How To Prepare Your Child For College

August 26, 2023 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Photo by Keira Burton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-woman-holding-notebooks-while-sitting-on-grass-6147369/

Almost every parent starts preparing for their children’s education immediately after birth. This is supported by statistics indicating that Americans intend to save up to $57,981 for college expenses. And no wonder- higher education can give anyone an added advantage in the world, enabling them to get prestigious jobs with lucrative benefits. Perhaps your child has finally graduated from high school and is preparing to continue their tertiary education. You already have the funds, but is your child prepared for the new journey? Here are some practical ways to psyche them up for college.

1) Guide them in the process of selecting their universities

The time to pick a university is here! While this can be exciting, your kids can quickly become overwhelmed, seeing that there are several schools to choose from. They can even develop anxiety from wondering if their school choice is the wisest decision. You can ease their stress and tension by guiding them through the process. The first thing you should do is create a list of their favorite schools. However, this should not be done at face value; you and your child must determine how each school will impact them socially, academically, and personally. You should also listen to what they need; some may want an academically inclined institution, while others may prefer one with more social connection.

After creating a list, it’s time to weigh them until the best option stands out. In this stage, you will want to factor in your funds. You don’t want a situation where your lack of finances will stress your kid when in school. Therefore, opt for one that you can comfortably pay for. You should also visit the campuses; first-hand experiences will give you a feel of what a school is like, helping your kid to make a more informed decision. You will also want to choose an institution that prioritizes higher ed strategic planning, as students are more likely to easily achieve their college goals in a college that receives this type of assistance. By all means, avoid compelling them to choose a particular school or major if they don’t want to.

2) Now is the time to teach them basic life skills

College life can be pretty exciting, especially for students who are leaving home for the first time. However, life on campus is definitely no bed of roses- things can be pretty costly around there. Therefore, things they could get away with at home may harm them in this environment. For instance, they may find themselves running through their monthly allowances at an alarming speed when buying food daily. Moreover, they risk conflicts with roommates if they can’t clean up after themselves. Therefore, take it upon yourself to equip your kids with these essential life skills to make their stay on campus more pleasant.

For instance, cooking is something they will benefit greatly from; they can have a wide variety of meals without breaking the bank. Let them help in the kitchen, and encourage them to try new recipes on their own. Another skill they need is cleaning and laundry; this way, they can maintain a clean environment and avoid being called names by their roommates. Let them tag along when performing these tasks at home, and teach them how to use the washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner, and so on.

3) Money management is essential for survival on campus

As stated earlier, takeouts and restaurant meals can harm a college student’s finances. But it doesn’t end here. Students often make the mistake of buying new sets of textbooks and expensive devices for a one-time assignment. Likewise, some make it a point to live luxuriously, especially when they don’t have the means to sustain this lifestyle. It will also be a huge financial mistake if your kid can’t create a feasible budget, as they won’t be able to track their expenses and how much they spend. Moreover, the lack of financial planning leaves them more vulnerable to impulse buying, causing them to waste more money.

Before heading off to college, your child must learn the importance of money management and how to find ways to cut expenses and save more. For instance, they can ditch the new textbooks for already used ones, as they are cheaper. They must also learn to draw a practical budget, prioritizing their needs over their wants. Anything they can live without is considered a luxury and should be put on hold until all the necessities are taken care of. Peer pressure is also a real money waster, so encourage your kids to avoid wasteful friends. They should also try to rescue their credit card use and leverage cash instead.

4) College students cannot afford to waste their time

Time management is important for all college students, as they must juggle various activities within a limited period. They must get to class, complete many assignments, go for their individual or group studies, study for tests, work on projects, and other academic activities. Moreover, all work and no play won’t complete the college experience, so students have to make time for recreational things like parties, road trips, picnics, and so on. Some students also have to work to support their finances. How, then, do they engage in all these without burning out? Can they get time to rest?

