The Senior Summer

The Senior Summer

The summer between your child’s senior year of high school and freshman year of college is a carnival ride; exhilarating, scary, and nauseating. You swing wildly between sadness over “losing” your child to college on one day, and then the next day wishing he would just get out of the house! The next few months with test your patience and sense of humor, but throughout these 10 to 12 weeks rest assured that millions of other families have gone through the same rites of passage and have come out relatively unscathed.

“But, he’s driving me absolutely crazy!”

Believe it or not, that’s a very good sign.  In fact, if your college bound-child is not making you crazy and pushing every button you have, I would be concerned because that’s what supposed to happen. If our “near adult” children didn’t drive us to push them out of the house they’d never leave; never strike out on their own, get an education, a job, find a spouse and then we’d never have a shot at grandkids. And, according to all reports, grandkids are awesome!

Putting up with your child’s current mood swings and know-it-all attitude is demanding, and it will take all your will to not alienate him in the final weeks before he leaves, but please be patient with him and yourself and know that this behavior is not only normal, it’s essential for his personal development. You may have to bite your tongue more than you let it fly, but you’re the adult with all the life experience, you’ll manage.

You may assume that since approximately two million freshmen enroll in college each fall that this whole transition would be easy, it’s not. Just like getting married, moving to a new town, buying a home or having a baby, this is a major life change not just for your child, but also for everyone in the family. Yes, younger siblings will have bizarre mood swings right along with you and your college bound child. Even the family dog will wonder why everyone is so tense and may wander in confused circles for a least a while.

While you could easily succumb to the malaise that an impending bittersweet departures always bring about, I suggest that you take some time to plan a course of action that will help you and your child over the next few months and well into the academic year. This summer is a good time to catch up on some basic survival skills with your child, and make sure that if your daughter has never changed a tire, she learns how, and if your son still hasn’t grasped the basics of wash, dry, and fold, he also learns that skill.  A lot of people ask me why its so important that college students learn such basic skills like these, after all, in any given college town there are roadside assistance services and laundry services widely available for a small fee.

While I agree that is true, learning these skills isn’t really about changing tires and doing laundry. Although it will save thousands of dollars in the long run, it’s impossible to put a dollar figure on self-reliance. If young people don’t learn that they really can do these things for themselves, they will simply assume that they can’t and will always be at the mercy of those who can. Once students start taking care of small tasks for themselves, they soon learn that there are a lot of things worth trying just to be able to say. “Yes, I can do that!”

Making Summer Count

Making Summer Count

Summer is usually a time to relax, no one will argue about that, but it's important for students to make sure that they continue learning while they are on summer vacation. If your child is fortunate enough to have classes, a job or internship that supports his or her educational goals that is great, but if not, here are a few more things they can do to make summer more meaningful. 

Volunteering - There are always plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and meet new people through volunteering. Whether they volunteer on campus or in their hometowns, students should be sure to carefully record their volunteer activity. Doing so will give them easy access to where and when they volunteered when it comes time to update their resumes.

Travel - Whether it's a family vacation or independent travel, as we age, travel becomes more and more about new experiences and learning opportunities. Even weekend getaways to local areas of interest or historical sites can enhance education and broaden students' world views.

Online or independent learning- Not all learning has to be for credit. Although it makes sense for students to take classes required for their degrees, if they can't fit one into their schedule or budget, they may try their hand at free, non-credit classes in either their field of study or another area of interest such as foreign language. Many public libraries offer free classes as well or free access to coding and language learning sites.

Getting fit- If your child gained the Freshman (or Sophomore) 15, summer is a great time to not only get back in shape, but to establish a workout routine that can be maintained once he or she returns to campus. Even 30 minutes of walking or other cardio activity alternated with an equal amount strength and toning can make a huge difference. As they plan their workouts, they should think about how they can maintain the activity when they return to campus in the fall. By now, most students know their fall class schedule and can keep it in mind as they plan their daily workouts, so when they return to campus, they can keep the same routine with little interruption.

