This is a guest post by Ashyia Hill. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.

You’re proud of your child for wanting to attend college but scared of the financial burden.  It’s very common for parents to feel this way, especially with the rising cost of tuition. Fortunately, there are many methods for helping your high school student find money for college.  So if your child is repeatedly saying “I need money for college”, this article will discuss ten tips on answering the age-old question of how to get money for college.

1. Fill out your portion of the FAFSA before Valentine’s Day

If you stop reading this article right now, please let this be the one tip you follow! Filling out the parent portion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the single most important thing you can do to help your college-bound student find money for school.

Filling out a FAFSA will make your college-bound student eligible for many different types of financial aid, including subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, federal work-study, grant money for college, and many types of scholarships, too.  Grants and college scholarships are considered free money for college since they do not have to be paid back.

Please note that filling out the FAFSA is completely free and does not commit you to pay a penny of your college-bound student’s expenses. It’s just a form that provides your child’s future school with the information they need to award aid. Your child can fill out the student portion on their own.

Let’s look at it from the other angle, too. If you don’t fill out the parent portion of the FAFSA, your child will be ineligible for most types of aid. Your child might be able to receive an unsubsidized Stafford loan, but only if you completely stop financially supporting your child and they can prove to the financial aid office that you refuse to file a FAFSA.

It’s not rare for colleges to adopt a first-come, first-served policy for some types of financial assistance, like federal work-study, so it’s best to fill out your portion of the FAFSA early. If your child wants to start college in the fall, you should make sure you do your part by completing your section early. Then, encourage your student to finish theirs and submit it before the 14^th of February.

2. Talk to your child’s guidance counselor about college scholarships

Many high schools receive scholarship filing guidelines and application forms directly from scholarship committees. Your child’s guidance counselor may know about scholarships you haven’t heard of yet.

So, make an appointment to drop by the school and ask them what’s available.

3. Contact prospective colleges about institutional scholarships and grant money for college

Many colleges offer college scholarships and grants just for their students. It doesn’t hurt to call, e-mail, or visit the colleges your child is interested in to ask what types of aid is available especially for their students.

If your college-bound student is accepted into several of their top choice schools, the availability of aid and scholarships at each one could help them narrow down the list.

4. Ask your employer if they offer college scholarships for children of employees

Yes, even in the age of cutbacks and layoffs, some companies still offer scholarships for children of employees.

Intel, for example, provides 1.4 million dollars worth of scholarship money to children of employees from 26 different locations around the world.

So, talk to your employer about possible scholarship opportunities for your college-bound student.

5. Look up what is available using a free scholarship search engine

Skip the pay-to-search websites and focus on the many free scholarship search engines instead. You just need to set up a profile for your college-bound student on each site and the search engine will find the scholarships that they are likely to qualify for.

You can start with the College Board’s regularly updated Scholarship Search. It’s available at College Board Scholarship Search and features more than 2,300 sources of funding.

6. Drive your college-bound student to drop off job applications and attend interviews

Working is still one of the best ways for young people to earn money for college. If your child doesn’t have a car yet, you can help by driving them to pick up applications, drop off applications, attend interviews, and get to work on time, at least until they can save up for their own ride.

If your college-bound student finds a job that they like close to campus, they can keep working there during the school year, too.

Some parents worry that working while in college could hurt their child’s grades, but a study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the opposite is true. After collecting information on hundreds of undergraduate students from 1996 through 2004, they found that the average grade point average for university freshmen who worked between one and 20 hours per week was 3.13. Students who didn’t have jobs had GPAs averaging 3.04.

However, the study also found that freshmen who clocked in more than 20 hours per week had GPAs averaging 2.95, so full-time jobs are probably best left for summers and breaks.

Your college-bound student’s first job may just earn them minimum wage, but with tuition costs today, every little bit helps!

7. Carefully evaluate student credit cards

Establishing credit is an important part of adult life.  Consider student credit cards to help your child build credit.  While earning cash back on everyday spending is a plus, make sure your college-bound student understands financial responsibility and the importance of paying on time, on budget.

8. Apply for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan

If you have good credit, you could qualify for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan to help cover your student’s college expenses. These can be put toward paying for your kid’s school supplies, housing, tuition, and more.

However, keep in mind that this will be your loan, not your kid’s loan. It will be in your name and you will be responsible for paying it back.