This is where time management comes in. As a parent, you can teach your kids how to use their time wisely before they move on to their campuses. Let them create a daily schedule, allocating time to each task they wish to embark on. Appreciate their efforts when they keep the schedule, and motivate them if they struggle to do so. With time, they will master the art of effective time management.

5) Don’t let them leave without proper advice

Although colleges are places to be imparted with academic knowledge and skills, it’s not without its share of social life. Colleges are where people meet their future partners, while others fully embrace casual dating and whatever comes with it. People also get hooked on drugs and alcohol due to destructive peer pressure. Therefore, you are responsible for discussing these issues with your kids. While at it, avoid telling them what they can or can’t do, as this may spark defiance. Instead, explain to them the importance of safe sex and how alcohol and drugs can affect them. Encourage them to find their way but always be careful to avoid making mistakes. Make them your friends by encouraging them to talk to you about anything and suppress the urge to be judgemental.

Of Sneezes And Sniffs: Helping Your Child Brace For Allergies On Campus

January 21, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year, as found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are a lot of different triggers for allergies like food, medicine, pollen, and even different animals. Allergic reactions can be anywhere from mild to extreme, so parents can’t help but worry about their children especially when they’re poised to leave for college. So how do you go about helping your child learn to healthfully cope with their allergies?

Familiarity is Key

Determining the trigger of your child’s allergies must be a priority. The doctors can help your family understand medical protocols when the type of allergy is causing symptoms. The earlier your child becomes familiar with allergic triggers, the more time they have to learn how to avoid it entirely. When your child does undergo an allergy attack, talk them through it and explain how to soothe it through appropriate medication or even a bath to curb symptoms. Teach them the virtue of staying hydrated, as this helps when their noses get runny. Involving your child in becoming aware of their health, such as noticing the symptoms of an allergy attack right away, drinking their medicine properly, or notifying an adult, will all help them build a strong foundation for coping. When they become teens and young adults, these familiar tactics shall be firmly ingrained and help them manage their allergies on their own.

Proactive Immunotherapy

As a parent, the automatic instinct is to protect and shelter our kids at the first sign of a health threat. This is a form of helicopter parenting and can be quite detrimental to their development as independent individuals. Still, some families are turning to the concept of immunotherapy to reduce allergy symptoms, which involves exposing individuals to the allergens that affect them most in small, manageable doses. This is in hopes of boosting their body’s natural resistance. This form of therapy can come in different forms, like a shot, drops, or pills. As your child grows older, they can be made responsible for keeping up with their doses. This will be truly helpful when it comes to be the time of year when their allergies are more prominent.

Pick a Good College Together

The choice of college is important when your soon-to-be college student has allergies. Allergies can be life-threatening, so the environment of their college is important. Peanut allergies can cause anaphylactic shock, so your child’s food must be carefully prepared. However, expecting a young adult to prepare all of their own food may not always be a viable option. Colleges like Stanford University have dining facilities that are completely peanut-free. University of California-Davis offers vegetarian and gluten-free meals on their campus. The University of Virginia has allergen-free zones. There are a lot of options to choose from, so you and your child can decide where they feel that they are safest.

To become a fully functional person, children need to be prepared – especially when they have to deal with allergies. As parents, we will eventually have to trust that we have done our jobs and launch our responsible adults out into the world. Giving them a helping hand as they start college and independent life should give everyone peace of mind.

A Room Buddy For The Ages: Prepping Your Kid To Be a Roommate Worth Having

January 4, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

A roommate can deeply affect a student’s GPA and even the decisions that they make toward social options and peers. This nugget of wisdom was established by Bruce Sacerdote, a Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. Prepping a child for college life isn’t just about getting the right sort of GPA or extracurricular application fodder. It is also about making sure that they are completely capable of being a decent person that a fellow college student can live with harmoniously. In all things, when it comes to preparing a child for adult life, it’s best to start early.

