Move-In Day
Michelle Balaun2020-06-12T12:50:45-04:00Getting Settled UM’s move-in day has come a long way since my daughter moved in freshman year. Gone are the days of endless trips back and forth to the [...]
Finding an Internship to Start a Career
Michelle Balaun2020-09-09T14:38:15-04:00The Most Effective Way To A Starter Job. I am a big believer in internships. I received my first internship while an art student at school, working in t [...]
We Really Do Care
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:35:34-05:00Transition Can Be A Challenge. At the University of Miami, once you’re a ‘Cane you’re a member of a special family that cares for its flock! In addition [...]
New Housing for UM Students
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:24:36-05:00Updated New Living Environments Coming To UM Have you seen the housing? Freshman housing is the one area that most students can agree on, needs improvem [...]
Moving In?
Michelle Balaun2020-01-28T11:44:41-05:00Once your student has been given their move-in date and dorm or residence assignment, the process of handling what can be a stressful, labor-intensive and often expensive process begins. The moving in scenario.
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:35:10-05:00Learning To Live With Others... For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended period of time. While do [...]
Working While in College
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:34:04-05:00Gotta Earn Some Cash? Some students have to work to pay for college, some consider their school-work their only job and others choose to work while at s [...]
Searching for Scholarships Look Here!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-08T14:34:09-04:00Now It's Time To Find The Right One! When our kids were small, we always knew to pay for college was something we envisioned, and were fortunate enough [...]
The Best Apps for Students to Live Their Best Life
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:35:57-05:00Yep, there's an App for that! Remember when you were in college and everything was easily accessible via an app on your phone? No? Well, me either. Our [...]
What Not to Bring, Nope You Don’t Need That!
Michelle Balaun2020-04-28T11:07:00-04:00Read This Before You Shop! If you haven’t started shopping for what to bring for your incoming freshman yet, whether for things for their dorm or clothe [...]
Best Spots On Campus To Study
Michelle Balaun2020-08-14T11:59:33-04:00Just Need A Quiet Place, Right? If you’re a student that enjoys studying outdoors, there is no shortage of open green spaces and lush tropical corners to hide away and get to the books.
Getting There – All the Transportation Options
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T11:45:15-05:00The First Time Getting There... Transportation to college is not as complicated as it used to be. That first time you drop your student off at a college [...]
CanesTHON Means Dance All Night!
Michelle Balaun2020-10-23T13:52:07-04:00You 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 [...]
Computer and Phone Repair
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T12:41:07-04:00When it breaks it is such an issue...Phone or Computer! My daughter has dropped her phone more times than I care to admit; so much so that even the insu [...]
Before Heading to UM Do This!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T12:29:07-04:00Read Our Tips Here First Before you send them to school! Before you leave to take your kid to college, there are a few items you will want to take care [...]
So your student wants to be a Cane?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-28T12:25:36-04:00Good School, Great School. That is understandable; U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Miami #57 on their 2018 “Best College List”. The [...]
Eating on a Budget
Michelle Balaun2020-10-17T21:01:25-04:00It Is Possible To Save Money! I have experimented with various approaches to teaching my daughter to live on a budget. She needed to be eating on a budg [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T12:18:34-04:00Keep Yourself Stress-free. Stress. It happens to all of us, including our kids. As though balancing a full schedule, the welcome distraction of footbal [...]
Places of Worship for Students
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T18:00:03-04:00Keep up the Tradition For many students, being able to continue to worship, pray, and adhere to their religious beliefs is extremely important. For thos [...]
Lost and Found This may help.
Michelle Balaun2020-01-29T13:49:29-05:00OH NO…It Happened! It’s Lost. We have all had the misfortune of losing something really important. My daughter’s roommate was doing study abroad in Lond [...]
Staying Fit and keep the “15” at bay!
Michelle Balaun2020-08-19T11:31:55-04:00We all know by now the advantages of staying fit, exercise, stress relief, healthy heart, maintaining weight (or losing if those freshman 15 do start to creep up) and so on. The question is will our students work out when they get to school.