When your College Student Moves Back Home for the Summer

When college students return home for the summer family dynamics will shift once again. It's important to recognize that things will change and that the whole family will need some time to adjust. Just knowing that tension will occur and tempers may flare is half the battle.

By the time summer rolls around college students are used to their new independence and are probably expecting to maintain that independence at home. Of course, parents will see a child who is still a young adult and not quite as independent as he thinks he is.

There is room for compromise here. In most cases parents are willing to loosen curfews and chore requirements as long as their adult child checks in periodically at night and the chores are finished on time. College students will claim that they want to be treated like adults so remind them that adults will:

• Be respectful of themselves and their families

• Tell their loved ones where they will be, with whom, and for how long, and check in periodically

• Follow laws regarding alcohol and drugs

• Contribute their share to the family whether it be financially, helping with housework, yard work or errands

• Maintain their own possessions including clothing, electronics, their room and bathroom, vehicle etc.

• Be willing to compromise and calmly discuss problems and work out solution

Packing up and Moving Out

Most students are expected to moving out of residence halls, campus apartments and Greek houses immediately or shortly after their last final exam. But, students don't have to wait until after their exams to start cleaning and packing. In fact, accomplishing small "moving out" tasks before finals week is ideal because it leaves students with one less task to worry about during exam week.

Students will find it easier to move, clean, and also study for exams if they take some time now to clean and pack before final exams. Suggest that your child pack off-season or other non-essential clothing and bedding now. This is also a great time to clean, de-clutter, and create an environment that is more conducive to study. Here are some tips to share with your student about packing up and moving out.

• Essential items: Packing tape, boxes (try to find boxes headed toward the recycling bins on campus), large heavy-duty or "contractor" trash bags, paper or material in which to wrap fragile items.
• Move it, ship it, or store it? This is the first question to answer. Some students live too far away, or do not have the means of transportation needed to move each year. For these students it may be more practical to ship their possessions home, or simply store them during the summer.
• If moving by car, large contractor bags are great for packing and moving coats, bedding, and other bulky fabric items that will easier to pack this way than if they were in a large box. 
• Pack items that will not be needed during finals week. Most students will only need; a week's-worth of clothing, books, class notes, computers, and other exam essentials, and enough food for finals week.
• Wrapping fragile items in bedding or clothing instead of paper will save paper and hassle during packing and unpacking.
• Pack similar items together. Some items, like alarm clocks or summer clothing, will need to be unpacked and used during the summer while others, like kitchen items used only at college, can stay packed in their box until the next academic year. Try to pack these items together.
• Try to move or ship items home before finals week begins. Less clutter means fewer distractions while studying.
• If your student’s college is fairly close to your home, consider a campus visit to move items the weekend before exams. If it is too far for a weekend visit, your student may consider packing and shipping boxes instead. 

Mid-Term Grades

Not all colleges and universities post mid-term grades, but if your student’s does, now is a good time to ask them to review their mid-term grades with you. If grades are good, keep up the good work! If not, there are a few things to consider before you panic.

1. Most mid-term grades only reflect one or two grades on quizzes or papers and are typically lower than final grades. Some faculty will even list a grade of “I” or “Incomplete” because there have not been enough opportunities for students to earn a valid grade. The student should always check the syllabus or login to an online classroom site for the class to understand how their mid-term grade is actually being calculated. If this information is not posted in the syllabus or online, the student can always meet with the professor to find out how the grade was calculated. 
2. If the grade is low (a D or C) but not failing, now is an ideal time to start working with a tutor or increasing study hours to boost grades in the second half of the semester. Most freshmen employ the same study strategies they used in high school and these approaches are simply insufficient for college classes. Sometimes, students just need to spend some time with a tutor or academic counselor to learn more effective study techniques.
3. If your student feels like the grade is too low to raise, even with extra help or outside work, they need to set up an appointment with the professor or an adviser immediately to discuss ways to either salvage the grade in the class or drop the class to save their overall GPA. *NOTE- Some scholarships or grants require a specific GPA to maintain the award, so staying informed of those requirements will help students decide on the best course of action. 
4. Students should be aware of deadlines for dropping classes and make sure they know what paperwork and/or signatures are required to drop a class. Students who wait until the last minute to drop a class run the risk of missing an important step in the drop process.

