As a parent of a college aged daughter I dread January. ‘Tis the season of getting taxes done early so I can get the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completed. The FAFSA is used by the college to determine our estimated family contribution (EFC). The EFC is the amount we will be expected [...]

The history of a college usually influences what it is today. If it started as an agricultural school, it is likely to offer fields of study that relate to the science and business management of running a dairy, cultivating crops or preserving foods today. If it started as a seminary for women in a year [...]

The story below is based on a true story but the names have been changed for confidentiality. When Tawnya’s grandmother passed away after a long and painful illness it sent the whole family into a tailspin. Grandma had been the spiritual head of the family. She was the one that family members went to when [...]

When choosing a college it is also important to consider living arrangements. Some schools require students to live on campus for at least their first two years while other schools have more students who commute from home than who live on campus. Some schools require first year students to live in dormitories while other schools [...]

When daughter number one was transitioning between college and graduate school she opted to go to New Orleans, a city where we didn’t know anyone. She insisted on going straight from college graduation to New Orleans. She was to have a job starting in six weeks and would be in school at Tulane University and [...]

When choosing a college it is also helpful to look at all the courses that are available on campus. In this article I will focus on courses that will be outside of your major. This is because I’ve already addressed courses that would be in your major in the article titled “Degree Programs Offered“. While [...]

Identity theft happens regardless of gender, age or ethnicity. In fact, a growing target is among university students. Many people turn to identity recovery programs once they have become the victim of identity fraud. Or they may attempt to “clean up” the incident themselves. However, there are companies out there, such as ID Theft Assist, [...]

The phone rings and a familiar voice gasps, “Mom?” And then sounds of sobbing come over the line. My motherly mind races through several sad scenarios and I have to rein in my thoughts of the possible worst to simply ask, “What’s wrong?” Then regardless of what my college-aged child has to tell me, I [...]

Many students around the world are experiencing Dead Week this week. (Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_week for a definition of Dead Week.) For those students who have been working steadily to get big papers and projects done in increments, Dead Week can be a relatively painless and somewhat amusing time. But for those who have procrastinated or [...]

When you’re stressed, it’s so tempting to reach for that cigarette, chill out with a beer, or ransack the Oreo’s. We’ve been taught to be a consumerist culture, after all. Marketers spend billions of dollars each year to make sure we know that there’s a product out there waiting to fix all our problems. While [...]