Build Respect and Responsibility

Respect for other people starts with learning how to respect one’s self; after all, if you can’t respect your own space, there’s no way that you’ll make room for other people. You can teach responsibility by trusting a child to care for their possessions as well as other things around the home. It can even build into being responsible for pets or siblings.

These lessons which start at the home are important building blocks for a decent person. College students bring more than just themselves to college; they come with precious tools that they need to succeed in their academics. If a student lacks respect and responsibility, they can find themselves mired in horrifying roommate situations that can bleed into their grades, their friend groups, and even later on toward their professional lives.

Chores, Chores, Chores!

The earlier you get your children involved with chores, the better their chances of building a “pitch-in” mindset that benefits their work ethic. This information is backed up by Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author of How To Raise an Adult. Common chores are taking out the garbage, making their own beds, doing the laundry, and even cooking a meal or two. All these enable a child to learn from the experience and give them the actual know-how to survive on their own. When they know how to take care of themselves, they will know right away what is not acceptable when it comes to other people. From there, that’s when your child’s analysis of the situation and their communication skills will come in.

Enhance Communication and Analysis Skills

People need to make use of verbal interactions to get their points across. As they grow, it is important that you teach your child to be able to express their thoughts in a cohesive and well thought out manner. Just because your child is in the right does not mean to say that they are capable of expressing their ideas in a non-abrasive manner. In smoothing out a prickly social situation, it’s not just the message but also the delivery that counts. As a parent, you need to teach your child how to handle verbal strife diplomatically.

College life is a very exciting and important era in a child’s life. For them to be able to make the most out of it and come out ready to tackle life, they need suitable help from you. Preparing them as early as their childhood years can arm them with the knowledge and ability to be great college roommates, with the ability to form long-lasting friendships.

What Do You Need To Do To Survive Your Time At College?

January 2, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

College is one of the biggest changes that you are ever going to face and this is because it is something that you will have never done before. In fact, you have never even done something similar to this, and that’s what makes it so scary. As such, there are some things that you can do so that you can ensure your time at college is easier. If you don’t already know what these things are, this is okay because we are going to help you out. So, read this article carefully, and by the end of it, you will know what you need to do to survive your time at college.

Go To The Orientations

You need to attend the orientations. Some people think that only nerds go to these, but you are going to find that they are a big help when it comes to knowing what you need to. You will be provided with maps, a tour, and other stuff like this that will help you navigate your way around. Without this, you are going to find it difficult to find your way around the campus, and from point A to point B. It might also be the case that you feel like everyone already knows each other and you’re kind of on the outside. The orientations are a great way to meet new people and make friends so that you can head into the academic year with some people to share it with. If you miss out on this, you might find yourself feeling a little behind for a while.

Get To Know Your Roommate

Your roommate is going to be someone that you are spending a lot of time with, so you need to make an effort to get to know them. If you want to have a good time at college, you need to be able to get along with your roommate. Invite them out to social gatherings, go out together, and do things like this so that you will get to know each other. As time goes on, you are going to find that your roommate might be the only person that is always around for you, and this is why it is so important.

Some people just can’t get on with their roommate, and if this is the case then you need to get reassigned ASAP. You have to be careful here though, because if you aren’t you might end up with someone you get on with less than the first one you had. So, you really need to be putting a lot of effort into your relationship with your roommate if you want to survive your time at college. Can you imagine what it would be like to live with someone who hates you? A nightmare right? As such, you should be avoiding this as best you can.

Go To All Your Classes

The next thing that you need to be doing is heading to all of your classes. You might have the urge to skip some of them, but you will feel like you have fallen behind and this is not something that you need. Certainly not in the first semester, but this still stands as the semesters go on. You need to be able to have all the notes necessary, and even the classes that are not relevant to your exam could be relevant somewhere else on your course. Because of this, unless you are sick, you need to be attending all of your classes on a regular basis.