Pests on Campus: What you need to tell your student about lice and bed bugs

Winter is the time when lice and bed bug infestations start to make their appearance on college campuses. Not only are more people exposed to these pests while they travel for the holidays, but lice in particular seem to thrive when students start sharing hats, scarves, and jackets. While bed bugs and lice certainly have what one Residential Life veteran calls the “yuck factor” the good news, if you can call it that, is that these pests do not vector diseases and there are plenty of ways to get rid of them.

Lice can be treated with over the counter shampoos and sprays, and a complete laundering of all fabrics (clothing and bedding) in hot water and a hot dryer. Bed bugs, however require heat treatments of the affected rooms and everything in them by a professional exterminator.

Students should notify staff as soon as possible if they suspect bed bug infestations because they can easily spread from one room to another on clothing. In fact, when students travel, they should also inspect hotel rooms and hostels for bed bugs and lice to avoid bringing them home with them. Complete information and pictures to help identify these creeps is available at these Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/


Other Pests
Of course, prevention is the most effective way to avoid infestation of anything from insects to rodents, but college students are not necessarily known for their outstanding housekeeping skills. Students who leave food and other attractive items out for any length of time are sure to become magnets for pests. Keeping rooms and apartments clean, and free from clutter and open food items is the best prevention. Also, students who live on ground floor levels should keep doors and windows closed and pay close attention to any pests they see. Generally, if there’s one cockroach or ant, there’s a whole family somewhere nearby and the student should immediately contact staff for abatement.

Getting "Interview Ready" Over Winter Break

Winter break is a great time to help your student get interview ready. Internship and career fairs are often held in January through March on college campuses, so winter break is a great time to make sure your student has everything they need to make a good impression. 

Suggest that they:

• Edit their resume to adjust GPA and add work experiences and activities from the fall semester
• Scour social media and online profiles for any questionable material
• Make sure that they have plenty of resume paper and thank you notes for those impromptu meetings with recruiters. Some students also print business cards that contain their contact information and a brief profile
• Evaluate their interview wardrobe and purchase any additional items. Dark suits are a go-to choice, but don't forget items like shoes, belts, and dress socks or tights
• Some interviews and company interest sessions will require business casual clothing such as khakis, a white, off-white, or pastel button down, or a polo style pullover shirt
• Business casual for young women may include anything from slacks and a cardigan set to a simple sheath dress. When in doubt, browse Pinterest for some ideas and choose conservative over flashy
• More essentials include: A good haircut, a manicure set, a lint roller, and of course some interview coaching from the college's career services staff

Why College Students Should File a FAFSA Every Year

I always encourage students and parents to file a FAFSA each year even if the student is never awarded any grants or work study, because having a completed FAFSA and Student Aid Report is like having an insurance policy or a line of credit. Unless students and their parents have saved the full cash price of attending college before the student starts college, there’s always the possibility that a financial crisis will arise that will require a student loan. Over the years I have seen even well-off families struggle through all kinds of financial emergencies such as; natural disasters, divorce, serious illnesses, accidents, job losses, and the list goes on and on. Having a student aid award, even if it only contains loans, will allow the student to stay in school during a short term crisis and leaves one less thing for parents to worry about.

If you do find yourself in a financial crisis, but haven’t completed the FAFSA it is almost never too late to file (click the link below) but keep in mind that it can take up to several weeks to process before the student can expect to see an aid report. Additionally, some aid is awarded on a first come first served basis and the deadlines for state and institutional aid are usually in the spring or summer. If, after the FAFSA is filed, your family’s financial situation or income changes due to a job loss, marriage, divorce or separation, medical expenses etc. you should set up an appointment with a financial aid counselor at the student’s college to have a review or “judgment review” to see if the student’s aid may be increased in light of the family’s current financial situation.

