Many college students, as well as parents, are always looking for ways to save money. From shopping for a trendy or professional outfit for a career fair, school function or just to go out to decorating an apartment, thrifting is a hot trend. It is a great way to be economical and stay within a budget. Fortunately, there are many options available for students. Those that have discovered thrifting have found that there are some great bargains and hidden treasures on gently used clothing, furniture, collectibles, and household goods.

Campus diversity amongst students has grown considerably over the years and colleges vie to maintain an inclusive atmosphere; allowing all students to gain exposure, perceptions, global awareness, and a willingness to collaborate peacefully and freely. Whether serving as a forum for communication, helping students build strong social networks, or simply in pursuit of a welcoming space amongst other Hispanic or Latino students; your school undoubtedly has a place where you will find your connections.

Did you know that about 40% of undergraduate college students work at least 30 hours a week? Some students look at college as their job and are fortunate to not need the additional income while studying, but others work to supplement the allowance their parents generously send or to put themselves through college and pay bills. Students often work on campus while others will find jobs locally. They can check with professors or departments for jobs. This can be a great way to ease into a field of study that may lead to an internship or even a long-term position.

Under the CARES ACT enacted on March 27th, 2020,  higher education institutions received funds to support students and higher education institutions with expenses and financial aid needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. If your student needs additional financial assistance after exhausting all other options, they should apply online at their school’s online resources. Students with existing FAFSA applications are being given priority.

What is FERPA? One thing we parents don’t like losing is control, and when our kids go to college, we lose a LOT of it. Once they leave the nest, we don’t often know where they are or who they are with, if they are going to class, if they are up all night, if they are eating or exercising. But what we do know is that we can’t see their grades unless they fill out FERPA-compliant paperwork allowing us to do so, and even then, most universities have separate teaching platforms for classes versus student records so you aren’t really seeing much beyond their overall transcript.

It was close to 10 p.m. when I received the call from my daughter, now a junior in college, that she had fallen during an intramural soccer game and was pretty sure she broke her elbow. Her friend was driving her to the emergency room. Here I was, over 350 miles away, it was late at night and I would not be able to do much of anything but worry. I told her to put me on speakerphone when she saw a doctor so I could hear what was going on. I had not given any thought to the fact that my daughter was over 18 years of age, so legally, I was not entitled to the same level of information, or access, that I had been for her first 18 years.

When my oldest started college, there were all sorts of terms that began floating in and out of our conversations that led me directly to Google. Years later, the new terminology keeps coming particularly now, with so many changes to how our college students are learning. There are quite a few words and phrases that have become commonplace that can be helpful to know especially as universities determine how classes will be delivered in the fall.

Under normal circumstances, many of us have seen firsthand how often our kids were getting sick once they were at college. We chalked it up to many factors including lack of sleep, being around other people who are sick, lack of exercise, late-night hours… and not eating healthy. As students head back to campus, there has never been a more important time for students to try to make good decisions so they stay healthy, so no cake, okay?

Students usually choose their majors over a period of time. I have always been a fan of taking a variety of classes until you find the ones that you enjoy most and choosing your majors around that. However; in these unprecedented times, students might want to take recent events into consideration when choosing a major. As with any major event, such as a recession, war, or, in this case, a pandemic, there is a shift in what type of degree a student may want to consider pursuing.

Imagine getting your student loans paid off. It may sound too good to be true, but HaveUHeard if you work for a certain amount of time in a job with student loan forgiveness options, you could get your loan balance canceled? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a job that you plan to stick with for the rest of your life, although that would be great too; however, the experience these jobs could provide can also beef up a resume for later.

Right about now our high school seniors should be attending graduation parties and beginning their shopping sprees to fill the dorm rooms of whichever college they decided on. However, these unprecedented times – are you as tired of that term as I am – have put another decision on our plates.

The moment you say Goodbye… One by one the Freshmen arrive at college ready to take the next step in their journey.  Goodbye is something we'll have to [...]

We completed the drop. We unloaded the car in the treacherous Florida heat and we set up their rooms. The bed was made, everything had been put away and [...]

I tend to see certain patterns throughout any given semester in my office. Leading into the first round of exams is always total chaos. And finals. Total chaos, particularly in the spring. Students get very worked up about their performance and how to juggle so many things at once since most exams seem to fall during the same weeks for all their classes (week 3, week 6, etc).

As their first semester gets underway, you may have some new questions or concerns. We, at HaveUHeard, are real parents of real college kids and we know we certainly did. For instance, why do they seem like they are struggling academically when they got such good grades in high school? Where can they go to get some tutoring? How can they deal with stress at college? So, for all the things that Orientation did not answer, we hope we can help.

To get a scholarship you have to apply for scholarships! There are so many to choose from and some pitfalls. We have the info for you! If you have Florida Prepaid and your student was fortunate to qualify for Bright Futures, that will help pay for a lot of college expenses. Our daughters had both (Bright Futures changed its payout from 2010-2014 so we did not get as much as our second daughter did). There were many more college expenses that were not covered by them having both.

