Just before Thanksgiving I received a flurry of texts from my 19-year-old college sophomore: Daughter: “I’m so excited to come home!” Me: “YAY!” Daughter: “Please don’t coddle me too much or ask a million questions. I’ll talk more if you don’t pester me.” Me: “Ummm…OK?” Daughter: “Can you make mac-n-cheese one night?” Me: “Yes. This […]

As college parents we worry about our student’s transition when they head off to college. We know that it will be a big adjustment and that our student will be facing challenges and undergoing changes. Sometimes, however, we forget that there will also be a big adjustment and some challenges when our college student returns home again for their first real vacation. Their first longer visit home will be a time of readjustment and reacquaintance for everyone. It will help to consider some of the things you might expect during this time.

The key to becoming an effective student is learning to study smarter, not harder. As your student advances in their education, this becomes even more important. An hour or two of studying a day is usually sufficient to make it through high school with satisfactory grades. But when college arrives, without smart study habits, your student can feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day to cover their required coursework.

If you have a child planning to attend college during the 2025-26 school year, you have a role in completing the FAFSA. Filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in financial aid to pay for college. For most students, completing the FAFSA requires information from a parent. Filing the […]

College years are the formative years of your young adult’s life. They have newfound independence and responsibility in all major parts of their life, which often can become overwhelming and stressful. Therefore, it’s important for college students to develop successful habits to help keep up with everything and make the most out of their once-in-a-lifetime experience. In this article, we’ve compiled a collection of habits that all successful students swear by, and hopefully, they will help your student develop a routine for success.

There’s a rhythm to a college semester. There’s the nervousness at the beginning of the semester as students look at the syllabus for each class and realize that there will be a lot of work to do. Gradually, however, routine settles in, and work feels more manageable, and not as overwhelming as it seemed at […]

College is often stressful, and sometimes it can feel like parents don’t understand what college students are going through. However, there are some things college students love that parents do, but they don’t necessarily tell their parents.

As a college parent, you want to support your college student in any way that you can. You talk on the phone, you send mail and care packages (students love to find something in their mailbox!), and you listen when they share joys or worries; but there is a limit to what you can do. In your […]

Parents of new college students often wish they could peek inside their child’s world and help them from afar. They want to know what their child’s biggest stressors are, how they’re adjusting, and more. Well, as a college writing instructor, I can tell you when your child needs your support most — it’s during the last months of each semester.

One piece of advice that is given to students over and over again is ”Get to know your professors,” or ”Talk to your professors.” It is important advice. College provides a wonderful opportunity for students to get to know and work with experts and leaders in their chosen field. Some students develop lifelong mentoring relationships and friendships with their faculty members.