Many college and universities offer a form of orientation that takes place in late June. This program goes by a variety of names, and often includes advising, placement testing and registration for students. Family members are often invited too, and if that’s what your student’s school does, please attend, because this program is really for […]
Spring Orientation Read More »
Most students will take a course or two in college that really kicks their butts. I don’t mean they fail the course, though that may happen as well. I’m referring to cases when they end up with a grade that really disappoints them or when they withdraw from the course before they fail. Colleges offer
Repeating Courses: When to Get Back on That Horse Read More »
A few years ago, one of my students came to my office concerned about her performance in Calculus I. This student had been anxious during our Summer Bridge program, so much so that her mother told me the student’s family had been trying to leave the program for hours, but the student wasn’t having it.
Talking To College Faculty Members Read More »
You’re been supporting your student through thick and thin of the semester, then something happens. This something could be an injury,perhaps a crisis in the family, or some other event that takes your student completely away from college. Or, it doesn’t take them away physically, but it severely distracts them from their coursework. This is
Taking an Incomplete Read More »
News Flash: it’s not level A scandal broke the week of March 11, 2019 in which authorities charged several celebrities, college coaches and self-proclaimed college entrance consultant William Singer with several crimes, including bribery and money laundering. In essence, they accuse the celebrities of paying Singer money which he used to get the celebs’ kids
The College Admissions Playing Field Read More »
Every college or university offers a wide variety of services for students. And a significant number of people who work in higher education are there for a single purpose: to help your student succeed. Yet too often, those people are in their offices ready to assist students with no one waiting to see them. This
Using Their Lifelines: Getting Students to Use Campus Services Read More »
There are many ways people pay for their student to attend college. The first course is personal funds from the student and their family. Many of us also make use of federal financial aid sources, such as Pell Grants, both unsubsidized and subsidized student loans and student employment. For most people, paying all of our
Payment Plans–Another Way to Pay Read More »
By now, your student may have registered for classes for the following term. And I’m sure you may have been asking questions of them like: Have you started your major yet? When will you finish all your general requirements? Are you taking courses in any other area besides your major? These are only a few
Checking on Degree Progress Read More »
When I worked at a university in New Jersey we tried to improve our student service experience by developing what we called “decision trees,” essentially a software program that would allow us to ask students a short series of questions so we could refer them to services easily and quickly. We developed these decision trees
What Academic Advising Is Supposed To Mean Read More »
It is time to apply for financial aid at American colleges and universities, and one of the first things we have to do is to un-learn several myths about the process regarding who is or isn’t eligible for aid. And I can think of no one better to lead this process than Michelle Singletary, author
Yes, You Can Apply For Financial Aid Read More »