Vicki Nelson

#103 – Encore Episode – Second Semester of College: The Transition No One Talks About

January 17, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

The transition to second semester of college is so important – and often hidden – that we’ve decided to share this episode again. You and your student may be taken by surprise when the start of the second semester of college seems so difficult. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn explore why some students may experience the “second semester blues” and why some parents feel they need to increase their involvement. We share strategies you can use to calm your fears and help your student make the most of this fresh start.

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Focusing on a Word in 2024: Resilient

January 8, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

Happy New Year! We needed to let the holidays settle and give everyone time to get their bearings this year before tackling a look ahead. Although we often try to get those important resolutions made before January 1, sometimes there’s more clarity after we’ve recovered from the busy holiday season.

But now it’s time to look ahead.

Some of us make resolutions. Fewer of us keep those resolutions. Some of us choose a Word of the Year (WOTY). Some of us hope for the best, and some of us just move ahead – perhaps feeling the optimism of a fresh start or just continuing as usual. How we deal with the close of one year and the opening of another is a very personal choice.

Here at College Parent Central we’ve taken different approaches over the years (and yes, there have been a lot of years by now.) In the past we’ve offered some resolution suggestions for college parents and students. We’ve offered some suggestions for high school parents and students. We’ve thought about what makes a good resolution. We’ve suggested activities for the new year, people to thank, and even offered a few “one-and-done” resolutions. Two years ago we suggested some options for the WOTY approach. Last year we narrowed that down to suggest a particular word – power. That word is still an apt one and we explained many reasons why in last year’s article. Whether or not you decide to choose a word, we highly recommend going back and reading about power as you and your student look ahead to the new year.

This year, we’re going to continue with the Word of the Year approach because it makes sense. Besides, it’s easier to hang on to a single word than to remember (and live up to) a string of resolutions!

#102 – Helping Students Develop Relationships with Professors Beyond the Classroom

January 3, 2024 by Vicki Nelson

As a follow-up to our earlier episode on communicating with professors (#83), Lynn and Vicki explore some of the benefits of relationships with professors, what those relationships might look like, and how students might approach and work with faculty members outside of the classroom. We often assume many of these social skills are second nature and common sense, but post Covid, students may need help in developing these skills. Parents may be one of their student’s most valuable coaches.

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College Parent News and Views – December 2023

December 31, 2023 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.

Looking Back to Move Forward: 2023 at College Parent Central

December 29, 2023 by Vicki Nelson

It’s that time of year again when just about everyone, every publication, organization and media outlet is doing a “Year in Review” or “Best Of.” Reflecting is always a good exercise before moving forward – and the New Year is all about moving forward! Looking at how we’ve come to where we are often helps us set some goals and find our direction.

So before we look ahead, make plans, make resolutions we probably won’t keep, or set goals for 2024, we’d like to take a moment to look back at 2023.

We invite you to take a few minutes to reflect with us, and to think about how you view your role as a college parent. How have you grown into the role over the past year or how have you prepared for the role? Where might you and your college student go next year?

Helpful Ideas for Winter Break and Looking Ahead

December 20, 2023 by Vicki Nelson

The holiday season is upon us and students are headed home to celebrate the holidays and settle in for a long Winter Break. This is a season of festivities, but your student may be exhausted and need a few days to rest up from the end-of-semester activities and exams. They had a lot to get through, but now they can finally relax.

#101 – What’s Ahead for the College Parent Central Podcast?

December 6, 2023 by Vicki Nelson

In this episode Vicki and Lynn take a look ahead to Season 5 of the podcast and describe some of the exciting changes we’re planning. We introduce two new co-hosts who will be joining the College Parent Central Podcast Team. Elizabeth Hamblet and Sarah Share will be adding their voices to the season ahead. We’re excited about exploring new topics and perspectives while continuing to provide the support for parents we’ve shared in the past four seasons. We also reviewed a few of the themes we may be talking about as we move forward.

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Please leave us a review at “Love the Podcast” to help others find us.

College Parent News and Views – November 2023

November 30, 2023 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.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Students – 2023

November 30, 2023November 26, 2023 by Vicki Nelson

It hardly seems possible that the calendar has rolled around to the holiday season again! But here we are!

As we think about family and friends – those we will gather with and those afar – many of us naturally begin to think about gifts. And sometimes it can seem especially tough to come up with ideas for your college student. They’ve been away for a few months and it may be harder to think about what they need and want. Or perhaps your student will just be heading to college next fall and you’d like to give them a head start on some good college-useful gifts.

Of course, you know your student better than anyone and can tap into their interests and needs. Maybe they’ve even given you some suggestions or made some requests.

But just in case you’re stumped, we’re here to help. We have 14 new suggestions this year to add to the nearly 120 suggestions in our Holiday Gift Guide. Start with this year’s list and then hop over to our Guide for even more food for thought. Check out our ideas and then let your own creativity take over! If you have additional ideas or suggestions, share them in the comments. Let’s make this a community project!

Deflecting the Q & A of the Holiday Dinner Table

November 21, 2023 by Vicki Nelson

Q & A, in this instance, means Questions and Advice, just what your college or high school student does not want to deal with at the holiday dinner table. But it’s almost inevitable, as the extended family gathers and wants to hear where your student is going to school, what they’ll major in, or how that first semester of college has been going.

Jeff Selingo has written two of my favorite books for college parents, There Is Life After College and Who Gets In and Why. I recommend them any time I can. So when I saw Jeff’s Instagram reel sharing his response to parent questions about the Question and Advice dilemma, I knew it was worth sharing.

The first question was from the parent of a high school senior who wanted to know how his son could deal with all of the inevitable questions he knew he’d get about the colleges he’s applied to. Jeff’s advice was spot on. He suggested turning the conversation around and asking the inquiring relative about their experiences. Where did they go to school? Where else had they applied or considered? Why did they make the choice they did? What had they learned from the process or what did they wish they had known earlier? Was there anything they might have done differently?

#103 – Encore Episode – Second Semester of College: The Transition No One Talks About

Focusing on a Word in 2024: Resilient

#102 – Helping Students Develop Relationships with Professors Beyond the Classroom

College Parent News and Views – December 2023

Looking Back to Move Forward: 2023 at College Parent Central

Helpful Ideas for Winter Break and Looking Ahead

#101 – What’s Ahead for the College Parent Central Podcast?

College Parent News and Views – November 2023

Holiday Gift Ideas for Students – 2023

Deflecting the Q & A of the Holiday Dinner Table

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