College Parent Central

Boomerang Kids: When Your College Student or College Graduate Moves Back Home

September 22, 2018June 5, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

You know that the transition to college during the first year is going to be stressful for both your college student and for you. You work hard to give your student the independence that he needs and wants. You have both survived the experience and your student is thriving. Then your student needs to move back home. This might be due to a change of plans during college – either because of a transfer to a school closer to home, for financial reasons, or some other reason. Or this might happen once your student graduates. In these difficult economic times more and more students are returning home after college until they can find a job and get their bearings.

You may be delighted to have your student return home, or you may be concerned about how things will proceed. Having your student home again may be a mixed blessing as your empty nest becomes repopulated. Every family will be different. Every parent’s reaction will be different. But there are some things that you can do to help the process go more smoothly.

Discussing Campus Safety With Your College Student

September 22, 2018June 4, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

In our previous post, we discussed legislation which has been passed to aid colleges in establishing procedures and sharing information regarding campus safety. This is an important beginning in keeping college students safe. However, the actions that college students take each day are also important in increasing their safety. Parents can, and should, encourage students to increase their awareness of their actions on a daily basis. Parents and students might also consider some of the following factors, or ask questions regarding them, as they visit colleges during the admissions process.

Legislation for Campus Safety: Reassurance for Parents of College Students

September 22, 2018June 3, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

As college parents, one of our major concerns when our student heads off to college may be her safety. We want our student to do well academically, we want her to be healthy, we want her to be happy, but first and foremost, we want her to be safe. The safety of college students has become an increasingly important topic in recent years

Ideally, a three way partnership will do the most to help keep college students safe. Parents need to talk to their students about safety, students need to exercise awareness and behave responsibly, and colleges need to take precautions to keep students safe.

Concern for the safety of college students is a growing national concern in light of recent tragedies on college campuses. Two laws in particular have been passed which attempt to begin to address this concern.

Helping Your College Student With Sibling Relationships

June 25, 2019June 2, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

As our college student heads off to college, we may be feeling the “empty nest” syndrome, even though there are still other children at home. The family is different now, with one or more students off to college. We know that things are different and we work to adjust to the new family dynamic. However, parents and college students are not the only ones making an adjustment. When our college student leaves home, siblings remaining at home will be feeling the change, and the loss, as well. There are some things that we can think about as parents, and that we can help our college student to think about, to make this adjustment go smoothly for siblings remaining at home.

Obviously, how we deal with siblings at home will depend on their age. A sibling in high school, approaching college himself, will have different perceptions and needs than a young child. Family dynamics are also unique and vastly different. But certain actions and conversations may be helpful to anyone.

Alternatives to Having a Car on Campus

March 15, 2017June 1, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

In an earlier post, we suggested some of the considerations parents and students might want to discuss as they decide whether or not the student will take a car to campus. Many colleges prohibit first-year students from bringing cars, but at some point during the college years, your student may want to consider whether or not to take a car to school.

More and more colleges are encouraging their students to leave their cars home. As more students bring cars to school, parking on many campuses is becoming a serious issue. Colleges and universities are also trying to do their part to institute policies which are environmentally friendly. So if your college student is considering whether or not to take a car to school, he might want to investigate the alternatives available.

Helping Your College Student Select a Meal Plan

June 24, 2019May 29, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

If your college student will be living on campus, one of the decisions she may need to make is choosing a meal plan. The policies and options for meal plans vary from school to school. They are often mandatory for resident students and may be offered as an option for commuters. They usually involve a prepaid account from which your student draws for meals. She will probably have a meal card (which may be her college ID card) which she will swipe each time she purchases a meal.

Summer Preparations For Your College Student’s Transition to Freshman Year.

May 25, 2020May 28, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

The SAT’s are done, the college visits are done, the applications submitted, the acceptances received, the deposit paid. Your student is headed off to college in the fall. It’s a wonderful – and a stressful – time for everyone. The time between high school graduation in the spring and arrival at college in the fall goes by quickly and yet may seem at times interminable. There is a lot going on.

There are some things that you, and your college student, can do during the summer to make the transition to college go much more smoothly in the fall. This is the beginning of your new role as a college parent – that of a coach or mentor. Summer is a great time to try out the new role.

College Students and Credit Cards — Part 2

March 15, 2017May 27, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Numbers can tell us a lot, and it is important that we consider the sometimes surprising numbers regarding college student use of credit cards. In our previous post, we looked at some of the current statistics regarding student credit card use. In this post, we consider not only the numbers, but also what parents might do to help their college students to understand and work with their credit cards.

It is clear when we look at some of the numbers surrounding college student credit card use that credit cards are an important part of college student life. Students often have multiple cards and they use those cards to pay for everything from tuition, to textbooks, to food and clothing. Many students carry a balance – which may be because of lack of understanding or from irresponsibility – but which also may be out of necessity. Student credit card use mirrors what we are learning about American society’s use of credit cards.

College Students and Credit Cards — Part 1

March 15, 2017May 26, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

This is the first of a two-part series regarding college students and their use of credit cards. This post attempts to give an overview of student credit card use by presenting some statistics taken from Sallie Mae’s National Study of Usage Rates and Trends of Undergraduate Student Credit Card Use released in April 2009. In our next post, we’ll discuss how parents can help students think about their use of credit.

Most college students use credit cards. Credit has become a part of the fabric of college life. Many college students use credit cards out of necessity, and many college students use credit cards wisely, but college student debt is mounting. Many parents of college students who are over 18 may not know whether their student has a credit card, or multiple credit cards, or whether their student is carrying a balance.

The following are some statistics which may give college parents pause to do some thinking about their student’s use of credit. These statistics were released in a recent study by Sallie Mae conducted in the spring of 2008, regarding college students and credit cards. You may find some of these facts surprising.

Ten Things To Do If You Need To Call Your Child’s College

August 19, 2019May 22, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

As a college parent you’ve listened to all of the advice and you’re working hard to help your college student gain independence and responsibility. You encourage her to handle her own problems and talk to the appropriate contact people at the college when she has questions or problems. But something has come up and you feel that it is absolutely necessary for you to step in and talk to someone at the school. What do you do now?

Here are ten things to consider that will make your phone call effective.

Boomerang Kids: When Your College Student or College Graduate Moves Back Home

Discussing Campus Safety With Your College Student

Legislation for Campus Safety: Reassurance for Parents of College Students

Helping Your College Student With Sibling Relationships

Alternatives to Having a Car on Campus

Helping Your College Student Select a Meal Plan

Summer Preparations For Your College Student’s Transition to Freshman Year.

College Students and Credit Cards — Part 2

College Students and Credit Cards — Part 1

Ten Things To Do If You Need To Call Your Child’s College

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