You will also notice that your attendance is being monitored. There is no point in paying thousands to attend a college where you are not going to the classes. Not only is it a waste of your money, but it is also a waste of your time. So you should seriously be going to all of your scheduled sessions.

Know Where You’re Heading

The next tip to help you survive is to know where you are heading after you have finished the course that you are currently taking. For example, if you are into maths, have you considered Michigan Tech’s applied statistics ms program? This could be a great choice for you if you want to take your education one step further. Or, if this is not something that you are interested in, it might be good to know what field you are hoping to head into once you have finished your degree. The job market these days is tough, so you need to have your wits about you, plan ahead, and know exactly what it is that you need to do to get where you are going.

Aim For Good Grades

Another thing that you need to be doing is aiming for good grades. Some students think that a C is sufficient, and only put in the amount of effort that is necessary to get them this grade. But this is not the kind of outlook that you need to have when it comes to studying at college. You need to study hard to be getting the best grades that you could possibly accomplish. This way, you are going to be in a better position when you do finish college, and enter the job market. It is getting more competitive out there, and you need to be able to have a standout resume, including the best possible grades.

Also, if you are not trying to get the best grades, why are you attending college? You are supposed to be there to learn, and broaden your knowledge in a certain area to the best of your ability to aid you in the future. If you are not doing this, then it is a waste of your time. So, if you want to survive at college, and not get thrown out for poor grades, you need to be doing your best to aim for the highest possible grade that you could receive.

Get A Good Laptop

Something else that you should consider is getting a good laptop to aid you in your journey. You should be doing research into the best laptops in your price range to take with you when you head off to college. You might not believe us, but a good quality laptop is going to be your best friend when you are writing assignments at 3am. For example, if you forget to take your computer charger with you, you need a laptop that can last a good few hours of you doing research and typing your assignment. Without this, you are going to have to waste precious time going back to your dorm, picking up your charger, and heading back to the library.

Other than this, you need a computer that is fast. You need to be looking for one with a good processing speed so that you know it will be able to handle all the demands of a college student like having 20 tabs open at the same time. Without this, you are going to find it difficult to have all the information you need in front of you, so make sure you heed this tip especially.

Keep Yourself Organized

One of the most important things that you need to do to survive college is to keep yourself organized. You need to know when your classes are, when your deadlines are, when you are going out, when you are going to write your assignments etc. Without this, you are going to find your life really hard to manage and we don’t want this for you. Make sure that you have planned out your time, so that you can fit in everything that you need to do. You are going to find this a lot easier than just winging it.

We hope that you have found this advice useful, and now know what you need to do to survive your time at college.

How to Talk To Your Daughter about College Funding and Responsibility

June 22, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

How to Talk To Your Daughter about College Funding and Responsibility

Your daughter will see her dad as the provider and head of the household, so she might not think that she has anything that she needs to do besides tell you where she wants to enroll. Next, you may not be on the same page when it comes to applying for scholarships and grants or exploring student loans. Ultimately, it will be your daughter’s actions that decide whether she will qualify for an academic scholarship or has what it takes to maintain an athletic scholarship during college. Lastly, there is the financial aid portion of planning for college that many teenage girls overlook. Whether she is eager to earn her bachelor of science in diagnostic medical sonography from ADU Online or really wants to become a teacher, financial aid is an important step that you will need to work together to complete. Here’s how to plan a great future for your precious daughter.

Talking Openly about College Expenses

You’ve lived together and shared a lot, but dads trying to sit down and come up with a sensible plan for college with their daughters have many challenges to contend with. Not all parents believe that they should outright pay their children’s college expenses, especially if their kids haven’t shown an adequate level of responsibility. You may need to talk to your daughter about her getting a part-time job as she works on her bachelor of medical sonography degree to help offset costs. Then there’s the fact that both you and your daughter might need to take out student loans to help get through college. If your daughter doesn’t have established credit, you will need to co-sign on all of her loans so that they get approved.