To view the deadlines for each academic year, click HERE

Surviving Winter Break with Your College Student

copyright 2014 Francesca Gragg 

Tips For Fabulous Finals Week Care Packages

Finals week is a popular time for parents to send care packages to students.  There are a number of online merchants who will send basic care packages to your student and a Google search will turn up dozens of them offering various packages in various price ranges. Most students, however, prefer the personal touch and sending a care package is not difficult if you follow these tips.

1. If you send baked goods, try to send soft items such as unfrosted cakes or cupcakes, muffins, brownies, or bar cookies. *Cookies that are crisp will turn into crumbs during shipment.
2. If you are sending a cake, brownies/ bars, cupcakes or muffins, simply bake it in the pan (the recyclable aluminum or non-stick varieties work well and come with a cover) and send the entire pan uncut to preserve freshness. This method also works well with rice crispy treats or other bars that do not require refrigeration. 
3. I'm also a fan of the gingerbread house kits available in stores during the holidays. No, it's not like a homemade gingerbread house, but it's a fun and yummy distraction from the stress of studying for final exams.
4. Send your child a specialty item from your hometown or something else he can’t get on campus. You may also consider sending items that are expensive for him to purchase himself. Even “K-cups” can add up if he uses more than one or two per day.
5. Send a pizza party from the internet. Most national pizza delivery chains (think Pizza Hut etc) and many local ones, offer online ordering of pizzas, snacks and drinks. Average cost for a large pizza, wings, and drinks for a party of 4-6 is $40.00 plus tip. Be sure to make arrangements with your child in advance so he knows when the party will arrive and can invite his friends.
6. * Commuting students love care packages too! A gift basket of favorite snacks or gift cards to shops or restaurants on or near campus left outside your commuting student’s bedroom door says, “I love you” and is just as comforting to a student living at home too! the gift cards will be welcome while he's studying on campus instead of at home.

7. I'm a big fan of the pre-paid priority boxes from the USPS. Not only are they generally a good size for a care package, they are automatically tracked so you know when the package arrives. 

Finding the Off-Campus Housing Fit

Thanksgiving break is an ideal time to discuss your college student's plans for living arrangements for the next academic year. So, I'm excited to present this guest blog post by Jackie Schwirian. Jackie is a Leasing Manager at one of the large, college student-focused apartment complexes in Stillwater, and she has some valuable insights to share with students and parents before they seek out off-campus housing.

While college life is filled with many new experiences for students, it’s also filled with many new responsibilities and decisions. For parents of college students, helping to choose a safe, reliable, and value-worthy off-campus home for their son/daughter to live can be a daunting process filled with many obstacles and hidden costs.

Attracted to Cheap

When students focus on “cheap,” safety and reliability are often left out-of-focus, leaving the student in disarray when problems arise. Before parents and their son/daughter decide on an apartment, the following questions should be considered:

• What happens when a landlord is not available if a maintenance problem arises?
• What if the landlord repeatedly comes into the apartment unannounced?
• What if the heating bill is well over your allotted budget for the winter months?
• What happens if the roommate(s) refuse to share the cost of the internet and cable TV bills?
• What if the roommate(s) refuse to pay his/her share of the rent?

Finding the Off-Campus Housing Fit

Safety and reliability are the most important, but helping your son/daughter find an apartment (and community) that fits their lifestyle are just as important. For example, some apartments cater to the full-time student with a heavy class load by offering study rooms; some do not. If specific housing options are not listed on the apartment’s website, students and their parent(s) could find a benefit to browsing social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an idea of what residents and leasing professionals are sharing about the apartment and community.