According to student loan expert Heather Jarvis, Parent PLUS Loans can’t be repaid under Income-Based Repayment or Income-Contingent Repayment. Like regular student loans, they can haunt you for a long time if you aren’t careful.

9. Co-sign for a private student loan

If your student isn’t getting enough federal loans and grants to make ends meet, you could help them get a different type of aid by cosigning for a private student loan.

In this situation, both you and your college-bound student will be responsible for the loan. If your child doesn’t pay up, you will have to. Your credit score will probably take a hit if your child skips a payment or defaults on the loan.

Additionally, these loans are provided by banks and companies to earn a profit, so they tend to have higher interest rates than federal loans.

So, it’s best to only think of cosigning for a private student loan as a back-up plan if none of the above tips are enough for your child to cover their college expenses. Make sure your child borrows only what they need and keeps applying for traditional forms of aid.

10. Be sure to file taxes each year, even if your income is low.

If your student, who is under 24 years of age, continues to live with you and rely on you for financial support while attending school full-time, you can keep claiming them as a dependent when you file taxes. This could make you eligible to receive free tax credits.

One of these tax credits is the Lifetime Learning Credit, which is designed to help with college expenses for taxpayers and their dependents. You could receive a tax credit worth 20% of the tuition and college-related costs you incurred for your child, up to $2,000!

So, even if your income is low, it’s worth it to file your taxes every year.

We hope these ten tips for helping your college-bound student find money for college will be useful to you and your child. It is even better when that money is free money for college.  Obviously, some of these strategies involve more direct involvement than others. As always, think about your situation carefully before taking on any financial responsibilities.

If you feel discouraged, remember that funding your child’s education is a way of investing for the future. As with any investment, there is some risk involved. Risk is the price we all pay for opportunity.

This guest article was written by Ashyia Hill who is a freelance writer.

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Yesterday my wife and I took our eldest daughter to the airport to study abroad for a semester in Ireland.  She is now a junior in college and it was almost exactly two years ago that I wrote this post about leaving her off at college for the first time and the separation anxiety we felt.  I must admit, that was a much tougher experience for me than this one.  Granted, this time we cannot just drive two hours up to see her at college if she is sick or needs us to be there for some reason or another.

There was the time in her freshman year that she had a case of head lice.  I’m sure you have probably heard about this in grade school but it is also prevalent in college.  My wife was able to head up there as soon as she found out about it.  In two hours she was able to pick up the medication needed to shampoo my daughter’s hair and headed over to the dorm. After the application my daughter felt so much better and my wife was able to come home in the afternoon.  She went back up the following week for another application and that took care of the problem.  Being close enough to get to the college easily should be a consideration for any parent.

Then there was the time we thought she might have had the H1N1 Virus, also when she was a freshman.  I remember a lot of parents were concerned about this virus during Accepted Students Day before she even started her classes. Many questions were asked to the college President and Dean of Student Affairs about how the college planned on dealing with this potential epidemic. My daughter knew that if a student came down with this virus they would have to be quarantined and separated from the rest of the students.

What this ultimately meant to her was that this could adversely affect her getting up to speed in her classes.  If there is anything my daughter gets concerned about it is falling behind in her class studies, especially the first semester of her freshman year!  She was in tears on the phone with us so my wife headed up to the college that morning, took her to the clinic on campus, and we found out that she did not have the virus.  This was a load off of our daughter’s mind as well as ours.

A little scare at the baggage check-in counter

Yesterday, as we were at the airport to see her off we were checking her in at the gate.  The US Air employee, Fred, asked her a few questions before checking her bag.

“Do you have a return ticket?”

My daughter replied “Not yet“.

Then Fred looked at her and said “I can’t let you go then.” We thought he was joking.

My daughter asked “Seriously?”

He said “You need to have a return ticket before you can fly to another country.  The State Department came out with a statement in the last few days indicating this was the case.”

So my daughter asked “Can I log onto my computer and order the ticket now?”

He said “Sure.”

He left to help another customer and told us he would be back once the ticket was ordered. Due to the fact that Logan Airport in Boston has free wireless internet, my daughter was able to log in, order a return ticket from Dublin

to Boston for late December, and acquire the record locator number which was what the US Air employee needed.  Within 15 minutes her bag was checked in and we were off for a quick bite for lunch before she entered security.