Discussing Responsibilities and Expectations

Perhaps the deal that you made with your daughter consists of her maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA for you to foot the bill. Other fathers require their daughters to check-in with them consistently, especially if they are going to college in a different state. Whatever your rules are, make sure you explain them adequately. Realize that your child is going to be quite busy and distracted with school, so she will appreciate knowing what her responsibilities are upfront rather than having a detailed discussion in the middle of spring semester.

Coming Up With Alternative College Plans

Remember that getting into college has a lot to do with grades, but luck also plays a part. Let your daughter know that she is not guaranteed to be accepted to her dream college and help her to make up alternative plans just in case. You might also face challenges when you start calculating college expenses, so see if there are any creative ways that you can your daughter can come up with to help fund her higher education.

If you can’t wait to watch your little girl graduate with her class and throw her cap in the air, make sure that you have an honest discussion about planning for college. You may not want to disappoint her on any level, but being upfront about expenses and responsibilities will actually help you to gain more respect. Remember that college is a new experience for young adults, so be understanding about her concerns and you will be able to enjoy an even stronger relationship with your daughter.

Top Study Tips for Busy Dads

June 21, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Study Tips for Busy Dads

Compared to just a few decades ago, our lives today have changed dramatically. While one of the key factors to bring about these changes has been technology and the internet, in recent times, social norms have also drastically shifted. Today, more and more dads are taking time off from work, or switching to working from home so that they can play a more active role in bringing up their children. While many stay-at-home dads certainly have their hands full when it comes to family duties, many are using this precious time spent at home to study so that they can improve their career prospects and better provide for their family. I’ve listed some top study tips for busy stay at home dads.

Tip #1. Find a Flexible Program

As a stay at home dad who is studying for a college degree or other qualification, your first priority will always be looking after your little ones. Because of this, it’s important that dads first and foremost find a program and school that allows them a lot of flexibility. It’s highly unlikely that attending a traditional campus, with set timetables for lectures, seminars, and workshops is going to suit your lifestyle. Instead, online degree programs, such as this online behavioral analysis program, which can be studied for at home and on your own terms, are an ideal option.

Tip #2. Stick to a Schedule

You’re probably already more than aware of the need to have a routine as a parent. Little ones do tend to live in the ‘here and now’, but because of this, it’s important for them to know what to expect throughout the day or week. As a parent who is also studying, it’s also vital for you to have a routine to stick to. Without a study schedule that fits around your family commitments, it will be more difficult for you to find the time to get things done, which could result in you falling behind with work and struggling.

Tip #3. Get Support

The old saying of ‘it takes a village’ is certainly true when it comes to being a stay at home dad and studying at the same time. Even if you have taken advantage of the extra flexibility by studying for an online BA degree, it’s important to remember that at times, you are likely to need the support of others to help get you through. If you have a partner, then set out a plan with them for childcare and home duties, to give you some quiet time during the evenings, for example, that you can use to catch up with your studies. Additionally, if you have family members or friends who have offered to babysit, then take them up on this offer! Not only will it allow you some free time to focus on achieving your academic goals, spending some time with good friends or relatives can be great for your children’s development.

Are these tips helpful? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Understanding College Applications – What You Need To Know!

January 25, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Understanding College Applications – What You Need To Know!

The senior year of high school, a year of wonder and experiences, but also for many, one of great fear and anticipation, especially in regards to the mystical vale of secrecy behind the college application review process at most universities & colleges. As I was previously an Admission Officer for Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), I will try and demystify this process and give you some hints at what admission offices are looking for.

To begin, most college application materials for universities include an:

Application
Application Fee
Official High School Transcript
Test Scores (ACT/SAT)
List of extracurricular activities
Essay (recommended usually, but required for some)
Letters of recommendation (recommended usually, but required for some).