Orient Yourself – Find Your Own Way
Michelle Balaun2020-02-27T13:30:37-05:00If two nights and two days can make your head spin, these might be the two. It’s not a bad thing, of course; it is just the amount of information can get a bit overwhelming. They need to orient themselves to their new life.
Mother-Daughter Time
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T11:32:25-05:00Our first mother-daughter weekend in Miami was such a wonderful, memorable experience. We took a long walk around the campus, strolling around Lake Osceola, through the Arboretum and had a picnic lunch out on the green.
Home Sweet Dorm This Is Home Now!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-24T16:10:46-04:00You may be surprised at how one can transition a mass-produced, industrial-looking dorm room into a warm and inviting room/suite. And there is plenty of help out there to spur ideas and help you organize.
Sick at School and What To Do
Michelle Balaun2020-09-25T16:08:38-04:00Mom...I'm sick... I’m sick…It’s bound to happen. At some point, the phone will buzz and your independent college student will cry “I don’t feel well, I' [...]
Homecoming Alumni Weekend
Michelle Balaun2020-07-08T13:19:23-04:00Alumni Weekend & Homecoming November 1-3, 2018 is a campus-wide event that takes place once a year on the Coral Gables campus, and is a time that all alumni and friends come together to celebrate being a ‘Cane!
Trick or Treat The College Version
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T13:26:30-04:00Going to UM, students have plenty of Halloween events to choose from. Halloween also coincides with Homecoming this year – students can check out Homecoming Spirit Day at Lakeside Patio.
Nature vs Nurture
Michelle Balaun2020-10-12T15:34:53-04:00Have fun in the sun, it's nature!!! If you have a child attending the U, start compiling that Miami bucket list as soon as they have accepted! Nature ab [...]
Entertainment
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:14:00-05:00Fun stuff to do! It's entertaining and almost silly to write about things to do when visiting your student at UM. Based on the fact that our kids are li [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2020-10-17T21:02:54-04:00Learn this now! I can vividly remember being in college and having to make the dreaded call home to ask my mom for money. I was the last of 3 kids she p [...]
Get Involved – Join a Club to Enrich Your Experience
Michelle Balaun2020-08-10T15:29:06-04:00Join to Enrich The way to feel more included is to join one of the many groups and organizations. The beauty of the University of Miami is that there ar [...]
Rushing Her Way…
Michelle Balaun2020-05-12T15:22:10-04:00Rushing Sorority or Not? Is Recruitment The Way? For parents of incoming freshmen, you are probably starting to hear whispers about the sorority rush. T [...]
Where the Wind Blows – Home of the Hurricane
Michelle Balaun2020-10-07T12:31:18-04:00Our Florida Hurricane Weather. Having moved to South Florida as a teen, I have gone through more than 35 Hurricane seasons. I prepared for my first majo [...]
Rushing His Way… The Fraternity Truth
Michelle Balaun2020-05-12T15:49:43-04:00Fraternity Truth, Is It Really like The Animal House? Going back to 1978 with the release of “Animal House”, which became one of the most successful fra [...]
Parents Weekend at UM – Time for Fun!
Michelle Balaun2020-06-10T14:44:13-04:00Weekend Fun and Games! Parents Weekend 2019 begins at approximately 3:00 pm on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, and runs through Sunday, October 6, 2019. As a Hu [...]
Meal Plans at UM
Michelle Balaun2020-07-19T15:14:11-04:00A guide to all the meal plans Note: Residential dining and retail locations are expected to resume regular schedules for the fall 2020 semester. Each fa [...]
Safety Matters
Michelle Balaun2020-03-10T14:09:25-04:00The University of Miami takes safety very seriously. Technology has changed the landscape of how they impart information to students through texts and e [...]
The Next Four Years
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:20:29-05:00Your Next Steps. So you have a student ready to spend the next four years at The University of Miami? That means you will undoubtedly be visiting once o [...]