After having a quick lunch, my wife, youngest daughter, and I waited in the hallway of the airport and watched silently as my eldest waited in a fairly short security line and eventually passed through the scanner.  After she put on her shoes, belt, and gathered up her backpack and carry-on, she waved back to us and smiled before she headed off on an adventure of a lifetime.  When she turned her back and headed off into that terminal all by herself, we knew that another chapter in our daughter’s life, and ours, was just beginning.

I then looked into my wife’s eyes and she looked into mine.  They were moist with tears, as were mine.  Here was our eldest leaving for four months for another country, not two hours away, but a 6 hour flight away. I must admit, it was easier than leaving her off for college for the first time two years ago, but it was still very, very tough…

Lianna unCorked, the blog

If you’d like to keep abreast of Lianna’s study abroad adventure in Cork, Ireland, you can do so by visiting her blog called Lianna unCorked. She will be posting pictures and posts from her experiences in Ireland. She welcomes any and all comments!

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This is a guest post by Susan. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.

The years spent in higher education are widely referred to as some of the best years of one’s life. However, the simple fact of the matter is that stress constantly rears its ugly head during the course of the college years. Of course, there will always be those who breeze through the whole process with a fly-by-night attitude, or perhaps even give up their pursuits halfway through. But for those who actually care about grades and the future, there is truly no such thing as a stress-free student life.  Although human nature would have us believe otherwise, stress can be managed.  How to deal with anxiety is something a student should work at regularly and religiously.  There are a few simple, though highly important tips, that any student can follow to keep anxiety at bay. By utilizing and implementing the tips laid out below, college life should end up being a much more satisfying and enjoyable experience.

Manage Diet and Exercise Regularly

Diet and exercise can play very important roles in the management of stress.  Sugary foods and caffeinated drinks will lead to highs and lows, neither of which is beneficial to the studying process. Cereals, vegetables, fruits, and protein are ideal foods to supply natural energy to the body avoiding the fluctuations in energy levels. In addition to a healthy diet, a brief regular exercise routine will help reduce stress levels and improve your overall outlook on life.

Avoid Possible Catalysts

This can sometimes involve a little ruthlessness, but if a friend, regardless of how close they are, is prone to becoming enormously stressed and panicked and spends more time complaining, that should be a red flag. The only thing that can be gained by being around such a person is further doubt and worry…so stay clear of toxic friends!

The Power of No

Saying no can be a skill that takes a lifetime to master. There always seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime party or event happening that simply cannot be missed.  The problem arises when a single party spills over into several days that could have been used more wisely. By no means should you become a shut-in, but you must have your priorities in order.  Saying no, especially when the alternative could adversely affect your grades, is a tip that all students should take to heart.

Never Skip Breaks

Even during the high studying times right before midterms or finals, it is important to take some well-timed breaks.  Even if it’s just 10 minutes per hour that you get away and rest your eyes from your notes and books, it will make a world of difference.  If you are trained in meditation this would be the perfect opportunity to release some tension so that you will be refreshed for the final studying push.

Positive Visualization

Students at times can think of the worst-case scenario.  What if I don’t pass this exam?  What if I don’t pass this course?  What if I never graduate? Visualization can be an extremely powerful practice.  If you see yourself succeeding in your courses and in your student life, chances are your actions will follow these positive thoughts.  Even after your student life is over, positive visualization is an excellent practice in post-graduate endeavors.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

When approaching an exam or testing situation, should haves and could haves are entirely pointless. The study period is over and what has been learned has been learned. As such, if the study time has been used sensibly and wisely, there is nothing better than a self-administered pat on the back to boost confidence. Of course, anybody can nit-pick and say they could obviously have crammed more in by studying 24 hours a day for the past six weeks, but this really isn’t realistic by anyone’s standards. Always give maximum credit for what has been done and ignore what has not been done – as there’s nothing that can be done about it now anyway!

Hopefully these tips on how to deal with anxiety at college will help those of you who are either about to embark on this adventure or are fully entrenched in the college scene.

This article was contributed by Susan who is an amateur interior designer and freelance writer, with other interests lying in photography and dancing. When she’s not juggling her various hobbies, she enjoys kicking back with a DVD in her leather sleeper sofa.

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This is a guest post by Melissa Crossman. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.

