What Not to Bring
Michelle Balaun2020-04-28T11:04:43-04:00No, you don't need that! If you haven’t started shopping for your incoming freshman yet, whether for things for their dorm or clothes; well, then, we ar [...]
Birthright Israel
Michelle Balaun2021-01-14T16:18:42-05:00What is Birthright Israel? Birthright Israel is the gift of a free, 10-day trip to Israel designed for young adults of Jewish heritage, aged 18–32. Flor [...]
Make the Call
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T17:35:48-05:00Make the Call to Admissions A distraught friend recently called me wondering why they hadn’t yet heard from FSU although they sent in her son’s new SAT [...]
Finding a Job During Senior Year
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T17:31:54-05:00Are You A Senior? Time to start networking. Graduation is only a few months off and, depending on the type of job you are applying for, your senior shou [...]
Career Showcase: A Student’s Perspective
Michelle Balaun2020-08-28T13:30:36-04:00Choosing a major is not only a big decision but a difficult one. For assistance in selecting a program of study, FSU has many resources to aid in studen [...]
Residential Life and Roommates
Michelle Balaun2020-05-09T14:01:32-04:00Roommates and other fun life experiences. For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended period of time [...]
Student Jobs
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T16:08:06-05:00Some students have to work to pay for college. Some consider their school work their only job and fortunately don’t have to find work outside their stud [...]
Accepted
Michelle Balaun2020-02-24T12:25:08-05:00Have you been Accepted? Acceptances come out for FSU on January 3o, 2020 for those that applied for those who submitted all supporting documents by Nove [...]
Scholarships
Michelle Balaun2020-08-21T14:07:34-04:00Now you'll need to pay for that college! Almost as soon as the first acceptance to college came in, so did the idea of actually having to pay for their [...]
Working While Attending College FSU
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T12:22:49-05:00Need a job? Working it! Some students have to work to pay for college, some consider their school work their only job and fortunately don’t have to find [...]
Computer and Phone Repair
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T12:52:43-04:00It can be fixed! The day my daughter’s phone broke, and she thought the world would come to an end, was nothing compared to when her computer stopped wo [...]
Study Places
Michelle Balaun2020-08-20T16:04:40-04:00You need a good place to concentrate? My son closes his bedroom door in his apartment and puts on headphones to study. My daughter likes to study in the [...]
Dance Marathon
Michelle Balaun2020-10-23T13:45:42-04:00You Can Dance If You Want To Perhaps you have seen the Facebook posts from your student or friends’ kids that say #FTK or #ForTheKids. Maybe even fundra [...]
The Best Apps For Students
Michelle Balaun2020-08-21T16:52:13-04:00FSU and College Studying Apps Remember when you were in college and everything was easily accessible via apps on your phone? No? Well, me either. Our ki [...]
Beauty and the Beast for Noles
Michelle Balaun2021-06-10T14:56:47-04:00Beauty & The Beast When planning for college, we rarely think about the fact that our kids may still have to visit hair salons and barbershops or ge [...]
Nature vs Nurture
Michelle Balaun2020-10-12T12:00:44-04:00So much more Nature than you think! Your first few trips up to Tallahassee were probably about seeing the school, orientation, and move in (which means [...]
Trick or Treat The College Version
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T12:00:10-04:00It's Talloweek! Trick or Treat That Was Then… I would race home from school so my mom could put together some sort of costume for me then rush to meet m [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T12:39:10-04:00Stress. It happens to all of us, including our kids. As though a full schedule and trying to maintain a social life isn’t enough to cause a little stres [...]
Eating Healthy while at College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-12T11:48:52-04:00Eating Healthy, Not an easy feat! It can be hard to eat healthfully when at college. Meal plans, rushing to and from classes and activities, budgets, th [...]
After The Hurricane, here’s what you can do.
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T17:15:23-05:00Post-Hurricane Prior to Hurricane Dorian, our blog talked a lot about Hurricane Irma which definitely left Floridians on their toes. Hurricane Irma will [...]
Sorority Girl
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T16:38:55-04:00So They’ve Joined a Sorority Congratulations if your daughter has found a place to call home. Being in a sorority opens the door to so many wonderful ex [...]
Stay Fit in School, it Helps Your Grades!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-01T10:58:57-04:00It's Easy to Stay Fit! Note: Fitness schedules have changed; some are in person and others are virtual. Check out FSU's new fitness class schedules here [...]
Places of Worship Around Campus
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T17:41:24-04:00Keeping The Traditions of Worship If you're wondering about keeping up the tradition of worship, here are some thoughts. Shortly after my daughter start [...]
Mother-Daughter Time
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T16:15:28-05:00A Little Retail Therapy Is Good! Shopping in Tallahassee is not exactly what I am used to, but I assure you it is out there. There are plenty of big box [...]
Is It Safe? All that stuff at school?
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T17:05:56-05:00Is Their Stuff Safe? Right up there with the call from my college daughter that she lost her phone, keys, student ID, (fill in the blank), is the call y [...]