Wake-up Call

While each apartment is different, the management responsible for leasing the apartment(s)/property will likely stay the same. Oftentimes, websites and leasing professionals omit hidden costs such as utility charges, which some tenants wouldn’t necessarily consider when calculating the overall leasing costs.  Have your student take time to read the lease carefully and ask the leasing agent to go over the lease with your student. Oftentimes students come up with valuable questions when the lease is reviewed in detail with the leasing agent. 

• Before your son or daughter hears the words “sign here,” take time to research the safety, reliability, and convenience of an apartment community to maximize your student’s experience and put you and your student at ease with the next off-campus housing decision.

-Jackie Schwirian, Leasing & Marketing Manager, The Reserve on Perkins 

Help Your Student Avoid Electronic Distractions in Class

There’s a name for students who try to hide their phones in their laps while they attend class- “crotchgazers”. You know how annoying it is when you’re trying to have a family meal or just speak to your child without the interruptions of constant texting or Tweeting. If you’re like me, there’s nothing more irritating than having your child half-heartedly answer your questions while he stares at the cell phone in his lap. Now, imagine how maddening it is for a professor trying to communicate with 25, 75 or 205 crotchgazers in a classroom.

One disadvantage to college students being constantly connected is that they’re well, constantly connected. That means that even while students are physically in class and honestly trying to learn, they are also incessantly being vibrated away from the work at hand. In many ways it’s not their fault, it's ours. Parents have been known to panic if we don’t hear from them for a couple of days, so they know that if they don’t reply to us with at least an “ok” or even a “k” we just might freak out and call the campus police to conduct a welfare check on them.

Today’s college students feel compelled to check and reply to texts, Tweets, Facebook posts and the like, so cell phones themselves, the very same magical device we all rely on to keep us connected are also the same devices that keep students distracted and damage their ability to fully engage in class and learning. While almost every college or certainly every individual professor has policies against the use of electronics in the classroom, the problems persist. Students know that if they’re careful enough, they can fly under the professor’s radar, but at what cost? Students who allow themselves to become distracted by every chirp or vibration of their phone are not only wasting the money they spent to be in the class, they are cheating themselves out of learning for something they can easily access during the other 20 hours every day in which the are not in a classroom. 

The best advice you can give your student on this subject is to suggest he turn off his phone while in class and catch up with friends, and you too, once he leaves the lecture hall.You can help out even more by asking him to tell you his class schedule and only contacting him when you know he is not in class. 

Keep Applying for Scholarships

Many times students and parents will ask the best ways to win scholarships. While there are obvious ways to improve your chances of winning scholarships like earning high grades, being involved on campus, and submitting excellent applications, see the post about scholarship application advice there are several things your child needs to remember while applying.

1. No scholarship is too small. Some students simply don’t apply for small scholarships of $100.00 to $500.00 because they only see the difference between $100.00 and their $9,000.00 tuition and fees bill. But, instead of just looking at the difference, look at what $100.00 is worth. When I see $100.00, I see some textbooks, a couple of tanks of gas, a few weeks of groceries, and some extra cash for an emergency. 
2. Always do the math. If your child is working part time to help finance college, how many hours would it take him to earn $100.00 to $500.00 after taxes? Most college students earn minimum wage or pretty close to it, so after taxes they clear about $6.00 per hour. It would take the average student about 83 hours to bring home $500.00. That’s a month of working 20+ hours per week! Even if your child spends only two hours per week during the academic year completing and submitting scholarship applications and only wins $500.00, he still comes out ahead.
3. Scholarships are free money, but don’t treat them that way. Some students win big scholarships and think they can promptly quit their part time job, or spend the money on non-educational expenses. These are bad ideas for a few reasons:

• Scholarships are intended to help students afford college so the funds should always go either directly to the college or to pay for college related expenses.