We know that college is complicated and getting all of the answers can be daunting, frustrating, and stressful. Some of us rely on our students sharing information with us, some will spend time searching the college website or the parent pages and some will even call the school. We get it because we are also parents of college students who had so many of what we have come to refer to as “huh?” moments.

I remember my daughters going through sorority recruitment. The first one was convinced that her outfit selections were the reason she got dropped from many of the houses. That is very hard to hear from your daughter especially when you have spent much of their lives trying to teach them that beauty comes from within. I did not want them so focused on brands or trying to dress in a way that was not representative of who they were. But, recruitment is one of those times when you are judged on appearances.

There is a way to get the security deposit back but it will require a little effort, here is how we can help you. I have personally been through four dorm move-outs (summer and fall for two daughters) and six apartment move-outs not to mention our bloggers. And yes, there have been plenty of move out charges ranging from the burned desk chair in her dorm room (courtesy of a hair appliance), to dirty stovetop drip pans (yes some apartment managers will charge you for that).

Loans and COVID, here's how to navigate... On top of everything else in this crazy COVID world, you are worried about student loans. Here are some answe [...]

Even though you think these things should go without saying, we know our kids sometimes need some reminders. On-campus or off, meal plans, or not, your student will need to get groceries at some point in time. Most campuses have a fair amount of grocery stores close to campus and some even provide transportation to and from them. Some stores have an app to pre-shop to save time. And most today have apps that offer special discounts and exclusive deals, so make sure your student takes advantage of this and downloads them!

These unprecedented times, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have left some students facing new challenges. The colleges recognize this and are updating their websites to offer additional information and offer a safety net for students. Like the news, the material changes rapidly and HaveUHeard is doing its best to pass along resourceful and factual information.

Online and distance learning is not a new concept at colleges. Even high schools required students to have an online class to become familiar with this type of learning. What has changed is that almost all colleges and universities have moved to virtual classrooms until further notice. Some say two weeks, some for the remainder of the semester. Almost all universities have systems in place to handle the unique environment we are in and they are continually updating students and staff.

As college campuses throughout the country move to virtual classrooms, the fact remains that there are students at college that will remain in their university town. Perhaps they are unable to work or perhaps their finances are strained. No matter the reason, there are resources available both on and off-campus for food pantries. While they are currently limiting how many people can access the pantry, many are remaining open. If the university does not have an on-campus food bank, they certainly have community food banks.

Online test-taking can solve many issues. Many students have experienced taking exams throughout the semester in allocated classrooms all across the university due to large volumes of students taking the same exam at the same time. For example, in some classes, there may be at least 300 students. It would be impractical to attempt to test that many students in one room without chaos or the threat of major cheating. Thus, several smaller classrooms must be reserved to spread out all 300 students taking the exam. This can also be a long and tedious process, and classrooms are not always available because they are already in use. To avoid this situation, many teachers opt to use online testing services. Simply put, they are live online proctoring services that allows students to take exams on their computers. Proctors hired, use a specific protocol to replicate the face-to-face proctoring experience through the internet. Through this virtual process, proctors can see the student, see what they are doing on their computer screen, and monitor their testing environment. Because of their adherence to high accreditation standards within the industry, most of these proctoring services are used among colleges throughout the country. Our interns share info on setting up their online service and some best chance at success tips. Read more...

Safety for Collegiate Women, What's the Risk? There is a lot of talk about safety on college campuses right now, and rightfully so. The risk seems right [...]

As students head into summer internship/job fair season, it is important that they keep in mind the importance of what employers refer to as “soft skills.” This includes (but is not limited to): working with others, ethical judgment and decision making, analytical thinking, organizing and evaluating information, innovation and creativity, complex problem-solving, diversity awareness, and written and oral communication.

We have addressed birthday ideas when your student was away at college. It was one of those milestones that served as another reminder that we wouldn’t be celebrating together. But today, birthday plans are changing because of the quarantine. We’re here to help you make sure your student’s birthday is still one to remember and puts a smile on their face. From friendly drive-bys and honking horns to turning your house into a night out, the creative juices are flowing from all over the world.

Every college is on top of being there for students when things can get emotionally rocky. They offer various programs, resources, counseling, workshops, training; most of which are free to our students. Each school has its own counseling programs; some of which can be done online. There are often presentations that address various topics that may cause stress for college students. Often, colleges help students prepare for exams by offering relaxation techniques right when they are needed most.

We are living in a rapidly changing world, hoping that eventually, fall will bring move-ins, classes, college sports, and normalcy. Campus tours to help students make their college decision have been put on hold. Orientation will likely be virtual at many universities. These are unusual and unprecedented times and circumstances continue to evolve daily.

It looks like these unprecedented times mean that just about everything these days is online. That would include Orientation for freshmen and their parents. However, there is a lot of we can help you learn and hopefully answer some questions that Virtual Orientation for your university may not.