Getting a Child Ready for College is Like a Hurricane

As you probably know, I live in Houston, Texas, which was hit by Hurricane Ike last month. Mine was not a bad experience. Because September is hot and humid in Houston, some of my friends literally sweat through more than two weeks without power. My power was out for only 19 hours.

To add to my blessings, my sister Sandy, her husband Randy and her two kids Sarah (11) and Jake (7) came and stayed with me starting the Sunday after the hurricane struck, because their power was out and mine wasn't. They stayed five days, which was two days after their power came back on. I wanted them to stay longer! I just love Sarah and Jake -- they are so fun!!! And since my kiddos are 23 and 26 and live out of town, this mama misses having kids in her house.

Speaking of hurricanes -- the time leading up to a child leaving for college can seem as chaotic and stressful as a hurricane. Information about what you need to know and what you need to do can eliminate a lot of that stress and chaos.

There's a ton of information out there, but it's not usually in one place, some of it is difficult to understand, and none of it is from a Christian perspective...until now.

One of the goals of Christian College Parents is saving Christian parents time.

Time is the only commodity you can't make more of, but you can save time. For two years I've been researching --

• how to help your child find the right college
• how to help your child get accepted to college
• how to find and maximize financial aid for your child
• how to prepare your child for college life and
• how to help your child deal with the issues at college

Along with experts in their fields, Christian College Parents is putting together packages that contain everything you need to know about every aspect of college...from a Christian perspective.

The first ebook we are offering is "A Parent's Survival Guide to College." It was written by Neil O'Donnell, an academic specialist and professor at a private college in western New York. This ebook is FREE to our members and membership is also FREE. You can join and request the FREE ebook by simply clicking this link.

We promise never to sell or give away your information and you can quit your membership at any time. However, I can't imagine why you'd want to quit, since you'll also get a FREE newsletter with tips and news about all things college from a Christian viewpoint.

We will continue to offer the information you need in a concise, easy-to-understand format. So you can save the time you'd spend researching and spend it doing something you'd actually enjoy. Or you could spend the time helping your child during the chaotic and stressful pre-college hurricane.

Yes, I did mean to say that you might not enjoy helping your child get ready for college. This can be a difficult time for the child-parent relationship. This may be because your child is trying to become more independent, but it may also be because they are anxious about leaving home for college. (Even if they don't admit it.) As a result, they may not be the nicest people to have around. I have a friend who says that God planned it that way so we wouldn't miss them so much when they leave. I'm not so sure about that, but they can be less than delightful during this period. (It's possible that we might, from time to time, be less than darling during this period also.)

Anyway, the point of all this is that Christian College Parents will continue to provide you with essential information that is all in one place, easy to understand, with a dash of humor and a Christian perspective.

We hope you join and get our FREE ebook "A Parent's Survival Guide to College" today. Get it now by clicking this link.

We also hope that you will become an active member of our Christian College Parents community. We want to hear from you, so we can give you exactly what you need. We'd also like to hear about your experiences -- both positive and negative -- of getting your children ready to fly the coop and stretch their wings at college.

Blessings,

Bonnie

Getting Into College: An Insider's Guide

Getting into college and getting financial aid are the two things on most college applicants' and their parents' minds. Wouldn't it be nice to hear some advise from the Dean of Admissions of a leading university?

Well, You're in luck....

I found a great video on the Vanderbilt University site that has a lot of great tips for getting admitted and getting financial aid. I've posted it below. Here's Vanderbilt's description of the video:

Douglas Christiansen is Vanderbilt University's associate provost for enrollment and dean of admissions. He's spent the last 20 years in admissions leadership roles in both public and private universities. Now he's using his expertise to give students practical advice on what they can do to get into the right college, in hopes of clearing some of the mystery and misconceptions surrounding the admissions process.

In a series of short and direct video clips, Christiansen tackles questions such as, "How should I prepare for my college essay—what if I'm not the greatest writer?" "My parents have decent jobs, but we haven't saved much for college. What are my chances of getting financial aid?" "As an admissions insider, what tips can you give to help me sound my best in my application?"Christiansen also talks about when extracurricular activities can actually hurt an applicant and how to ease the stress surrounding the admissions process.

All college applicants and their parents should watch this video! It's 24 minutes long, but worth the time!



Is that a great video, or what?

It's also on YouTube, along with other Vanderbilt videos. Many are very academic, but that's what you want from a top notch college. There are also videos showing what Vanderfbilt professors are doing and thinking. In addition, there are videos of concerts from the Blair School of Music, which is part of Vanderbilt.

If I sound somewhat prejudiced for Vanderbilt, it's because I'm an alumni. If you'd like more information, go to their website http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ and there's also a series of videos with Interim Chancellor Nicolas Zeppos who talks about life at Vanderbilt.

I loved every minute of my time at Vanderbilt. I got lots of financial aid thirty-five years ago, but "lots" was around $2,000/year then. Now that it's 2000% more expensive, I was afraid that it was priced out of reach for most middle-class people.

I was glad to find out that I was wrong.

Douglas Christiansen says in the above video that their average financial aid package is $30,000!

I'll write more about financial aid in my next blog, and I promise I won't wait as long to post one next time.

Tune in next time for: FINANCIAL AID SECRET #4

Blessings,
Bonnie

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