• Unless the student is in his senior year and expects to graduate on time and not pursue graduate education, the money should be saved in a separate account for college related expenses. Otherwise, the student may run through his scholarship money before he finishes college.
• Scholarships are extra, unexpected funds and therefore should not be relied upon as a steady stream of financial support. Many students have lost scholarships in their junior or senior year due to low grades, missed deadlines, or changing their major to one not supported by the scholarship fund.

Is the Honeymoon Over?

By the middle of the fall semester some freshmen start to realize that college classes are harder that they expected, their roommate’s once innocuous habits are more annoying than they thought they would be, and the dining hall food is starting to get a little too predictable. In other words, the honeymoon is over. This is a typical setback that many students face at about this time of year. If you think that your child is feeling a little down about college in general, rest assured that he’s not alone, and there are things that can be done to revitalize his campus experience before the end of the semester.

• Recommit to classes. This includes attending every class, even when it’s cold outside in the morning! Also, remind him that just because many other students have started to slip behind in class assignments and readings doesn’t mean that he can. Suggest he make a pledge to catch up on class work and set aside a few evenings or an entire weekend to spend in the library doing just that. Remind him that having fun is just fine as long as he’s finished his work first!

• Find a “happy place” on campus. Sometimes students just need to take a mental vacation from the hustle and bustle of college life. Students who find a quiet, peaceful place, or a few, on campus can use their time there to mentally regroup each day. This habit makes it easier to handle the little ups and downs that life will throw at them. a quiet corner of the library, some headphones, and twenty minutes of time is often enough to relax and recharge.

• Get a full night’s sleep. College students almost never get enough sleep. A full eight hour rest is rare especially if they are constantly awakened throughout the night by texts and tweets. Suggest that your student get to bed an hour earlier than he now does and recommend that he either turn off his phone or leave it in a place where it will not disturb his sleep.

• Too far to come home. If your student attends college too far from home for a weekend visit, maybe you can meet somewhere in the middle. Students seem to love a weekend at a hotel where they leave their cares behind on campus and focus on studying, sleeping and enjoying a few hearty meals with family. 

College Students with Disabilities

This is the time in the semester when some students with learning disabilities start to struggle in classes. Sometimes, a student with a documented learning disability will refuse to self-identifying to the college’s student disability office and will try to “tough it out” through the semester without seeking  help or accommodations for his learning disability. This tactic almost always leads to the student struggling and being more stressed than necessary. If this sounds like your student remind him that it is never too late to meet with someone in the student disability office (sometimes accommodations are also managed through the counseling, student affairs, or academic affairs office.) 

Some things to consider as your student seeks help:

• If your child had a documented disability in high school and benefited from an Independent Education Plan, or IEP, in K-12 he may be eligible for accommodations through his college’s Disability Services office.

• Once a student starts college he has a much greater responsibility for his own education including self-identifying as having a disability and presenting the required documentation to the college’s disability services office.

• Even students who've had IEPs from age 6 and beyond will need to provide current documentation of the disability and the need for academic accommodations.

• The college environment and academics are quite different from K-12, for example, K-12 public school districts are required to provide a “free appropriate public education” to students with disabilities. Colleges however, are required to provide “appropriate academic adjustments as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability.” 

• An excellent site for basic information about disabled students’ rights and responsibilities is: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html

A College Financing Dilemma

Even though this is a question from the parent of a college junior, I thought it was relevant enough to share with freshman parents and definitely something to remember as your child goes through college.


Q: My daughter has run out of money in her junior year. Should she take out a loan for her senior year or try to work more hours to earn more money? She really wanted to graduate debt free.

A: This is a tough question and will require a lot of evaluation and planning on our daughter’s part. If she wants to graduate without debt she can, but she will probably have to take two or three years to finish her “senior year” while she works at least full time. Before she makes her final decision though, she needs to evaluate the following:

1.     How much can she earn working full time?  Minimum wage in most parts of the country is still $7.25 per hour, which may or may not be enough for her to live on and also pay for school part time.

2.     If she already has a part time job and can become a full time employee with the same employer, will she get a raise or benefits package that will make it worth her while to switch to full time?