Graduation – What You Need to Know
Michelle Balaun2020-10-29T14:28:47-04:00Time Flys! Remember how when our kids were little we couldn’t envision them leaving us and going off to college? Now, if you are like me, you can’t beli [...]
F.S.U. Move.In.Day.
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T15:08:59-05:00F.S.U.M.I.D. Yeah, move. FSU’s move-in day is …well…a lot of work. Be prepared for many trips to the car and possibly one or two to the store for the in [...]
Lost and Found – Try this first
Michelle Balaun2020-01-29T13:51:21-05:00Oh No...It Happened! My daughter spent the summer studying abroad. She was warned about pickpockets by friends. And, she has made it through almost two [...]
Homecoming at FSU
Michelle Balaun2020-09-04T23:23:03-04:00It's about the game. Note: Homecoming 2020 has been postponed until the spring semester. Homecoming…no, not the kind where our kids announce they are co [...]
Sick at School, here is what you can do.
Michelle Balaun2020-09-29T11:52:15-04:00Mom......Dad...... It’s bound to happen. At some point in the four years that our kids are at college, the phone will ring and suddenly our mature, inde [...]
Where the Wind Blows
Michelle Balaun2020-10-07T12:29:48-04:00South Florida Native, Knows About Wind Having grown up in South Florida, I have gone through more than 40 Hurricane seasons, talk about wind! I prepared [...]
Family Weekend for the Parents
Michelle Balaun2020-09-21T18:21:21-04:00Early Bird Gets It - Parents Weekend Get the Deals Our first experience with Parents Weekend meant booking a hotel a year in advance, every weekend in O [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2020-10-15T17:45:33-04:00The Money Talk At orientation we were inundated with information about all sorts of things; from FAFSA forms to meal plans. No one ever really elaborate [...]
Football, are U ready?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T10:54:02-04:00Are U Ready For Some Football? Note: So things definitely look different this year, therefore....In order to keep the Tallahassee community safe preside [...]
What U Should Do Before Heading to FSU
Michelle Balaun2020-06-11T12:08:04-04:00Before You Leave Before you leave to take your kid to college, there are a few items you will want to take care of that are extremely important. Most co [...]
Get Involved
Michelle Balaun2020-08-10T15:00:15-04:00Be a Part of the Action, Join the Fun With an undergraduate enrollment of nearly 33,000, set in Florida’s capital city, FSU spans 476 acres. It seems hu [...]
Books, Books, Books
Michelle Balaun2020-08-20T15:54:21-04:00Reality Starts, Books, and More Books! Now that our sons and daughters are settled at college the reality begins (not ours, which happened to me the sec [...]
Radio and TV Stations
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T15:30:48-05:00Radio and TV Stations There are lots of media options, but if you still need it here are the radio and TV details for FSU. For students coming from larg [...]
Off-Campus Living – Apartments
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T15:48:35-04:00…Economical to Extravagant, Apartments Galore Apartments happen before you know it. In October of your student’s freshman year, they will most likely te [...]
Entertainment for Noles looking for a good time!
Michelle Balaun2020-04-29T11:09:43-04:00Check out those 'Noles This is what we call entertainment, I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you flat out; I wasn’t a sports fan until my daug [...]
Transportation, Getting There is easy
Michelle Balaun2020-04-27T09:54:53-04:00Trains, Planes, and Automobiles…Transportation to Tallahassee Freshman who brings their cars will quickly learn that parking during the fall and spring [...]
Retail Therapy
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T11:08:50-05:00A Little Retail Therapy There is plenty of shopping in Tallahassee and although your student is up there for school, there is always something that he o [...]
Tutoring and Other Ways to Study Better
Michelle Balaun2020-08-20T15:59:32-04:00Challenges But Not Limitations, Tutoring Can Help Students who attend FSU, no different than many other highly sought-after colleges, will be faced with [...]
Safety Matters
Michelle Balaun2020-03-10T12:38:53-04:00Their Safety is Really All that Matters I’m not a helicopter parent. Really, I’m not. (Ok, some may disagree.) Regardless, once we have moved our studen [...]
The Next Four Years
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T15:36:20-05:00Have you begun practicing your Tomahawk chop yet? If you have a student ready to spend the next four years at FSU and plan to visit, you best get your c [...]
Rushing His Way, the Fraternity way
Michelle Balaun2019-12-13T17:17:39-05:00Frat. Rush. For parents of incoming freshmen, you have probably started to hear about the fraternity rush. The way rush is handled for fraternities is r [...]
Rushing Her Way – Sorority Pathway
Michelle Balaun2020-07-03T18:09:16-04:00Recruitment Whispers, Sorority For parents of incoming freshmen, you have probably started to hear whispers about sorority recruitment. The way recruitm [...]
Meal Plans
Michelle Balaun2020-06-30T16:22:58-04:00Burgers and Pizza and Fries… Oh my… A Guide to Meal Plans Some of us will miss those family dinners. Others will find some relief. Either way, we all wa [...]