The Best 368 Colleges by Princeton Review

Princeton review is out with is annual list of colleges. The schools are categorized by Social life, diversity, academics, affordability, campus, demographics, quality of life, sports, politics and professors. In essence there is something for everyone. According to the book, The University of Florida @ Gainsville is the #1 party school. I know for a fact it is a very good school academically as well.

Before planning a college trip, please look into these rankings to determine if a given school is a good fit for you. To access the list and the accompanying press release, please click on the title to this entry and you will be redirected to the appropriate web page.

US News Ultimate College Guide

An essential tool for any High School student considering college is the US News & World Report Ultimate College Guide 2009. This book will not be available until October 1, 2008, but it can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. Any parent who is overwhelmed by the array of choices needs this publication as a beginning point of reference. There is also a companion web site also published by US News where you can search schools by setting your own criteria, ie. school size, location, sports, majors, expenses, scholarships, etc. For about $15 you can subscribe to their premium on line edition. Click on the link here: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

A College Stay cation????

With many families choosing to stay home this summer, why not plan a stay cation while checking out potential colleges for your high school students???? Pull out a map, plot a 250 mile radius in all directions and plot out which point has the highest concentration of colleges which intrigues your student. Then plan a week or so in that area. A couple of colleges combined with some recreational and cultural activities can be fun and productive. For example here in the NYC area you can choose between upstate New York, New England, or the Mid Atlantic area. Each region has its share of great schools, great outdoor activities and places of historical significance.

A Parents Best Friend

Bed Bath and Beyond is the freshman parent's best friend. Click on the title to this link and you will be directed to a comprehensive checklist that can be printed out. Granted this checklist may be overwhelming. Some might think it is overkill. But its merely a place to start, to organize ones thoughts and plan for your student's smooth transition to college dorm living. If there is a Bed Bath and Beyond close to your student's college, you can shop at your local store and pick up all items on move in day. There is no need to transport these items to college yourself. Additionally the Bed Bath and Beyond website has a plethora of informative articles, time lines, diaries and links to help ease the process.

The College Credit Card Hustle

Incoming college freshmen, beware of signing you life away for a free pizza or a free t-shirt. Your university or college may have signed a lucrative credit card agreement with Bank of America or Capital One or Citibank. And you will be besieged with opportunities to open a credit card account. Debt used indiscriminately can ruin your life before it starts. Be credit savvy! Do not ruin your credit by falling into these easy credit traps. There will be offers in your mailbox, there will be booths and tents set up out side the football stadium before the "big game". Ignore all of them! Learn how to manage your money on a budget. Do not spend money that you don't have to impress people that you don't even like. Please read the Business Week article from the link at the end of this post. This is a life lesson that you won't be taught in college but it is probably as important a lesson as you will ever have. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_30/b4093038700850.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5