U.S. News Best Colleges 2009

The annual U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges list for 2009 is out. Schools are listed in many ways--national universities, liberal arts colleges, business schools, engineering schools, masters programs and by geographic locations--north, south, east and west. There are plenty of statistics to go through including acceptance rate and the composition of incoming freshmen. To access this list please click on the Title of this post. For an additional $14.95 you can get a year of the all access web service which is an invaluable tool for high school juniors and seniors seriously considering college.

Video Chat With Your Child

A must have for the parent who wants to stay in touch with their child living away from home for the first time is the Video Chat. Chances are your child has a laptop computer with a built in camera. If he or she is computer savvy, they can easily explain how to set up a video chat session via AOL AIM or Skype. If the computer you use at home does not have a video camera, purchase one for about $50 from your local Staples, Best Buy or Circuit City. Personally, I prefer the video cameras made by Logitech. Once your camera is up and running you will be amazed how clear the picture is and how good the sound quality is. As a parent, having the ability to talk and to see your child at the same time is great reassurance and it will make your day!

Letting Go

For many parents this is the season of separation. Children that have been a fixture in your life for the past 18 years are now on their own living far away from home in a dorm room with a strange roommate. For those who have micromanaged their children's lives, this is a hard adjustment. Your children are becoming young adults, learning to live on their own, make their own decisions and function like real people. They must sink or swim on their own without mommy or daddy coming to bail them out. The only way to learn the lessons of life is by making mistakes and hopefully learning from those mistakes. You have taught them well, be confident in their ability to function without you. After all, it is their life not yours.

Its Move In Time

For most colleges and universities, tis the season to move in. Most have upper classmen assist to make the process as smooth as possible. No doubt there will be many duplicative purchases among roommates who have never met. There is no need for two TV's, two microwaves, etc. Decide who will return what. Learn to share. After all, you will be living with this person for at least one semester, usually an entire school year. Conflicting tastes are a given but compromise is necessary. Decor and material things are not as important as a great dorm room atmosphere between roommates.

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.