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5 Things Parents Should Look for when Helping Teens Choose a College

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Writing, reading, and arithmetic are the main things parents want their kids to learn in school, and that’s what they look for in any school they choose for their children to attend.

However, once school is done and the graduation cap is thrown into the air, most parents find that choosing a college is a whole different ballgame. Many kids choose to go to college directly after high school, so you should be ready for this eventuality.  Below you can find a few of the things that you should look for in a college when helping your teen choose the best one for them.

Campus Safety

The very first thing any parent or teen should look for in a college is how safe the campus is. From having university lockers so packages are kept safe until students can retrieve them, to well-lit parking lots and paths, there are many ways to keep your students safe. While most college campuses are extremely safe, you want to ask about the things above, as well as check the crime rates on the campus and in the area surrounding the college before making a final decision.

Available Majors

While this may seem like a no-brainer, you need to check to be sure that the college your student is considering has the majors they want to pursue. College is first and foremost about getting a well-rounded education, so offering your student’s chosen field of study is essential.

Class Size and Teacher to Student Ratio

It’s important to know what class sizes are going to be like before your student sets foot on campus for that first year. Is your student going to be just someone taking up a seat in a 400 seat lecture hall or will the professor know your student by name? This is up to the individual student and their parents. If your child learns better in a smaller environment, then you don’t want them to be tossed into an environment where no one knows who they are.

The Location of the College

Location is extremely important to many students and their parents. You want your child to be close enough to friends and family that if something happens, someone can get to them quickly. At the same time, you know they need to spread their wings and test the waters, so them being away from home for college is a good thing. Questions such as whether to go to school in a big city or a rural area need to be addressed as well. It’s not a great idea to go from a small country town in the South to a huge college in New York City and be on your own right away.

Accreditation

Being a college graduate will do your child little good if the college they choose isn’t accredited. Make sure to review a school’s accreditation carefully before making a final decision. A diploma from an accredited college or university goes a long way with future employers. There are even online colleges that are accredited if your child should choose to go the online route with their education.

Try to let them Make the Final Choice

While it’s your money, probably, paying for their college education, you do want your children to be happy in the college they choose. Tour colleges together, then sit down and make a final decision based on what your child wants and what you will allow.

These are just a few of the things you should look for when helping your teenager choose a college. Remember, the final decision should be made together for the best results.

4 Writing Tips for College Freshmen

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Starting college is a challenge for all freshmen. This statement was true in the past, but now, in the midst of a global pandemic, new college students may be understandably stressed about making the transition to higher education. While we may not be able to explain how best to engage in the college experience from a virtual standpoint, we can share some key writing and communication tips that will prove extremely useful now and well into the future. Check them out here:

Avoid Slang, Emojis, & Informalities

Generally speaking, it’s a good idea for college students to refrain from using informal language when communicating with professors and administrators. Sure, some people won’t mind if you make the odd mistake in an email communication, but it’s still best to write every email, message, and social media post in college with a certain level of professionalism. At worst, it will help you build good habits, and at best, enable you to avoid potentially awkward situations.

Look Everything Up

This might sound obvious, but you should never discuss a theme, concept, or issue that you don’t understand in writing. Even using a word incorrectly could cost you points in the eyes of some professors. So whether you’re writing an essay on syndicated research methods or 18th century French literature, don’t explore a topic unless you’ve researched it thoroughly. You won’t get away with breezing through a tough subject in a college paper.

Keep it Simple

Understandably, many college students feel pressure to write long, complex sentences and to use obscure words and phrases to “enhance” their writing style. This is almost always a bad idea. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, just focus on writing in a clear and concise fashion.

Write in active voice, eliminate run-on sentences, and structure your writing in a coherent manner.

Read it Out Loud

The best way to ensure that your writing makes sense is to simply read it aloud to yourself. This doesn’t require much time or energy, but it will allow you to spot common grammatical, stylistic, and spelling errors that you might otherwise miss. True, having a friend or classmate review your work before you submit it is also beneficial, but you may not have that luxury –– particularly if all of your classes are online.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s okay to make mistakes and to encounter difficulties in college. Growth requires some struggle. Just be sure to try your best in every class. You never know which course will prove beneficial to you and your future career prospects. So don’t miss any opportunities to learn new skills or to hear new ideas.

3 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Sending Your Kid to College

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The day that your son or daughter is accepted to the university of their dreams is a proud day for you as a parent. Unfortunately, though, it is also the start of the stressful process of trying to find the funding required to send your kid to college. From rising tuition costs to room and board, there are so many things that contribute to the overall cost of attending a four-year university these days.

While at first glance, you might be wondering how you are going to afford to help your child earn their college degree, there are certainly plenty of options out there that can help reduce these costs. Here are three ways that you might be able to cut down the expenses associated with college.

1. Scholarships

Scholarships are probably the most popular route to take when it comes to finding funding for further education. There are a lot of different scholarships out there that range in the amount you can receive to cover part of your college funding or even the full cost of tuition. The key is to find the right scholarships for the university your child hopes to attend, and then apply to as many as possible.

For instance, if your child wishes to go to college in Ohio, you need to find scholarships in Ohio specifically. You can visit CampusReel to find out more about this. Some federal scholarships might be applicable to universities all over the country, while others will only be available for use locally. No matter which scholarships your child wants to apply for, make sure that they start applying early so that they can increase their chances of receiving as much additional funding as possible.