Being accepted to college and starting on a career path can be one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. Backpack full of books and freshly-printed schedule in hand, the world and all its possibilities unfold. Though new and exciting, a degree program has to complement a student’s needs, whether s/he is pursuing an associate degree in nursing or transferring credits to begin working on a bachelor’s. Much like a new outfit, the program simply has to be the right fit.

Every degree program comes with its highs and lows, from finding a mentor in a professor to slogging through a required but less-than-pleasant course. Students should be aware of issues that might truly impede their progress, such as a lack of available courses to complete a degree or an academic advisor who never returns emails. Perhaps the problem is simply that the program is different than it was advertised; even a few ‘surprise’ requirements can delay graduation by a year or more. What may not be a big deal to a freshman just beginning his/her academic journey can be crucial to a junior or senior whose academic future is based on a set graduation date.

Entirely possible, especially given the current economic climate, is the chance that a student can no longer afford to pay tuition. Scholarships and grants provide a great boost, but aren’t always available or awarded. Financial aid, based on a student’s need, might only cover a portion of classes or not be disbursed at all if the parents’ income exceeds a fixed limit. Students, who are likely already pursuing some type of employment, might consider potentially cheaper options, such as pursuing an online degree or attending a community college. While attending school full-time is quicker, forging an alternative path might be necessary.

Years spent in school are bound to change a student’s worldview. It’s entirely possible – and even probable – for a learner to change his/her academic direction, from declaring a minor to changing their major entirely. For any number of reasons, a student who always wanted to be a doctor may realize they would rather pursue a career in nursing. What sounded good as a freshman, such as attaining a Master’s degree or Ph.D. following graduation, may no longer be appealing. When preparing to make a move from one’s degree program, it’s important to be flexible. What seemed set in stone a month or a year prior may no longer apply.

As the saying goes, the world is one’s oyster. If one opportunity doesn’t work out, try on another. There’s no sense in continuing to pursue a degree that feels wrong or is no longer interesting. Regardless of whether one’s academic courses are different than described or the academic climate too tough to weather, it is both acceptable and necessary to travel in a different direction. Paramount to success in college – and life – is accepting that things can and will change, often for good reason.

This guest contribution was submitted by Melissa Crossman, a recent college grad who enjoys cooking, traveling, and playing sports. She is relatively new to the blogging world and writes tips for current college students, college graduates, and jobseekers..

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This is a guest post by Pamelia Brown. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.

Parents warn their children of the heartache that can come with being in a relationship and eventually ending romantic relationships, but rarely do they touch on how to get over a break up with a best friend which is something that happens quite frequently in college. Why? In short, college is a self-discovery experience where students grow and change. Some grow and change so much that they no longer see eye-to-eye with their bestie and the friendship disintegrates, sometimes through a natural falling out, other times via a heated argument.

While some understand that this is just a part of life and friends come and go, others don’t take friendship breakups so lightly, especially with those that they’ve known since childhood. In fact, some find friendship breakups even more painful than ending it with a boyfriend or girlfriend. But it’s important that you don’t let the distress of being dumped by a friend affect your studies, your health or job responsibilities, if you are employed. Instead, follow the tips listed below to learn how to get over a break up more gracefully.

Communicate

If you and your best friend are no longer speaking due to an argument and you still want to preserve the friendship, it’s important that you act like an adult and talk it through. Take a few days to cool off if need be but do try to resolve the issue, especially if you are in the wrong. Apologize and see if you can move past the issue and continue being friends.

Be Mature

If you are not in the wrong, it’s equally important that you are not immature and block your friend’s number so they can’t contact you. On a similar note, don’t “blast” your friend on Facebook, post “subliminal” tweets (indirect snarky comments) or delete them entirely from your social networking site(s) right away. While this type of behavior is generally a defensive mechanism practiced by younger people, know that this type of impulsive reaction will just make the situation worse. If after talking it through and either one of you decides the friendship is over, then you may proceed with deleting them from social networking sites if you choose to do so, but not until after a talk has been completed.

Appreciate other Friends

If you are extremely hurt by the friendship fall out, it’s important that you remind yourself about all the other great

friends that you have in your life: the ones who still want to have a relationship with you. No longer being friends with someone who you once considered a best friend can be tough, but don’t get caught up and neglect the other great friends you have. Always remember you can also turn to your family for emotional support and comfort as well.