When getting ready to apply to schools it is a good idea to have these seven organized so that they are easy to retrieve, doing this will lessen the burden when you do apply.

Most colleges/universities will have deadlines that are either set, where materials must be postmarked by a certain date, rolling, where they accept and make decisions on applications between certain dates (e.g. 11/1 – 4/1) or open, where they will accept and make decisions on applications year round. Make sure to check deadlines with colleges so that your materials are received by the said date (if there is one). After all materials are received, then, and only then can the admissions review begin.

The review process usually will constitute a thorough read by an admission officer, many times one that is assigned to your high school or district/regional area. This person will be looking at everything that you have sent in and evaluating you on these materials. Each university/college has their own unique system that they use to evaluate students. Some will use a point system, where you will receive points for varying criteria such as academic rigor, involvement, GPA, test scores, etc. Many specialty schools (e.g. Kendall College of Art & Design, Center for Creative Studies) expect certain academic criteria, but they will base a large part of their admission decision on the talents or abilities that a student brings to that certain area.

On a final note, the review methods used by a college/university many times are veiled in secrecy, where generality is key and little detail surfaces if not inquired about. Also, the review methods today merely scratch the surface of the types of evaluation instruments that colleges/universities use today. Saying this, I advise you all to inquire about the particular review process that your college of choice uses, this will ease confusion and tension, and make you the information savvy consumer.

By taking little steps toward understanding and making yourself informed, the college admission process at a college/university becomes known, and the mystery within the process begins to wane. Become informed and you will not be sorry.

Want more information about the College Search and Preparation process? Learn more about the Ultimate College Preparation Blueprint that can assist you along the way!

Saving and Paying for College Doesn’t Have to Be Hard!

April 29, 2016 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

I have worked in the College Admissions field for about 20 years now, and as my own kids get older and older people keep coming to me asking me for advice on paying for college and college planning in general.

I cannot say that I have all of the answers, but I can say that there are some things that I have been doing since my own children were young that may be helpful to you too.

For us, from an early age we started a 409 educational savings plan for our kids. While we were not always able to place a lot into the account, having it there accruing interest always helped. We also started talking to our kids from an early age about the future and the reality of the cost of higher education. While I work in higher education, it is safe to say that the cost continues to rise and even though I have been saving, I do not know that I can say that I will have enough saved to cover the entire college education that my kids will encounter in 7-9 years.

Just saying 7-9 years makes me realize how fast time flies as your kids grow up, and this is important for all parents to soak in early. Why? Because, if you keep saying, I’ll start saving tomorrow, soon you will find that tomorrow has past you by and college is on your doorstep.

As I mentioned, I know that I probably will not have enough saved for my kids, so I keep my eyes out for other options outside of just the federal government. One program that looked really promising lately is one called College Ave Student Loans Parent Loan. This parent loan seems to be a good option to consider for those families you may need to pay for college. In reading more about the loan itself; it can save you money (no origination fee, lower rates than the federal loan for those with qualifying credit), and personalized options to meet individual financial situations (such as money directly deposited in parents’ bank account to help pay for extra educational expenses, and multiple ways to pay back the loan including a reduced interest rate if you start paying back while your child is in school).

The site was easy to navigate and there was a very cool resource that I really appreciated: A student loan calculator! The new College Ave Student Loans parent loan offers qualified parent borrowers an average savings of $1,000 vs. the Federal Direct Parent which can really add up in the end.

Do you want to learn more about the The new College Ave Student Loans parent loan experience? Check out the below to find out more or to see if you may be qualified for their services!

