Taking the Campus Tour
Michelle Balaun2020-11-05T11:27:37-05:00What To Do On Tour! Touring college campuses is so important before your student decides where they want to attend school. Some students will tour campu [...]
Money, Money, Money
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T12:41:56-04:00When Will Financial Aid Disburse? Or, Show Me The Money! The time has come to pay for your college costs and panic sets in. I have three kids and each e [...]
Food for Thought, Is Everyone Fed?
Michelle Balaun2020-07-01T15:02:52-04:00No Student Goes Hungry Much like the national campaign No Kid Hungry®, there are many students at colleges throughout the United States that are barely [...]
Where Will They Live – Managing the Gap
Michelle Balaun2020-07-16T11:54:57-04:00Managing the Gap Did you know there was a time gap? Although it feels like you just moved your students into their dorms, you now have to move them out. [...]
UNF Care, How to Adjust to a New Life
Michelle Balaun2020-04-29T11:17:04-04:00Transition Can Be an Adjustment, We Care Moving to college is a huge adjustment for many students. Some students don’t know where to start when they are [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T12:30:20-04:00Stress, It Happens to All of Us One of my biggest worries when my kids left for college, was would they be able to handle the stress of college life. Th [...]
Homecoming for all Osprey’s
Michelle Balaun2020-09-17T17:22:32-04:00Calling All Ospreys...it's Nest Fest! Homecoming has a lot of meaning for college sports teams and it is always a special event and the homecoming at UN [...]
Making the Most of Summer B
Michelle Balaun2020-05-18T20:08:07-04:00It Can Be The Best Season Ever! (Unfortunately Summer B at UNF will be remote for 2020. Please see our blog on Distance Learning to help with any trans [...]
First Time Loan Borrower
Michelle Balaun2020-07-09T12:10:34-04:00You’ll Need to Do This for a Loan What is the Entrance Counseling? In July of 2016, the U.S. Department of Education made it a requirement that, in orde [...]
Staying Fit
Michelle Balaun2020-08-19T11:06:09-04:00Keeping Fit Counts! Freshman 15? No way! Keep fit! We have all heard about the dreaded freshman 15 pounds that is so easy to gain the first year away at [...]
Eating Healthy at college
Michelle Balaun2020-06-12T11:33:31-04:00Eating healthy, not an easy feat! It can be hard to eat healthy when at college. While on-campus dining offers healthy options, sometimes having the opt [...]
Eating on a Budget
Michelle Balaun2020-06-29T15:08:23-04:00Teach Them To Budget And The Rest Is Easy Eating on a budget is hard to do at any age. Teaching my three kids how to budget their money was not an easy [...]
How to Choose or Change Majors
Michelle Balaun2020-06-02T09:27:12-04:00Feels Like A Really Big Decision! Considering the University of North Florida offers a multitude of degrees; how is one to choose? Most students begin c [...]
Student Accessibility Service
Michelle Balaun2020-05-18T20:01:22-04:00Consideration for Providing Accessibility for Everyone For students with a disability, UNF takes great care in providing resources for their students, w [...]
Bright Futures – Shining Bright
Michelle Balaun2020-05-07T15:58:24-04:00The 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 [...]
High School Graduation Gift Ideas
Michelle Balaun2022-02-15T11:57:19-05:00Get Them Something Practical Yet Fun When my older son graduated from high school, not only did he go to a lot of graduation parties, but he also had a [...]
Finding A Roommate at UNF
Michelle Balaun2020-05-12T12:05:29-04:00First time living with someone you’re not related to! When I went to school, there was no way to find out who my roommate was until the day I got to sch [...]
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2020-05-18T19:56:10-04:00First Time Living With Someone You’re Not Related To! For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended pe [...]
Technology Needs for UNF Students
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T13:58:19-04:00Here is What You Get For Free! HaveUHeard that Microsoft Office 365 is free for all enrolled UNF students? And it’s free for up to five devices. That is [...]
Finding An Internship
Michelle Balaun2020-09-03T16:21:31-04:00Learn About Your Options, Find an Internship I have three children; one graduated from FSU, one is a junior at FSU and one is a freshman at UNF. Each on [...]
Working While In College
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:37:38-05:00Who doesn’t need extra money... Some students are working to supplement the allowance that their parents are giving them each week or month and some stu [...]
Beauty and The Beast
Michelle Balaun2021-06-10T14:52:00-04:00Is That How Your Favorite Fairy Tale Begins? When planning for school, we often think of all the essentials, dorm room decorations, meal plans, registra [...]
Just Desserts!
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T14:44:53-04:00Who Wants Dessert, Is My Favorite Sentence! Seriously?! My favorite meal of the day is dessert. When my kids were little, many times I would give them [...]
Trouble in Paradise
Michelle Balaun2020-05-05T09:31:48-04:00Trouble, It Happens… Is your student having trouble or in trouble? Are they having problems with a roommate, an apartment lease, underage drinking, acad [...]
Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus
Michelle Balaun2020-06-22T10:50:25-04:00We have the inside scoop on places to live ON-Campus! You can certainly read about the dorms and where to live from UNF’s web page Housing and Residence [...]
What You Should Do Before Heading to UNF
Michelle Balaun2020-06-11T12:24:59-04:00Before 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 c [...]
Are Your Student’s Valuables Safe?
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T14:53:21-04:00Keep Them Safe As we were preparing my daughter for college, one of the most popular subjects discussed on my UNF parent's Facebook page was safety. I’ [...]
Dropping a Class
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T14:58:20-04:00Dropping, When Is it Time? Here are the guidelines you should consider when dropping a class. “I need to drop my Business Calculus class.” Not the best [...]
They’ve Been Accepted
Michelle Balaun2020-02-24T12:15:52-05:00Now, What do You Do? Congratulations Class of 2024… Swoop and Welcome to The Nest!! You can now take that sigh of relief that a decision has been made a [...]
When the Wind Blows a Hurricane is coming!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-01T13:48:42-04:00Being prepared for a Hurricane Having lived in Florida since 1983, I have seen and experienced a lot of hurricane preparedness and fortunately, I have n [...]
What Not to Bring to College
Michelle Balaun2020-05-11T10:22:30-04:00No, you don’t need that! I remember when I first went to college – many, many years ago, I packed my car and my parents’ car full of my clothing, access [...]
What is FAFSA?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T10:22:41-04:00First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, FAFSA of course! First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, of course! FAFSA is the national Free Application f [...]
Tutoring
Michelle Balaun2020-09-04T10:38:26-04:00When Additional Help is Needed Students who attend UNF, face the same challenging classes, taught by respected and renowned professors, than any other c [...]
The Next Four Years at UNF, here’s what to expect.
Michelle Balaun2020-05-11T10:24:41-04:00Welcome to the Nest Do you have a student ready to spend the next four years as a UNF Osprey? SWOOP and Welcome to the Nest! The next four years will b [...]
Tax Time
Michelle Balaun2020-05-11T10:26:25-04:00TAX, A Necessary Evil Taxes, we have to admit, are not fun but necessary. As you are preparing your return or having a CPA prepare your return, do not f [...]
Sports
Michelle Balaun2020-05-07T16:00:46-04:00Are U an Osprey? Unlike almost any other Florida university, UNF does not have a football team. To some this may seem like a major disappointment; howe [...]
Sorting Out College Life, Laundry and Beyond
Michelle Balaun2020-05-12T12:03:42-04:00Your guide to washing, drying and never losing our favorite pair of socks! I was never the mom who made her kids do their own laundry, although they kne [...]
Sick at School
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T13:24:38-04:00Mom…I'm sick? When my kids were growing up, I always hated when they said: “I don’t feel well.” Having my daughter 4 hours away and hearing those words [...]
Safety Matters
Michelle Balaun2020-04-30T14:52:29-04:00How To Handle The Fact You Are Not There I am a neurotic mother, yes, I admit it! When my older sons left for school, I realized that I no longer had th [...]
Rushing His Way – Frats
Michelle Balaun2020-05-16T18:15:57-04:00What Is the Rushing Real Story? So many times, we think about a fraternity and think of the movie Animal House. The brothers are living in a house that [...]
Rushing Her Way
Michelle Balaun2020-08-25T11:02:02-04:00Sorority Low-Down When my daughter was accepted to UNF she was thrilled! She starting talking about where she would live, who her roommate would be and [...]
Restaurants
Michelle Balaun2020-06-24T12:32:48-04:00Great Places to Eat! Like any college town, there are literally hundreds of dining options from fast food to fast-casual, from family-style to fine dini [...]
Places of Worship for Students
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T18:09:06-04:00Continuing Traditions Whether you are away from home as a first-year freshman or a fourth-year senior, it is always comforting to know that you can carr [...]
Parking at UNF
Michelle Balaun2020-05-29T16:03:40-04:00Get the Last Spot! When getting ready to send your student off to UNF, the decision of should they bring their car to school, and then what to do with i [...]
Orient Yourself, What You Need For Orientation
Michelle Balaun2020-02-27T14:14:50-05:00A Guide to Orientation Congratulations! Your child has been accepted to UNF! This is such a wonderful time in your child’s life and the start of the n [...]
Off-Campus Living
Michelle Balaun2020-06-05T14:16:19-04:00Economical to Extravagant Off-Campus Your child moves into their dorm in August and everyone is so excited…new friends, new space and everything is goin [...]
Moving Out
Michelle Balaun2020-11-11T10:41:44-05:00Is Moving Out Harder? For some, the process of moving in is easier than moving out. When your student moves in, they neatly pack their items in a suitca [...]
Moving In
Michelle Balaun2020-06-10T13:58:00-04:00All the Tips and Tricks to Make Moving Easy Once your student has been given their move-in date and dorm or residence assignment, the process of handlin [...]