Keep Busy

Lastly, keep yourself busy. An excellent way to speed up the healing process is to indulge in activities that you find enjoyable or by simply studying more. Schoolwork might be the last thing on your mind but reading and studying can actually serve as a temporary escape. When your mind is focused on something else, such as schoolwork, you have less time to worry about that “friend” you lost. If you follow the advice listed here it should help you learn how to get over a break up with a friend in college.

This guest contribution was submitted by Pamelia Brown, who specializes in writing about the associates degree.

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This is a guest post by Donna Reish. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

There are plenty of people who are ready to challenge me on this point already. I know, I know money is everything. Entering the real world with a degree in French Literature or Medieval History, even if it’s from your first choice college, isn’t going to get you a six figure job offer right off the bat (in all likelihood). Sure, I get this. With a degree in English Literature and Rhetoric, maybe I come from a skewed perspective. However, I think this is a point worth considering.

Find your Passion

College should be about discovering what it is you are passionate about. You should use college as an opportunity to explore all different curricula. Take science classes, take math classes, study the feudal systems of Early Modern Europe, and explore the creatures that live in the depths of the oceans. Don’t limit yourself based on a desired projection for future earnings. Doing something you are passionate about will lead you to a successful career.

Don’t make earning power your #1 motivation

I completely understand choosing a college major at your first choice college based on its potential for earning money in the professional world. College is a time when you start to think about the future in terms of dollar signs and bank loans. You can no longer rely on the false financial freedom your parents once provided you. I am not writing this to convince you that an English major studying to become a fourth grade teacher is going to make more money than a biology major studying to become a doctor. More so, I’m here to say that you will likely earn more money pursuing a career that you enjoy. All too often, young students enter science and business classes because they think that doctors and CEOs make more money. While this is undoubtedly true in some cases, rich doctors and businessmen are successful because they are passionate about their work. Spending four years in college pursuing a degree that you don’t find interesting is only going to hold you back.

The money will follow the passion

People often fail to realize that disliking their job can hinder the amount of money they make. This equation works in much the same way when discussing college majors. If you like what you are studying, you are more inclined to perform at a higher level. Let’s look at this in two different (but similar) scenarios. In college, if you are working towards a degree you do not find interesting, you will likely not be inspired to try your hardest or perform your very best. This means that your grades may suffer because you are simply not interested in what you are doing. If you’re grades suffer, then so too does your potential for landing the dream job (and salary) you are striving for. In the professional realm, if you dislike the job you are performing each day, you are less likely to perform to the best of your ability. This means that you are less likely to be promoted and less likely to earn the amount of money you should or could.

The key to success in any sector of life is passion. You have to be passionate about your goals in order to truly excel at them. Unfortunately, being passionate about money alone is not enough. You have to enjoy what you are doing in order to do it well. Use college as an opportunity to discover what it is that truly inspires you. Once you find something that you truly care about, you will find a way to build it into the wealthy career you desire.

Donna Reish, a freelancer who blogs about best universities, contributed this guest post. She loves to write education, career, frugal living, finance, health, and parenting related articles.

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Doesn’t this place look inviting? Are these pictures from an ocean-edge resort, Newport castle, or oceanfront wedding reception center? Nope on all three counts. It’s a college. Yes, a college!
It’s called the College of the Atlantic and if you are looking for a unique experience for your four years at college you may want to take the college tour and who knows, it may become your first choice college.

We arrived a little early on a cloudy afternoon in late April and decided to drive around the campus just to get the lay of the land before our tour. From viewing the college website we had a good idea of what the college looked like but until you get there you don’t really have a feel for the place. The College of the Atlantic is situated on Mount Desert Island in Maine just outside of the town of Bar Harbor. The college is so close that students can easily walk there by road or by a sandbar during low tide. How cool is that?

At just before 2:00 we arrived at the Admissions building only to be met by our private tour guide, Renee, who presented each of us with an packet of material about the college. There was also a personalized note to my daughter in the packet on college stationery welcoming her to the college. What a refreshing change from the mass of prospective students stuffed into a small room for an information session that you find at the popular colleges. We sat for a bit in the Admissions building getting to know each other before we were off on our tour.

Even though the weather was overcast, the surroundings were spectacular. We were brought into a number of the buildings where we witnessed small classes in session. The student to instructor ratio is 11:1 which tells you right off the bat that the relationships between student and instructor tend to be close-knit and personal. Our tour guide stated that everyone knows everyone which is due to the fact that the current student body amounts to only 350 students.

