understand why a student may want to get a tutor.

However, we may wonder why a student might want to become a tutor. Of course, some students may become a tutor for some extra income, but tutoring is time-consuming and requires hard work, preparation, and effort. Why would your student want to become a peer tutor to help other students with their coursework?

There are actually many benefits of tutoring — for the tutor as well as for the tutee.

What Kinds of On-Campus Jobs Are Available for My College Student?

January 17, 2018June 6, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

The reality these days is that most college students will work while they are going to school. The cost of tuition is high — and climbing. In some families, parents may bear all, or a majority of the costs of college, but the majority of students are expected to contribute to expenses. Students may contribute to tuition and fees, or they may be responsible for earning their own spending money.

Most college students have summer jobs which help them to earn some of their income, but many students know that they will need to work while going to school. If your student will be working during the school year, he will first need to decide whether to try to find a job on campus or off campus. There are advantages on both sides. Your student may have been offered Federal Work Study as part of his financial aid package. If so, he will be looking for a qualifying job on campus. Not all campus jobs qualify for work-study funding, so he should be sure to ask.

If your student decides to look for a campus job, she may feel that she will have few options. Of course, the number of options will depend on the size of the school, but there may be more choices available than your student realizes. Encourage her to start her search early — possibly checking listings on-line over the summer. Campus jobs may be in high demand, and priority often goes to upperclass students.

Is Your Student’s College Dorm Room Too Comfortable?

January 10, 2024May 16, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

College dorms are not what they used to be. In fact, at many colleges and universities, they are no longer referred to as dormitories, but are residence halls. Dormitory sounds too old fashioned and austere. Most college residence halls today are anything but austere.

When students and parents take college tours, one of the first things that they ask to see is a typical college room. Colleges boast about the living arrangements and amenities in their residence halls. Clearly, living arrangements are important — and they should be. The college residence hall may serve as your student’s home for four years. You want your student to be comfortable and happy. You are paying a lot of money, not only for the education your student will receive, but also for his comfortable living arrangement.

So how, then, could a dorm room be too comfortable? It’s not the comfort itself that is a problem, it’s the fact that the dorm room may be so comfortable and convenient that your student may not want to, or need to, leave. College packing lists remind you to be sure to purchase and bring all of the things your student will need — not only the sheets and towels and desk lamp, but the stereo or i-pod speakers, the TV, the microwave, refrigerator and computer.

Are College Extracurricular Activities Really ”Extra”? Why Your Student Should Participate.

October 8, 2023May 13, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Many high school students participate in numerous extracurricular activities. For some high school students, these extracurricular activities are what keep them active and interested in school. Many high school students participate in extracurricular activities because they reflect their true interests. Some high school students, however, participate in extracurricular activities because they know that college will consider these activities when they review their admission applications.

Once these high school students reach college, they may feel that they no longer ”need” to participate in extracurricular activities. However, participation in activities outside of the classroom may prove to be equally as important as what happens in the classroom. Most colleges express the mission to develop the whole student, to take a holistic approach to helping the student become a well-rounded, mature individual. Colleges recognize that much of this process happens outside of the classroom.

Parents Can Help College Students With the End-Of-Semester Stress Meltdown

December 2, 2020April 29, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

College parenting is difficult. Anyone who has a student headed to college, in college, or recently out of college has realized just how difficult the college parenting job can be. One of the most difficult things about this phase of parenting is feeling helpless at times as you watch your student struggle with something. One of the times when we often see this happening is during that stressful end-of semester period. Parents may see and hear their student experiencing what appears to be a meltdown in response to the pressure and stress that occurs at the end of the semester.

We’ve written an earlier post about helping your student through that end-of-semester push. Although we may often feel helpless, parents can be helpful and supportive in several ways. In this post, we’d like to examine the end-of-semester stress a bit more closely. It may be helpful for us, as parents, to be reminded of exactly what students are feeling and experiencing at this point in the college year.

What causes student stress?

The stress that students feel as the end of the semester nears is very real and is often overwhelming. And this stress is felt by both the best students and struggling students alike. Students often realize that there is more left to do than they realized. They recognize that they may have procrastinated on some projects more than they thought. They worry about deadlines, final papers, projects, presentations, and final exams.

How the Americans with Disabilities Act Might Affect Your College Student

November 30, 2017April 25, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Colleges and college parents have at least one thing in common — they want college students to succeed. For some students, that success may depend on accommodations to help them accomplish their goals. If you think that your college student may need some alterations to his living or learning environment to be successful, then it is important that you understand the framework in which colleges operate concerning accommodations. You may feel that you are already familiar with regulations if you have dealt with accommodations throughout your child’s academic career, but it is possible that there are variations on the college level.

Some students, and their parents, are familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which may have governed how their elementary or high school handled their needs. However, this act does not apply beyond secondary education. At the college level, two laws affect legal rights and requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 applies to every public and private institution except those affiliated with religious organizations. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 applies to any entity that accepts federal financial assistance for any program or service. Both laws were enacted to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

How the College Career Office Can Help Your College Student: Yes, Even Your College Freshman!

February 13, 2018April 22, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Almost every college or university has an office dedicated to helping students find a career in which they are interested and to getting a job after college. Whether the office is called the Career Center, Career Services Office, Career Placement Office, or some other variation of the title, the function is similar everywhere. The variety of services offered by these offices is usually wide-ranging. Unfortunately, many students think of the Career Office as a place they should visit during that last semester of senior year as graduation looms and they realize that they won’t be returning to school in the fall. Students who learn early that the Career Office can help them, and who visit often at various stages of their college experience, are able to take full advantage of what this department has to offer.

What do Career Offices do?

Most Career Offices offer a variety of services for students. Some of these services are specifically designed to help students early in their college experiences as they work to decide on their interests, strengths, and abilities and to choose a major.