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Parenting High School and College Students Has Unique Challenges
Looking for expert advice on parenting high school and college students? You have found it! Keep reading…
Why turn to the experts? Because they KNOW what works and what doesn’t!
Our children will always be our kids, no matter how old they get or grown-up they may seem. When they were little we turned to experts on raising babies and were constantly seeking advice that helped us become the best parents we could be as our children went through each tough stage.
Some say that parenting teenagers is harder than getting through the early stages, and after experiencing life with three teens of my own, I would tend to agree.
Unfortunately, many parents stop seeking the advice of experts as their children become college-bound teenagers and miss out on the fantastic, up-to-date, relevant advice that college and high school parenting experts share.
Wendy David-Gaines is a college prep parenting expert that has the advice parents need in order to survive the high school and college stage of raising kids who will become independent successful adults. Here are two of her latest articles:
More parents ask to be repaid by grads for college
Whether parents are using savings or loans, more are asking their children to repay the money spent on college costs. According to an article in Forbes, there are many reasons this “trend has emerged with parents offering to pay for college, but with the caveat that the student has to repay the debt.” And the trend is growing.
Sometimes repayment is financially necessary for parents because there is no loan for retirement. Sometimes this monetary investment is required as an incentive for students to do their best and better appreciate their higher education opportunity. Sometimes the financial obligation is used to extend parental control over an adult child. Whatever the reason, family relationships can be permanently strained unless there is a thorough understanding and agreement about the terms prior to the arrangement and before students make their final college list.
The goal is for families to work together for their mutual success. Parents often sacrifice for their children but it doesn’t make sense for mothers and fathers to jeopardize their own financial future. In the current economy, it is unrealistic to expect children to be able to support parents in their golden years. It is equally impractical for most teens to afford college costs on their own savings or find an affordable loan that covers all costs without a co-signer.
Form a parent-student team to address how to pay for college. It starts with family members being on the same page about affordability, possible college/career choices, and future lifestyle expectations. Listen to each other’s perspectives and desires to figure out how to work together to achieve them. Understand the consequences of each plan of action. Taking responsibility and being accountable are important life skills. They can be the difference between family harmony and acrimony.
Start the college conversation early to also address all those pre-college expenses like test prep, college tutors, college visits, and SAT/ACT/AP/IB exam fees that may end up saving big money later. They may increase student qualifications that can lead to scholarships and offers of admission with more generous financial aid packages.
2 apps to raise GPA
Recent studies have confirmed common sense that study habits and classroom attendance have a huge impact on students’ grade point average (GPA). This has led to the development of smartphone apps that can help students achieve academic success through behavior and not just brainpower. Although the apps were based on college students, high school students and their parents can focus on the findings and apply this valuable knowledge now.
The SmartGPA app was a result of Dartmouth research. It predicts GPA by analyzing info from what students are doing. “The app uses automatic sensing data on the phone and in the cloud and machine learning algorithms around the clock to infer higher-level behaviors, including partying (frequency and duration) and studying (duration and focus). It also tracks behavioral changes for the students, such as class attendance, sleep, physical activity, and sociability (i.e., face-to-face conversation and indoor and outdoor mobility),” according to ScienceDaily.
The app was found to predict student GPA within 17 hundredths of a point.
The researchers found what parents want for their college and college-bound students: proper behavior, strong commitment, and good decision-making. It’s the life skill recipe for a successful and happy life. High performers in the study were more conscientious. They spent more time studying and less time socializing, especially in the evening. They closed the term with more positive moods than their lower-performing peers. Their productive priorities spurred encouraging consequences.
The smartphone app Class120 “tracks students through their geolocations and alerts their parents or other contacts when the students roam outside the vicinity of their scheduled classes,” reports Forbes. It is aimed at the direct relationship between classroom attendance and increased GPA that a University of California Santa Cruz study found, Forbes mentions. An added incentive for parents and students is the financial loss from skipping a class that was paid for via tuition. Some colleges are using the app with student permission as a deterrent to cutting classes.
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The research and apps focused on behavior that leads to better academic performance regardless of students’ talents and abilities. Families can also support each other’s good habits/skills to help each other stay on track.
You can find a whole book full of Wendy’s wonderful college prep parenting advice in her book, POCS (Parents of College Students) Survival Stories: What to expect, What to do, and What to avoid.
This book will have you laughing, nodding your head, and thinking to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Learn more about Wendy’s book here.
No matter what stage of life you and your children are going through, turning to expert advice to help you through it is just plain SMART.
What experts do you rely on? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below!
Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regard to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets, and more have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. She teaches them how to apply S.M.A.R.T. with outstanding results.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites, and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.
Monica, you raise a great point about parenting teens. I call it little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems. Becoming parents and becoming parents of an adult child are both stressful family transition times. I hope my tips will help ease the anxiety, give perspective, and show how parents and college-bound children can work together as a parent-student team. PS I’m a mixing business with pleasure advocate so families can add some fun along the way plus celebrate accomplishments together!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Wendy! I love your advice and truly enjoyed your book. Keep writing!