The college advertises only one major called Human Ecology but, at the same time, students can design their own major based on the diverse course offering. A course list is shown on their website and some of the courses offered are Marine Biology, Agroecology, Documentary Video Studio, Agriculture and Biotechnology, etc. We were taken through a working greenhouse and anyone who is interested in botany could take classes that were associated with how to start a garden and run a greenhouse. If you are interested in pottery there is a ceramics and pottery studio on campus. If you are interested in zoology or even taxidermy there is a lab which will allow you to learn this art on animals that have died of natural or accidental causes. There is also a lab with live reptiles.

One rather novel aspect of the college is that there is a large outside pellet stove which heats the newer dorms which boast radiant floor heating for those cold winter Maine days and nights. During the winter there is a social event called Fireside Fridays where students meet on Friday nights in a beautiful student center with a fireplace and cafe overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The school owns two boats, one of which is called the Indigo which allows students to learn about piloting a boat on the Atlantic. The college is right around the corner from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park which is a spectacular venue for hikers, bikers, and sightseers.

As you can imagine, this college is not for everyone and should be experienced before a prospective student can fully appreciate what it has to offer. Before you decide that the College of the Atlantic is not for you, take a college tour. It may be too different for you but, then again, it may end up being your first choice college. The admission process was described to us as self-selecting by an Admissions Counselor who admitted that prospective students are unique and make a choice by deciding to attend the college. You just might find that this type of college education and environment may be one in which you will grow and flourish in your first four years away from home.

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This is a guest post by Louise Baker. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

Unless you’re going to a local college and staying at home, going off to college can cause its fair share of separation anxiety. Depending on which university you choose, you may not know anyone and be concerned about making new friends, losing touch with old ones, and you may also be worried about leaving your parents. Overcoming anxiety totally is difficult but there are plenty of ways to decrease anxiety and truly enjoy your time away at college.

Keep Connected to Those Back Home

With today’s technologies, keeping up with family and friends is a snap, even if they’re scattered throughout the country. Many cell phone plans offer unlimited text capabilities for a set fee per month, so make sure everyone has your number. Take advantage of free instant messaging services such as those offered by MSN, Yahoo, or AOL. Skype is another online tool you can use to make free calls to other users. Staying connected will help you feel more secure and involved with your loved ones who are far away. Overcoming anxiety requires some work on your part and technology may be one of those tools that can help.

Make New Friends

It may seem counter-intuitive to make new friends when you are missing your old ones like crazy, but friends are an emotional and social support system. Your old buddies don’t expect you to live in another city for four years and remain ‘loyal’ to them by shutting out new people. You can never have too many friends! Reach out to those with common interests at college, explore the possibility of being in a relationship, and don’t be shy about mixing new and old friends once the semester is over. Once you’ve established new relationships, you won’t feel so alone at school.

Know That You Are Not Alone

Keep in mind that lots of other students are also feeling anxious. Separation anxiety is not limited to freshmen. A lot of your classmates are going through the same emotions you’re feeling. Some students feel so lonely and isolated that they fail at school and end up back at their parents’ house in only a semester or two. Don’t

let your negative feelings get in the way of forging ahead in your class work and your new social life.

Stay Active and Eat Right

Exercise has been proven time and time again to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Joining an intramural sports team, going for a jog, or even walking through the campus can lift your mood and keep your spirits high. A well-balanced diet is also essential for maintaining a positive attitude and feeling healthy. Set a new routine and stick to it.

Don’t let separation anxiety ruin your college experience. Overcoming anxiety is possible if you keep yourself fit, healthy, and engaged with others. Remember to stay connected with your existing pals and your parents on a regular basis. These tips will help you feel more at ease at school.

Louise Baker writes about online schools for Zen College Life.

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OK, I’m a parent of a college student so I do have some experience with going through the college process and have taken many a college tour.  I’ve also been through the process multiple times as a student myself.  I only say this to let you, the future college student know, that there are some things that you simply don’t know.  When I was your age I probably also thought I knew everything and didn’t want to take advice from an adult.  But experience is the best teacher and maybe in this post I can impart a little bit of what I have learned along the way.

