The Senior Summer

The senior summer is when the train slowly starts to leave the station. Your child is pulling away from you and family life in general in preparation for the day he leaves “for real”. Just like a train, the process starts slowly with a great deal of caution and preparation, but the momentum increases with each passing day until you and your child realize it can’t stop.

I suggest planning a 20-30 minute chat each week in which you review mail, emails, and other documents sent from the college and take action on them. If nothing has arrived that week, have a brief talk about any of the topics listed on the checklist below. 

Paperwork from the college

Usually colleges send, or have online, checklists for new freshmen. These are often set up on a timeline that you can use to plan these discussions and get organized. By tackling these on a weekly basis, you are also showing your child how to prioritize, break down a long list of responsibilities into easily accomplished tasks, and avoid procrastination by working steadily toward a goal.

A typical senior summer checklist: In addition to talking with your child about these important items, it is helpful to remind him that if he has not received some type of confirmation of completing the tasks, he may not have completed them.

• Receive financial aid award letter and accept or reject awards - This is actually done online by the student when he logs onto his account at: http://fafsa.ed.gov, and after he receives word via email that his FAFSA has been processed.
• Schedule a date for orientation and enrollment – Your child won’t be a college student at all without taking these steps that usually occur together during freshman orientation. Make sure he’s signed up for an orientation and enrollment program and has received a confirmation of the program’s date(s)
• Placement exams – Are often administered as part of orientation and enrollment, but your child should check to confirm this and sign up for testing if required. Some colleges will not let students enroll without placement exam scores.
• Complete scholarship applications – This is an ongoing process, and many colleges use the student’s completed FAFSA in conjunction with a separate scholarship application to award scholarships. Scholarships are good!
• Residence hall applications, contracts, and deposits – Unless your child is commuting, he will need a place to live on or near campus. Many colleges require students to live on campus during their first year. Make sure your child has completed the application for housing, a contract if necessary, and has paid any required deposits to hold his spot in the residence halls.
• Proof of immunizations –  Some colleges will not allow students to attend class, or will cancel enrollment without proof of immunizations or a written refusal form.
• Meal plan selection and deposits – in addition to a place to live, your child will need to eat. Most meal plans require a contract, deposit, or partial payment before the semester begins.
• Greek letter organization registration – Is required of students who are interested in joining a social fraternity or sorority. The formal recruitment process usually has its own set of forms, fees and deadlines to follow. * Not all colleges will hold formal recruitment in the fall.

Save Money by Avoiding the Dorm Décor Hype

You don’t need to read one of the many news stories about spending on dorm décor to know that college-bound students and their parents mean big money for retailers. Just like the buying frenzy you had to manage when your children were newborns, retailers know that “Back to campus” is a spending frenzy based on emotions. Back to campus spending has become a $50 BILLION per year industry, and the average amount spent per student to stock and decorate even the smallest of rooms is slightly more than $900.00. In my opinion that’s way too much, and there are a number of ways students and parents can avoid spending hundreds or thousands on back to campus costs.

1. Choose a traditional residence hall if the student is living on campus. This is THE MOST EFFECTIVE way to save money throughout the year because students who live in a traditional hall (shared room with a communal bathroom and lounge/kitchenette down the hall) only have to stock and decorate one, small room.  If your student chooses a suite or apartment, not only do they usually cost much more to rent per semester, the student is responsible for stocking their own living room, and kitchen, and is usually also responsible for cleaning and stocking their own bathroom.
2. Know what is included in the cost of the room. Most rooms are already furnished by the university and include things like built-in desk lamps, curtains or blinds, mirrors, shelves etc. Also consider what items are available for students to use. Each floor or hall usually has a communal kitchenette or at least a refrigerator and microwave, and many halls allow students to check out vacuums, tools, and other useful items. Avoid the temptation to buy things that are already provided for the student.
3. Separate needs from wants. In reality, the only thing that most students NEED to purchase is a set of sheets for their bed, assuming that it is a different size from the bed they have a home. They probably have everything else they will need, or can assemble their list of needs from things you already have in your home. Granted, it is nice to have storage bins to move and store items or maybe an area rug to cover a tile floor, but these things are not required and even if you do choose to purchase them, they are low cost items that can be used for all four years and beyond. NOTE: chose a dark-colored area rug.
4. Borrow it. This is actually a fun experiment for social media. Let’s say your college-bound student has a short list of items they still want for their dorm room; coffee pot, posters, area rugs, storage bins, step stool – whatever. Send the list out on social media to family and friends and watch these things flood in. There are probably a number of people who have exactly what you’re looking for and are willing to loan or simply give these things to your student.
5. Remember this fact. This is a temporary home in which your student will most likely just sleep and change clothes. Studying, socializing, and eating will usually take place elsewhere.

http://www.businessinsider.com/average-spending-on-dorm-decor-skyrockets-2012-9