About College Ave Student Loans

College Ave Student Loans, a leading online student loan marketplace lender, and Experian®, a leading global information services company, are offering a limited time joint offer of a credit health check — a complimentary, personalized credit education session with an Experian Credit EducatorSM agent — to families preparing to pay for college. College Ave is collaborating with Experian to better support parents who may need to consider borrowing or cosigning a private student loan if savings, scholarships and federal aid fall short of higher education costs. Families who may want to explore private financing options should start getting ready now. The personalized credit education session offers an in-depth, one-on-one, 35-minute phone call with an Experian Credit Educator agent.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Book Review – Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management

October 17, 2014 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

About the Book
Improve student enrollment outcomes and meet institutional goals through the effective management of student enrollments.

Published with the American Association for Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management is the comprehensive text on the policies, strategies, practices that shape postsecondary enrollments. This volume combines relevant theories and research, with applied chapters on the management of offices such as admissions, financial aid, and the registrar to provide a comprehensive guide to the complex world of Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). SEM focuses on achieving enrollment goals, and sustaining institutional revenue and serving the needs of students. It provides insights into the ways SEM is practiced across four-year institutions, community colleges, and professional schools.

More than just an enhanced approach to admissions and financial aid, SEM examines the student’s entire educational cycle. From entry through graduation, this volume helps SEM professionals and graduate students interested in enrollment management to anticipate change and balancing the goals of revenue, access, diversity, and prestige. The Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management:

Provides an overview of the thinking of leading practitioners that comprise SEM organizations, including marketing, recruitment, and admissions; tuition pricing; financial aid; the registrar’s role, academic advising; and, retention
Includes up-to-date research on current issues in SEM including college choice, financial aid, student persistence, and the effective use of technology
Guides readers creating strategic enrollment organizations that fit the unique history, culture, and policy context of your campus

Strategic enrollment management has become one of the most important administrative areas in postsecondary education, and it is being adopted in countries around the globe. The Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management is for anyone in enrollment management, admissions, financial aid, registration and records, orientation, marketing, and institutional research who wish to enhance the health and vitality of his or her institution. It is also an excellent text for graduate programs in higher education and student affairs.

My Take on the Book
This was an amazingly complete book that looks at all aspects of Enrollment Management! Being that I work in this area, and you hear about this topic throughout our industry, this book is a must have in today’s fluctuating college market. This book is written for anyone who is working to be strategic in regards to their enrollment goals and plans and who want to reconsider or revitalize their plans for their own institution. The book is thorough and very expansive. With close to 600 pages of information and resources, individuals that actually take the time to examine and think deeply about what is being shared here will truly gain valuable insight that can tremendously assist them and their campuses as they move into the future. This book is a book that I feel all will find useful, whether your main goal is enrollment or retention or not. The book opens your eyes to issues that are so important in higher education today and should be considered by all, regardless of their role at the institution!

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Book Review – The Art of the College Essay

September 13, 2014 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

About the Book
“You can do this,” Glancy tells us. “I’ll show you how.” Face-to-face with a blank page and the pressure of writing the most important essay of their lives—the college essay—students often encounter what successful writing coach and college admissions expert Gabrielle Glancy refers to as that which shall not be named—writer’s block. “Everyone tells you what you should do—tell a story; start in the middle; show don’t tell—but no one tells you how to do it,” Glancy explains. Using examples from essays that got students into the colleges of their choice, The Art of the College Essay shows what makes great essays great—and then tells you how to write one. Glancy provides a clear, highly readable, student-tested guide to writing college essays that are so powerful—so gripping, authentic, and real—that the Ad Com can only say yes. Helpful appendices list up-to-date college essay prompts, winning adjectives, grammar tips, trouble-shooting suggestions, and a step-by-step breakdown of the process.

My Take on the Book
What was great about this book was that the author was able to take a student from start to finish creating great personal statements/essays that can be turned into any college. As someone who has worked in College Admission for over 15 years, the writing of our candidates has become more and more challenging, so strong statements always put a smile on my face. That being said the author approaches this topic in a fun way that will engage any student. I found myself even motivated to get out some paper to write up a statement myself! I would also say that even though this book is geared toward the college essay process, the skills the author is teaching transcends this and can really be used for any writing endeavor!

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