1) Keep an open mind

My eldest child didn’t even want to go on the college tour at what ended up being her first choice college.  She was, at the time, close-minded about the college because the amount of students at the school was comparable to the size of her high school.  It was also in a rural area and at the time she thought she wanted to attend a college in the city.  But, we as parents thought it would be good to check out this school due to its great reputation and fairly close proximity to our home (within 2 hours).  To make a long story short, after the tour, this college became her first choice and luckily she was accepted there and is now in her sophomore year and loving every minute of it.  Even if you don’t think that a college could be a good fit for you, give it a chance.  Open your mind to the possibility of going there.  Then, if after the information session and the tour you’re still turned off, at least you gave it a chance.

2) Visit the college’s website ahead of time

Much like a business, one of the best marketing tools for any college is their website.  A prospective student can learn so much from just perusing the college website prior to the visit.  You oftentimes can take a virtual tour and view pictures and stories about current featured students.  Some colleges even have live webcams, such as my daughter’s college website.  I sometimes look in on my daughter’s dining hall via one of the webcams just to see if I could get a glimpse of my daughter getting her nightly meal.  She thinks I’m creepy for doing this but when you miss your child you will explore every avenue to catch a glimpse of her.  If you want to do your homework prior to your visit to the college, the amount of information you can find on the college website is tremendous.  Take advantage of this opportunity.

3) Organize the literature you collect

Organizational skills are very important. Believe me, if you are visiting multiple colleges within a few days, all of the information you hear will mesh together.  It will be difficult for you as a prospective student to keep all of the information separate.  Either pick up a notebook for each school or pick up one of those foldable notebooks with the pockets to place the different literature packets you will pick up at each admissions center.  You can also take notes during the information session and tour and keep those notes together with the literature.  If you do end up applying to the college, you will be able to refer to your notes and the literature which you can use in your essay as part of the application package.

4) Get the name of your admissions counselor

Each college has a number of admissions counselors.  Each counselor is assigned a certain geographic area.  Each counselor will go to high schools in their area and talk about the college.  They will also be the ones who will read your application and your essays.  It will behoove you to get the name of that admissions counselor especially if you are really interested in attending or at least applying to that college.  After the college tour you may even be able to meet and introduce yourself to the counselor in your geographic area.  You should try to get that person’s email address so that you could send along any specific questions that you may have.  In fact, the person giving the presentation at the information session may just be the admissions counselor assigned to your geographic area.  After the presentation, go up and introduce yourself.  It might turn out to be the smartest thing you could ever do.

5) Ask questions

Since you have already perused the college website prior to your visit, there may be lingering questions you just haven’t had answered.  Now is your chance to speak up and get your questions answered.  Chances are there are others in the audience who want the answers to the same questions.  The tour is always led by

a current student and this is another great chance to ask an actual college student questions about student life.  And the tour guides are always willing to give out their email addresses at the end of the tour. Don’t be shy about asking questions.  This could be your home for four years and, if you aren’t willing to speak up, you just might miss out on some very pertinent information.

Searching for the right place for you, as a student, to go to college is a daunting task.  There are so many choices out there and it is up to you to take some initiative and improve your organizational skills, if you are hoping to make the right choice of where to apply. Remember, don’t leave it all up to Mom and Dad. This is your future here and taking part in a successful college tour is a great step in the right direction.

If you have ever had to coordinate a college tour trip, it is important that you plan ahead. I’ve had the pleasure (yes, I actually enjoy it) of doing this on a number of occasions with my eldest child, who is now attending her first choice college, and now we are embarking on the same journey with my youngest daughter. After doing this a few times you certainly learn a lot about the process. This post will hopefully help out any of you who are planning on heading out to visit your son or daughter’s future 4 year home-away-from-home.

1) Start with a Detailed Road Map

If your main mode of transportation on your tour of the colleges is by way of an automobile, it will certainly help to plan ahead. I’ve found that being a member of the American Automobile Association (AAA) is extremely helpful when it comes to planning for a road trip. They offer TripTiks which are detailed maps which are marked with the proper routes from origin to destination. Also, bringing along a GPS unit such as a Garmin or a Tom-Tom will always help out if you want to head out to a local restaurant but I’m not a big fan of using a GPS unit as a sole mode of getting to your destination. I much prefer having a hardcopy map especially if you are going to a city college where the tall buildings can affect reception. Believe me, I’ve been there…

2) Get a Handle on the Lingo

When you attend an information session at a college which typically comes before the tour (but it doesn’t have to), you will soon find that there are certain terms or phrases that you may not understand if you are a newbie to the process. Here are some terms that will certainly be helpful to know before your first college tour trip.