3.     If she can’t work full time with one employer, will she be able to work two part time jobs? Will they both offer steady, year-round employment?

4.     What will her full time job prospects be upon graduation? She will need to honestly evaluate how much she can expect to earn upon graduating by researching the recent starting salaries of other students with similar GPAs and experience, from her same college and degree program. From this information she can calculate if it will be worth it for her to take two or three years to graduate while missing out on those same years of full time earnings and benefits in her chosen field.

5.     If she’s a strong student in a proven lucrative major field of study, it may be better for her to take out a federal student loan for her final year and pay it off early upon finding her first job.

6.     She also needs to make sure that switching to part time status will not force her to take required course work out of sequence, or make her ineligible for any scholarships, grants, work-study, or insurance policies (health or auto) she now has.

Mid-term Grades

Not all colleges and universities post mid-term grades, but if your student’s does, now is a good time to ask them to review their mid-term grades with you. If grades are good, keep up the good work! If not, there are a few things to consider before you panic.

1. Most mid-term grades only reflect one or two grades on quizzes or papers and are typically lower than final grades. Some faculty will even list a grade of “I” or “Incomplete” because there have not been enough opportunities for students to earn a valid grade. The student should always check the syllabus or login to an online classroom site for the class to understand how their mid-term grade is actually being calculated. If this information is not posted in the syllabus or online, the student can always meet with the professor to find out how the grade was calculated. 
2. If the grade is low (a D or C) but not failing, now is an ideal time to start working with a tutor or increasing study hours to boost grades in the second half of the semester. Most freshmen employ the same study strategies they used in high school and these approaches are simply insufficient for college classes. Sometimes, students just need to spend some time with a tutor or academic counselor to learn more effective study techniques.
3. If your student feels like the grade is too low to raise, even with extra help or outside work, they need to set up an appointment with the professor or an adviser immediately to discuss ways to either salvage the grade in the class or drop the class to save their overall GPA. *NOTE- Some scholarships or grants require a specific GPA to maintain the award, so staying informed of those requirements will help students decide on the best course of action. 

Now is a Great Time to Reevaluate Spending

October is a good time for you to help your student reevaluate his or her budget. By this time in the semester, most students have a somewhat set spending pattern, so this is a good time to look at the following expenditures to make sure they fit into your student's original budget.

Meal Plans - Is your child using more of the meal plan that you expected? If it looks like he may run out before the end of the semester, it may be time to add some funds to the meal plan or discuss ways for him to economize what funds he has left. Students can save money by scrutinizing how they spend their meal plan and cutting out extras such as snacks, high cost soft drinks or coffees, or maybe he can switch to eating a quick breakfast in his room or apartment three days per week instead of buying breakfast on the way to class.

Fun Money - Everyone needs a little extra money for going out to movies, or for meals, but if it looks like your student will run out of fun money by November 1st, that's NOT fun. Students should explore the numerous free or low cost activities on campus by reading the campus paper or watching campus advertising and social media. Programs sponsored by residence halls and the activities boards are always popular as well. Students can still go out with their friends, but attending free events or going out for an ice cream or a coffee instead of an entire meal can save a lot of fun money over time - more fun for less money!

Money Leaks - This is a great time to look for money leaks and fix them before the end of the semester. Depending on your student, money leaks can take the form of just about anything. Maybe he's downloading too many $1.99 apps or games (those add up!), maybe she's buying too many t-shirts, or maybe he's spending too much on gasoline by driving instead of walking, riding a bike, or taking the bus. This is where parents can help their child understand budgeting and work on a plan to control spending.

Student Health and Property Insurance

Does my student need personal property insurance on campus?

This is another one of those “grown-up” issues that students will need to be aware of before they head to campus. It is estimated that students bring between $5,000.00 to $10,000.00 worth of personal property with them to campus and when you combine all those easily carried valuables with the laid-back, open atmosphere on most college campuses, you have a recipe for property loss. In fact, larceny is the most reported crime on most college campuses. With this in mind, insurance is a must, but what kind?

