Sorting Out College Life – Laundry
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T10:25:40-05:00Making The Hardest Chore Easier! (Laundry!) I tried to teach my daughter how to do the laundry before she left for college. Really. I did. Yet, somehow [...]
Technology Needs for UM Students
Michelle Balaun2020-08-13T13:28:17-04:00Here Is What You Get Free! The vision of the University of Miami's Information Technology (UMIT) department is to be the best information technology org [...]
An Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus
Michelle Balaun2020-01-29T13:33:11-05:00Here's How to Manage Your U-Miami Campus Living At the University of Miami, with on-campus housing, what you see is what you get. Students are only requ [...]
Finding a Roommate Can Be a Friend For Life
Michelle Balaun2020-06-16T11:35:34-04:00Searching for your new roommate? At the University of Miami, the process of finding a roommate is not as stressful as a high school senior might think. [...]
Career Showcase – A Student’s Perspective
Michelle Balaun2020-09-04T23:13:05-04:00Get Ready For The Job Market! Every semester as students at the University of Miami, we have the opportunity to attend various career fairs that showcas [...]
Choosing or Changing Your Major
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T11:57:51-05:00You Can Change Your Mind! The University of Miami boasts 11 Schools and Colleges and offers more than 180 academic programs and majors. Many students be [...]
Where Will They Live- Managing the Gap
Michelle Balaun2020-07-16T12:05:32-04:00Manage That Weird In-Between Gap Time. Although it feels like you just moved your students into their dorms, you now have to move them out. The worst pa [...]
Dropping a Class – When Is It Time?
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T15:00:38-04:00Here Are The Guidelines You Should Consider... It is inevitable. Sometimes your student will register for a class and, for a myriad of reasons, will nee [...]
Bright Futures – Shining Bright
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T20:03:41-04:00The Future Is So Bright You'll Need Shades! SEE END OF BLOG FOR CHANGES EFFECTIVE WITH THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR Bright Futures has been a grea [...]
Canes Football Spring Debut
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T11:16:58-04:00Getting Ready For the Big Season! Yes, it's spring, and yes we mean football. It's crazy I know! But it is springtime Canes football spring practice! Mi [...]
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 [...]
Graduation Is Sooner Than You Think!
Michelle Balaun2020-10-29T14:36:24-04:00Time Flies This is an unusual and unprecedented Spring (2020) and the situation and circumstances continue to evolve daily. Please start all your gradua [...]
Transfer Students
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T11:40:48-05:00Everyone wants to be a Miami Hurricane! Students transfer schools for a myriad of reasons. Hopefully, your student will finally feel at home once they b [...]
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 [...]
They’ve Been Accepted, Woo Hoo a Cane!
Michelle Balaun2020-06-23T18:27:09-04:00Here we go, they are a Cane! Accepted? So your son or daughter is going to be a Miami Hurricane! Congratulations! It is great to be a ‘Cane for so many [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Beauty and the Beast
Michelle Balaun2021-06-10T14:54:48-04:00Look Your Best! It’s not just for fairy tales, getting the beauty treatment makes her happy. As the mother of girls, I know all too well that not being [...]
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 [...]
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.
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!
Moving Out, It’s Time!
Michelle Balaun2020-11-11T10:13:01-05:00A lot going on at once. Moving out can be almost as hectic as moving into the dorms and apartments. You are typically assigned a move out time to keep t [...]
Health Insurance for Students
Michelle Balaun2020-10-15T11:33:15-04:00Health Insurance, Everyone needs it! Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their University’s minimum requirement [...]
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 [...]
Honor Roll
Michelle Balaun2020-06-10T16:13:31-04:00UM Honor Societies What are the Honor Societies and how do they work? When it came time for my daughter to make the final decision and choose her school [...]
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 [...]
Hotels, A Nice Place To Stay in Miami
Michelle Balaun2020-06-10T15:36:15-04:00Keep in mind that Miami is not only a college town but also an exciting and vibrant, major tourist destination, so there is a vast selection of hotel options. There are different things to take into consideration when booking.
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 [...]
Counseling Services
Michelle Balaun2020-01-09T11:34:08-05:00Let's talk about it. Now you have your college student moved in and they are ready to embark on a new independent life. Counseling services are availabl [...]
Tutoring
Michelle Balaun2020-09-02T12:03:46-04:00Students who attend The University of Miami, no different than many other highly sought after colleges, will be faced with challenging classes taught by respected and renowned professors. This is not high school where a student can often coast by; succeeding at UM requires taking classes seriously.
What is – FAFSA?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T10:20:25-04:00First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, FAFSA of course! First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, of course! FAFSA is the national Free Application f [...]
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 [...]