2. Shop Around

Some students dream of attending a particular university and are not willing to compromise that dream. While there is nothing wrong with this concept in general, it is important to highlight to your child that some universities are far more affordable than others.

Take into account the difference between attending college in your home state instead of going out of state. There is a significant difference between in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition. If your child is willing to attend a university closer to home, then you could stand to save a significant amount if they continue to live at home.

Furthermore, the cost of attending a private university is far greater than that of a state school. While private schools can be more prestigious, an education from a state university can be just as valuable for a fraction of the cost.

3. Start Small

While attending a four-year university is the goal of most students, you and your child might consider the option of taking a year or two at a community college first and then transferring to a major university. There are core classes that all college students must complete in the pursuit of a degree. Often, these classes can be taken at a community college for a considerably lower cost compared to the tuition at a large university, and then those credits can transfer over to a university.

5 Ways to Make Education in College More Fun

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5 Ways to Make Education in College More Fun

Students must have fun while learning in college. It will make them have more interest in school work. It will increase their creativity and productivity. If you work in a college and you notice that your college lacks fun activities for students, it means you have some roles to play – the role of incorporating fun into education for the benefit of students.

There are many ways through which a college can bring fun into education. Different methods have different levels of fun and benefits. We’ve compiled a list with the top five ways of making education more fun in college. 123TermPapers prepared this list for you:

1. Promote Teamwork among Students

Research reveals that teamwork among students promotes quicker and longer retention of information. It develops their ability to think critically and sharpens their communication skills. Working together creates a fun environment for students. Teachers in colleges can promote teamwork by grouping students for projects. In the course of completing projects together, students will learn new things, develop their social skills, and catch great fun.

2. Give Brain Breaks

Brain breaks are short activities that give students a break from schoolwork. They last just about 2 minutes but do a great job on students’ brains. When school work becomes too long, students become tired and lose attention. At such times, they need something to reset their mind and refocus their attention. Brain breaks are perfect for this purpose.

3. Go on Field Trip

Students love adventurous things. They catch fun, experiencing new things. Field trip gives students new experiences. It presents real-world versions of knowledge to them. It awakens their interest in learning. During a field trip, the kind of excitement that flows in students can’t be compared to the one in the classroom. In school, students sit in the same place for hours. But on trips, they walk around and exercise their body. For these reasons, teachers need to find an opportunity to take students out for trips.

4. Integrate Technology into Lesson

The integration of technology into learning is advantageous to teachers and students. It makes teaching easy, fast, and effective. It arouses the interest of students towards their studies. Technology has many ways through which it makes education interesting. One of such is gamified learning, which presents learning in the form of a game. Another one is the digital field trip, where students can go on a virtual field trip. With technology, teachers can organize lessons into presentation and multimedia files which students will love.

5. Make Teachings Practical

Practical classes make students appreciate the education. It reveals to them how school lessons relate to life. There are plenty of lessons which students can turn into practical. Lessons such as drawing, crafting, designing and construction of things. All these can come as a project which students get the reward for. Students will catch fun in completing projects. They’ll develop their skills and become more creative.

Conclusion

Fun reduces stress levels and increases curiosity level. Its importance in education can’t be overemphasized. Students won’t stay productive for too long without fun. But with fun, their productivity is limitless.

5 Extra-Curricular Events All College Students Should Experience

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So much of the college experience happens outside of the classroom. Though it’s obviously important to be prepared to study hard while at university, commitment to academics shouldn’t stop you from enjoying all that college life has to offer. Indeed, spending all of your time in class, in the library, or in your dorm room is tantamount to a massive missed opportunity. To that end, today we’re going to share five extra-curricular events that all college students should attend at least once. Check them out here:

College Theatre

Some colleges are home to wonderful auditoriums and theaters. And many college students who study theatre are immensely talented. Indeed, they may even rehearse a role for an entire semester before they perform it live. Given that fact, you should make it a point to check out at least one student-performed play while in college. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

Art Galleries

Sticking with the theme of high culture for a moment, there are few better ways to spend a free afternoon on campus than by checking out a student-run art gallery. Who knows, you may even come across the early work of a burgeoning famous artist there!

Frisbee and Hacky Sack

Cliched? Sure, but playing frisbee or hacky sack with a couple of close friends on the quad of an idyllic university can be a blast. Tick this box if just for the goofy photo opportunities.

Sporting Events

College athletics is a massive industry that attracts visitors and fans from around the country. In fact, many colleges hire companies like OTW Safety to provide them with barricades for crowd management and traffic control on game days. Not only do sporting events give students the chance to unwind for a few hours, but there are few expressions of school pride more meaningful than sporting traditions. And there’s nothing better than beating that big rival from across the state in a football game!

House Party

Many people meet their best friends in college. Of course, a big part of making friends is going to parties. It’s worth remembering that college party culture does have a dark side, though. So never engage in any illegal activities, behave responsibly, and always look after your well-being and the well-being of others first and foremost. College life is about having fun and meeting new people, but you shouldn’t risk your health or others’ just to fit in.

Conclusion

Believe it or not, it is possible to soak up everything college has to offer while maintaining a high GPA. Go out and seize the day because those four years are sure to fly by faster than you realize.

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