Finding a Roommate
Michelle Balaun2019-01-13T17:32:56+00:00First time living with someone you're not related to! Living in a dorm my freshman year was probably one of the best decisions I made while attending U [...]
Care Packages
Michelle Balaun2018-10-22T10:27:53+00:00We Know You Care For six summers I worked in the office at the sleep-away camp that my kids went to. Watching the elation on the camper’s faces when the [...]
Retail Therapy
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T18:42:32+00:00A Little Retail Therapy There is plenty of shopping in Orlando – maybe too much - and although your student is up there for school, there is always some [...]
Shopping Guide for New Students
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T18:51:28+00:00Top 7 categories of what they need! Back to school-college is the second biggest consumer spending season right behind winter holiday season. Parents ex [...]
Study – The Best Places to Study around UCF Campus
Michelle Balaun2019-01-15T16:19:48+00:00Finding a good place to study is very important for students. However, they all need a few other options for good places to study. Fortunately, there a [...]
They’ve Been Accepted, A New Knight!
Michelle Balaun2018-10-12T16:08:24+00:00Here's what you do now... Your son or daughter is going to be a Knight!! Congratulations!! It is great to be a Knight for so many reasons. You can now t [...]
Dorm, Home Sweet Dorm
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T18:48:46+00:00Just Like Home You may be surprised at how one can transition a mass-produced, industrial-looking dorm room into a warm and inviting room/suite. And the [...]
Money, Money, Money
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:03:18+00:00When Will They Get Their Financial Aid? The time has come to pay for your college costs and panic sets in. I remember receiving my tuition statement fo [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2019-01-12T10:50:02+00:00Money Doesn't Grow on Trees At orientation we were inundated with information about all sorts of things; from FAFSA forms to meal plans. No one ever rea [...]
Moving In
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T18:56:51+00:00Let's Move! Once your student has been given their move in date and dorm/residence assignment, the process of handling what can be a stressful, labor in [...]
Storage UCF
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:09:40+00:00Where Will They Put All Their Stuff? That time between semesters when they want to bring everything home for a few weeks or a summer and you are wonderi [...]
Radio and TV Stations
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:05:48+00:00Media Details. For students coming from larger cities who are accustomed to nationally syndicated stations, rest assured, there are plenty of radio stat [...]
Off Campus Living
Michelle Balaun2018-12-21T12:52:22+00:00Economical to Extravagant It happens before you know it. They are really living it. Literally. In about October or November of your student’s freshman y [...]
Take the LEAD
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:13:56+00:00Apply for LEAD Academy. Looking for a leadership opportunity while at UCF? You may want to consider applying to be part of the LEAD Scholars Academy. UC [...]
Parking at UCF
Michelle Balaun2018-10-03T10:59:01+00:00For my next magic trick, I will conjour up a parking space! You sent them to college with a car and they are grateful. However, although it will make a [...]
Working While Attending College
Michelle Balaun2019-01-14T17:34:24+00:00Make Some Moola While at School. Some students have to work to pay for college, some consider their school work their only job and fortunately don’t ha [...]
Sorting Out College Life – A Guide to Laundry, Dry Cleaning & Alterations
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:17:26+00:00The least favorite chore! I tried to teach my kids to do laundry before they each left for college. Really. I did. Yet, somehow when they went away to s [...]
An Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus at UCF
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:16:50+00:00The inside scoop for real! You can certainly read about the dorms and where to live on campus on the UCF Housing and Residence Life pages, but we asked [...]
Favorite Apartment Rentals
Michelle Balaun2018-11-20T11:43:54+00:00Living Off-Campus. Here are our best tips for rentals at UCF. With each of my kids, I have three, not one stayed in the dorms beyond their freshman year [...]
The First Few Weeks
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:18:02+00:00We 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 [...]
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:19:33+00:00How to manage shared living space. For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended period of time. Whil [...]
Meal Plans
Michelle Balaun2018-10-23T17:06:20+00:00To Buy or Not to Buy - Meal Plans Some of us will miss those family dinners. Others will find some relief. Either way, we all want to know that our kid [...]
Moving Out
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:24:22+00:00Time to be Moving On Moving out can be almost as hectic as moving into the dorms and apartments. It did not make sense for us to drag the entire dorm su [...]
Orient Yourself – Orientation Tips
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:24:01+00:00Overwhelm Potential If two nights and two days can make your head spin, these might be the two. Orientation, is not a bad thing, of course; it is just t [...]
Are Your Student’s Valuables Safe, Protected?
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:25:58+00:00But Is It 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 you ge [...]
Where the Wind Blows – Storms and Preparation
Michelle Balaun2019-01-12T10:53:15+00:00South Florida Knows...Storms Having grown up in South Florida, I have gone through more than 40 Hurricane seasons. I prepared for my first potential hit [...]
Rushing Her Way – What is Rush?
Michelle Balaun2018-10-15T11:38:04+00:00The Rush For parents of incoming freshman, you have probably started to hear whispers about sorority rush. The way rush is handled for sororities are so [...]
After The Hurricane
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:31:50+00:00Post-Hurricane Irma Prior to Hurricane Irma, our blog talked about hurricanes that had impacted Florida. It had been twelve years since a major hurrican [...]
Staying Fit
Michelle Balaun2018-11-20T11:38:11+00:00Freshman 15 - No Way! The Fit Way! We all know by now the advantages of staying fit, exercise, stress relief, healthy heart, maintaining weight (or losi [...]
Managing the Gap
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:33:04+00:00Where Will They Live- Managing the Gap Although it feels like you just moved your students into their dorms, you now have to move them out. The worst pa [...]
Sorority Girl
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:32:44+00:00So 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 [...]
What Not To Bring To College, You really don’t need THAT!
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:32:26+00:00Nope, Don't Need It Actually what I wanted to share here was that given that this is my third child to head off to college, I have learned that there ar [...]
Getting There – All the Transportation Options
Michelle Balaun2018-11-09T11:50:08+00:00The First Time That first time you drop your student off at a college you will probably want to go with them and get them settled. Many of you will driv [...]
Exam Care Packages
Michelle Balaun2018-10-22T10:20:37+00:00Give Them A Little Boost! Midterm and final exams can be some of the biggest stressors for your student. I typically do not get to speak to my daughter [...]
It’s All About the Delivery
Michelle Balaun2018-11-16T14:41:59+00:00There's a knock at the door... Taking time away from studying can be the difference between dinner or a bag of chips and a soda. Sometimes it pays to t [...]
So you want to be a Knight? Here’s How!
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:37:25+00:00Be a Knight! I don’t blame you; the excitement can’t be beaten. To be a Knight, belonging to a superior Universtiy and enjoying all the experiences and [...]
I’m Not Your Maid
Michelle Balaun2018-09-18T19:41:27+00:00Cleaning Services I never thought I would be saying this, but sometimes it is a good idea to hire a cleaning service for students. Hear me out… With flu [...]
Calendar of Events and Important Dates for UCF
Michelle Balaun2019-01-15T10:56:33+00:00Here is where you can find a list of events and important dates for students and parents of the University of Central Florida. We can't list everything [...]