Celebrate 529 Day!

Today is 5/29, so it's a great day to investigate your state's 529 college savings plan. An excellent place to start is the free webinar being held today at the link below.  Like I always say, it's never too late to start saving for college. Even parents of current college sophomores or juniors will benefit from saving through a 529 because there are usually state tax benefits for funds saved in these accounts. 

Making Summer Count

Even if your child doesn't have a “dream job”, study abroad classes, or a summer internship there are still a number of ways to make this summer an educational experience.

• Work! - Any summer job will offer lessons in the “Real World”. Some students don’t see the value in a summer of working in food service, retail, or landscaping but all of these jobs require hard, task-oriented work, and the ability to manage time and handle people in sometimes difficult situations. I've hired many people in my life and the ones who were the best employees started out working in the most tedious of jobs. The way I see it; if you can wait tables, mow lawns, or deal with angry customers all day, you will be a conscientious employee who won't be afraid to work.

• Travel – The location doesn't have to be distant or exotic for learning to take place. Even seeking out a new adventure in a neighboring state can offer learning experiences.  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.

• Independent study - Studying for anything from the MCAT to individual study in a foreign language or a non-credit, online class will broaden horizons and keep students’ intellectual muscles strong. Students who are interested in research can spend their summers working on a preliminary literature review for their future thesis or senior project. Believe it or not, some students even read for pleasure during the summer so they can easily answer the question “What was the last good book you read?”

• Volunteering – So, your child didn't find his dream internship this summer- don’t fret. There may be opportunities for similar experiences through volunteer work or job shadowing with a relative or family friend in the student’s field of study. Whatever volunteer experiences your child takes part in during the summer, be sure they record the hours worked and ask for a letter confirming the hours or a letter of reference from the volunteer supervisor. 

Surviving Low Final Exam Grades

Students who earn a low final exam grade can be deeply disappointed, but you can help them gain perspective by remembering some of these tips:

• If your child calls about failing a final exam, listen and let him or her express their disappointment. Unless they specifically ask your advice, just be their “shoulder to cry on” and let them know you’re still proud of them for trying hard and you are willing to help them work out a plan to salvage a low GPA after final exams week.
• Remind them at the they will take between 40 to 50 classes just to earn an undergraduate degree, so one low final exam grade, in one class, will not damage their entire academic career as much as they think.
• Ask if the class can be repeated during the summer. If so, the student may consider repeating the class to raise the grade. Some colleges and universities allow students’ grades in repeated classes to replace the original grade in the GPA calculation. A review of the institution’s grading or “academic forgiveness” policies can shed light on whether or not your child’s college has such a policy.
• Offer a reality check. Students on a semester term have 16 weeks to earn the grade they want in the class, so trying to make an A on a final exam for a class in which the student has a D average simply isn’t realistic. This is not to imply that the student should not bother to study, but sometimes students need a reality check that only a parent can give.
• Ask if they need a certain grade in the class to graduate? If not, it is wise to simply accept the grade and not worry about repeating the class. Students are often worried about not having a 3.0 or higher GPA to post on their resume, but many students post their “major GPA”, or the GPA in the classes taken only for the major requirements, on their resume too. This allows them to essentially explain an F or D in a non-major related class that may have no bearing on their future employability or graduate school admission.
• Stay positive even when your child is not. During final exams it is important for your child to focus on the exams as they come and not worry about disappointment or criticism from parents. I firmly believe that constructive criticism is necessary, but expressing your disappointment or critiquing your child during final exams is counter-productive. Be positive and supportive now, and worry about expressing your concerns or disappointment later. After final grades for all their classes are posted, your child can evaluate what worked and what did not in terms of studying, prioritizing projects, and time management, and can develop a plan to improve their grades in the future. 

Packing Up and Moving Out After Final Exams

Most college students are expected to moving out of residence halls, campus apartments and Greek houses immediately or shortly after their last final exams. Since it would be almost impossible for RAs or other student housing staff to check residents out of rooms all on one day, most universities encourage students to move throughout finals week. But, students don’t have to wait until finals week 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 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 bin), large heavy-duty or “contractor” trash bags, paper or material in which to wrap fragile items.