Most homeowner’s policies will cover students’ valuables if they are living on campus and still list the family’s home address as their permanent address.  Even so, it is always a good idea to confirm your coverage and its limitations with your insurance agent before your child leaves for college. Also keep in mind that if your child makes claims against your homeowner’s policy, it could negatively affect your rate and ability to maintain coverage.

Another option is renter’s or student insurance. Renter’s or student insurance can cover a specific amount or just specific items and is usually very affordable. It will also not adversely affect your homeowner’s policy of your child makes a claim. Most major insurance companies offer renter’s insurance so speak to your current agent for the best rate.

What about health insurance?

If there was ever a hot-button issue in the United States today, this is it. The cost of healthcare and insurance is staggering and although healthcare and coverage is usually the last thing on your student’s mind it is essential that you discuss the ins and outs of your policy with your child.  Imagine your dismay and frustration when you discover that your child went to an out-of network emergency room or clinic for a broken wrist when an in-network hospital was just a few more miles down the road.  The difference in the bills could well be in the thousands so it is important to discuss your policy with your child and determine where the in-network facilities are located near campus. The last thing either of you want is to pay for out-of-network medical bills instead of tuition.

Most medium to large campuses have their own health service centers or walk-in clinics on campus, and many times campus clinics are cheaper for certain services due to grants and subsidies. But, it is still a good idea to compare costs for routine visits, physicals, and prescriptions before he starts college.

Scholarship Application Advice

Honestly, nothing bugs me more than sloppy scholarship or award applications. Considering that the organization or donor is willing to hand you hundreds or thousands of dollars in free money you need to have enough regard for yourself and the committee to put forth your best effort. So, here’s my super honest advice for students about submitting scholarship applications.

1.     Make sure your application is typed and in a legible font. Applications that are handwritten or in illegible fonts WILL stand out, and then they are usually shredded without any further consideration. If you are turning the application in on paper and not electronically, make sure that the application is neat and not creased or wrinkled. If the application must be submitted electronically, follow the submission instructions, or if there are no specific instructions, submit it as a PDF, with your name and the scholarship’s name included as part of the PDF’s name.

 2.     Make sure your application is complete, and follow the instructions to the letter. If the instructions specify that an official transcript be attached, then attach an official transcript. Not a copy, not an unofficial transcript, not a screen shot of one from your phone, but an official transcript.

 3.     Submit the application on time. I’m sure that everyone has legitimate excuses for why they miss deadlines, but as a scholarship administrator I’m more concerned with scoring the already huge stack of applications that were submitted on time.

 4.     Proofread your application, then have a professor, tutor, or a trusted friend proofread it, then proofread it again. Remember, we want to give you free money; the least you can do is proof your work.

 5.     Tell your story. Usually, the selection committee only has about 3-10 application pages to figure out who you are and why we should give you the award. Tell your story honestly and as thoroughly as possible. Don’t dismiss activities as unimportant because you think they’re not grand enough to impress us. We are just as impressed by students who volunteer to read to preschoolers as we are by those who write research grants.

I have scored numerous scholarships over the past two decades and I can tell you that the students who get scholarships are the ones who submit clean, completed applications, before the deadline, and who take the time to have their applications reviewed for errors. Students who put forth the extra 10% of effort to submit well-prepared applications are usually the ones who win the awards, and the best thing is, once you’ve completed a few scholarship applications, they get easier and easier to submit.

Students need to look at scholarship applications from the selection committee’s perspective. The committee is usually comprised of volunteers who are already extremely busy and each person on it only has a few sheets of paper in your application to decide whether or not to give you a $1,000.00 or more, so make a good impression!

After you receive the scholarship send at brief thank you note or letter thanking the committee and giving us an update on how the scholarship will help you attain your educational goals. We do remember these letters and we may even score another one of your applications or remember you when we serve on another committee.