Need-blind
This is a term associated with financial aid. So if you are one of those parents who wants and, more importantly, NEEDS financial aid (like me!) to fund your child’s college education, you should understand this term. What need-blind really means is that the acceptance of your child to the college is NOT dependent upon your child needing financial aid to attend that college.
So, the only factors that will affect whether your child is accepted to the college are your child’s qualifications. And to be honest, this is as it should be. If a college is not need-blind then at the college information session they will tell you straight out that if the admissions process came down to a decision between your child and another child then the college will accept the child whose parents don’t need the financial aid and can foot the bill for tuition. I know that it sounds unfair but it is a stark reality when it comes to applying to a college that is not need-blind.

Acceptance Rate
This one is pretty easy. It is simply the percentage of the number of applicants to the number of applicants that are accepted into the college. So, if there are 5000 applicants for a given freshman class and 500 are accepted then the acceptance rate is 10%. Simple enough.

Yield
This term is not as obvious as the acceptance rate but it has become one of the metrics that colleges really care about. Yield is the percentage of number of applicants accepted into the college who actually enroll into the college. Since this has become such an important metric to college admissions, it behooves the applicant, if they know a certain college is their first choice, to go ahead and tell this to the college admissions officer assigned to their territory. This will pretty much tell the college that if you accept me I will enroll. Don’t underestimate the fact that colleges really want their accepted students to attend their college. If they know you will enroll, if accepted, ahead of time it may end up being a factor to accept your child into the college.

Early Decision
This is a term that applies to the application process. Let’s say that your son or daughter has their heart set on going to a certain college. If this is the case, it may make sense for your child to apply early decision which means that the decision-making process will take place earlier than the standard admissions process. The application is filed earlier and the decision is made earlier. What are the advantages to this process? Well, it lets a senior know early on in the process if they are accepted or not into their first choice college. The acceptance rates are also typically higher than the standard acceptance rates. Also, if the child knows that they are attending a particular college they don’t have to waste any more money or time applying to any more colleges. A drawback could be that if your child is accepted and agrees to enroll then this is a binding contract and they must attend that college.

There are many more terms related to getting into college that you will be hear at a college information session or during the college tour. Get your hands on a college admissions book such as the one I bought called Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College. It will certainly help you prepare for the lingo used on the college scene and for anything else associated with the admissions process.

3) Get Deals on Lodging

Before the trip, visit each college’s website that you will be touring. Typically there is a page on the website associated with nearby lodging and they usually offer a discount if you are visiting the college. Take advantage of this discount.

4) Buy Notebooks

If you are visiting more than one college on your trip you should definitely bring with you a notebook for each college you will be touring. At every information session I have been to there is a myriad of literature related to the college and this will give you a place to store all pertinent information. Also you should definitely take copious notes for each college you visit and keep those notes within each notebook. Believe me, if you are visiting multiple colleges in one trip, you won’t be able to keep it all straight unless you keep the notes separate. The notebooks will also give you a place that you can go and freshen up on the college when your child gets closer to application time.

5) Ask about Financial Aid

It is a very peculiar thing but what I have found at college information sessions is that parents typically don’t want to ask questions about financial aid. I tend to think it is because these parents don’t want to lead on that they need financial aid to send their child to college. So out of pride they don’t ask about it. God forbid that someone cannot afford to pay $50K+ to send their child to college!

One thing to know is that when it comes to financial aid, not all colleges are created equal. It’s simply a fact of life that there are some colleges that tend to give more financial aid than others. Here is an article entitled 51 Colleges with the Best Student Aid. The college my eldest daughter attends is on this list and I can tell you that out of all of the colleges that accepted my daughter, and there were many, the college that she is attending went above and beyond what the other schools were offering in a financial aid package. And I’m not talking about loans. The money my daughter received from the college came in the form of grants that do not have to be paid back. That’s what I’m talking about!

So before you take that college tour you should do your homework. Getting the most out of this experience will help to positively kick off your child’s college search. Who knows, maybe your child will be as fortunate as mine to be able to attend her first choice college. And you just might find that this transitional time for both you and your child can be exciting, eye-opening, and educational, all at the same time. Enjoy the experience!