• Almost all colleges and universities have stacks of cardboard boxes that are broken down and waiting to be recycled. Students can usually ask food service employees or managers to point them toward where these boxes are stored so they can use them for moving.
• Large trash bags are great for packing and moving coats, bedding, and other bulky items that will not fit into boxes.
• Consider packing and stacking 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/snacks for finals week.
• Wrapping fragile items in bedding or clothing instead of paper will save paper and hassle during packing and unpacking.
• Try to pack like items together. Some items, like alarm clocks or summer clothing, will need to be unpacked and used at home while others, like kitchen items used only at college, can stay packed in their box until the next academic year. Try to keep these items together.
• Try to move or ship items home before finals week begins. Less clutter means fewer distractions while studying. If your child attends college close to home, consider making a campus visit to move items the weekend before exams. If he’s far from home, he may consider packing and shipping boxes instead.

Campus Emergency Alert Systems

Now that severe weather season is brewing again here in the midwest, I'd like to emphasize the importance of campus emergency alert systems and communicating with your child during an emergency.

Most campuses have emergency notification systems in place. Make sure your child signs up for the text, email or phone call notifications available through this system. Unless it is specified, parents should not sign up under their own phone numbers. It does no good for you to receive a text at midnight about a campus emergency while your student remains ignorant of the situation. These systems send thousands of texts or emails at once, so adding numbers or email addresses slows the system to a crawl and may delay notification to students on campus when they need it the most.

Discuss with your child how you will communicate with them during an emergency. Land and cell phones aren’t always the best way to stay in touch, so it can be helpful for your child to quickly post information about his location and status to social media. Here in tornado alley, it is common for people to post the location of where they are sheltering to social media as they reach shelter. At the very least, you will know that they are aware of the danger around them and have taken the necessary precautions.

End of Semester Wrap-ups

For most students, the spring semester will end before their spring break tan lines fade. This is the time of year when deadlines, exams, and papers come fast a furious. On my campus, students have only three busy weeks of classes after they return from spring break and this is also a very busy time of the year socially. There are numerous scholarship banquets, end of the year student club meetings, and a final community service push before students leave campus. All of this activity can leave your child feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, so this is a great time for you to talk with him or her and conduct a mental wellness check. As you talk to your student ask:

• What big deadlines or exams do you have coming up? How are you preparing for them? Asking your student about how he plans to work on assignments isn't prying, it's actually a good way for you to prompt him to think about how he will finish the semester strong.

• Do you need any time away from campus? This may be a good time for a weekend visit home where your child can get away from campus and concentrate on studying or finishing papers without distractions.

• If you suspect your child is feeling stressed or needs help from a counselor, this is a good time to remind him about campus resources that can help him with study skills, time management, or stress management.

• Send him a care package or a pizza party. Care packages are fun to send any time of the year but this is a great time to send a little extra something to your child. Treats from home and gift cards are popular or you can also send a pizza party from the internet. Many national (and local) chains offer online ordering for everything from pizza, to wings, to salads and drinks. A typical pizza and wing combo from Pizza Hut runs about $40.00. Order it from home and have it delivered to your child at college *Always make arrangements with your child in advance!

It's Not Too Early to Talk About Spring Break- Part 2

Have a frank discussion about safety - Spring break should be fun, but that doesn't mean students can let their guards down.  Students may not respond well to parental lectures about safety, so instead you may ask them scenario specific questions such as "What is your plan if someone in your group drinks too much? What would you do if you are separated from your group or your money is lost or stolen?" Questions like these are not lectures, but are simply opportunities for students to consider problems before they occur. 

Discuss your communication expectations for spring break - Students may not return calls or texts while on break, but they will usually post to social media. If you expect your student to reply to your calls or messages within a certain period of time, say, 24 hours, be sure to tell them your expectations in advance. Otherwise, let them know that you'll be checking in with them through social media instead.