Happy Birthday to Us! College Parent Central Celebrates a Milestone!

April 1, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

2024 is a big year for College Parent Central, and today is a big day. We’ve just turned 15! That’s right. College Parent Central is 15 years old today!

This means we’ve spent a lot of years focusing on college parents, learning everything we can about college parenting, and sharing as much as we are able to help make your journey go more smoothly and to let you know you’re not alone. We’re here for you. That’s the reason College Parent Central exists.

When we first launched on April 1^st in 2009, we weren’t sure what to expect. It seemed somehow appropriate to choose April Fool’s Day. Launch something that seems like a good idea and see what happens? A fool’s effort? A joke? Or something that can help parents manage the college journey. Who knows?

We recognized that college parents (and high school parents, too) needed information and support, and we hoped we could help provide some of that guidance. Now, as we celebrate our 15^th year doing this work, we continue that belief, and parents continue to let us know they appreciate the information we provide.

College Parent News and Views – March 2024

March 31, 2024 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 in the comments below.

Is College Transfer the “New Normal?”

March 25, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

This article is an update of our 2015 article about transfer students.

Gone are the days when almost all college students begin and end their college career in four years at a single institution. Many parents, and their students, still imagine that scenario as students engage in the admissions process and agonize over finding just the right college or university for them. Most see themselves graduating from there at the end of four years.

We now know that fewer and fewer students are completing their college degree in four years. Five years is now closer to the national average, with many students taking longer than that. College transfer may, but is not necessarily, a factor in why students may take longer to graduate.

Like so many other things, the number of students enrolling in college and transferring to a new college experienced a large dip during the pandemic. Now a new report has been released indicating that numbers are beginning to rebound.

#107 – Waiting to Fail: Holding on to Hope

March 20, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

We recently received an email from a parent with a question. This mom was concerned that in spite of a number of supports, her son was struggling and not doing well. She could see far enough down the road to be fairly certain he was going to fail and she wondered whether failing was the only way he would realize that he needs to use his supports more fully. This mom wants to hold on to the hope that her son will come through – and she asks for some strategies to guide him. In this episode Vicki and Lynn do their best to share some of those strategies – along with some reassurance and hope.

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Why Midterm Is Decision Time for Your Student

March 11, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

For many students the midpoint of the semester feels like a shock. How can the semester be half over already? How can I still have so much work to do? Is that really what my grade is at this point of the semester? It feels as though we just got started and it’s time for midterm exams!

This midterm surprise can be a good thing. For many students it’s a wake-up call or a reality check. This is where you are. This is what’s left. This is what you need to do.

For other students, midterm can be an affirmation that they’re on the right track. They need to continue to do what they’ve been doing.

Still others may realize that a little tweaking will make a difference by the end of the semester. They’re headed in the right direction but need a little fine tuning.

Information gathering

The first thing your student needs to do at midterm is gather as much information as possible. Midterm exams can be a valuable source of that information. An exam can give your student feedback about how well they understand the material.

#106 – Academic Advising Matters: What You Need to Know

March 6, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

Vicki and Sarah spent some time recently at the Region 1 conference of NACADA – the National Advising Association. There’s a lot to learn about how staff and faculty advisors work to guide your student throughout their college career. In this episode, Vicki and Sarah compare notes and share some of the themes that bubbled up at the conference. It may help you understand a little more about your student as you hear what some of the people who work with students every day had to say. The more you understand about how college academic advising works, the better you’ll be able to understand some of your student’s academic decisions.

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College Parent News & Views – February 2024

February 29, 2024 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 in the comments below.

#105 – Q & A on College Supports for Students with Learning Disabilities

February 21, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

In this, our first crossover episode, we joined with Elizabeth Hamblet (one of our new cohosts) as she hosted a Facebook Live discussion with four guests who work in programs for students with disabilities – Brittany Cortinas of the University of Arizona’s SALT Center, Ann-Marie Stripling of Focus Collegiate, Mary Sokolowski of College Internship Program, and Adam Lalor of Landmark College. Our panel shared information about how to evaluate what’s right for your student and how different programs support students in various ways. Don’t skip over this episode if your student does not have a disability or ADHD because there’s lots of information about how to support your neuro-typical student as well.

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Why College Parenting Begins in High School

February 19, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

Thinking about and preparing for college begin earlier and earlier for most students. There are countless books, websites, programs, lectures and consulting services offered to help students as they begin their college preparation and admission journey. These services help students decide what high school classes to take, how to prepare for the SAT or ACT, how to select colleges and conduct college visits, how to finance an education and acquire loans. There are lists and lists and lists available telling them what to bring to college and how to furnish the ultimate dorm room.

The journey to becoming a college parent can be more mysterious. Many of us guide and support our student through the admission process, and we assume we’ll become a college parent once we drop our student off at Move-in Day. But if we wait until our student begins college to begin “college parenting,” we’re late to the game.

It’s a natural misunderstanding. Much of the focus during high school is on getting into college. However, your focus on “college parenting” includes helping your student focus on preparing to thrive in college in addition to getting into college.

#104 – Meet the Team: Student Support Roles

February 11, 2024February 7, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

In this episode we’re “meeting the team” in two different ways. We introduce you to our new College Parent Central podcasting team as we are joined by new cohosts Elizabeth Hamblet and Sarah Shane, and we also reintroduce Vicki Nelson and Lynn Abrahams for new listeners. But we’re also talking about the team of people at most colleges who are there to support your student. With so many different support roles it’s easy to wonder who does what. We discuss the differences between academic advisors, success coordinators, tutors, disability services and learning disabilities developmental programs. We also break down how all of these roles differ from your student’s high school guidance counselor. This conversation will help you guide your student toward the college supports they need.

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