Bright Futures – Shining Bright
Michelle Balaun2020-07-01T12:40:44-04:00The 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 [...]
Dropping A Class
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T15:04:22-04:00Dropping The Subject I clearly remember my days at USF and having to make a hard decision about dropping a class. Back then, it seemed as if the world w [...]
Roommates and Residential Life
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:08:45-05:00Roommates and Residential Life For many students entering college, this may be their first time away from home for an extended period of time. While dor [...]
The Next Four Years
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T13:50:44-05:00The Next Four Years So you have a student ready to spend the next four years as a USF Bull? That means that you will be spending some time in the Tampa [...]
Sick at School While at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T13:49:54-04:00Sick at School Get ready…it’s bound to happen. At some point, the phone will buzz and your independent college student with a cry, “I don’t feel well, I [...]
Retail Therapy
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T11:12:50-05:00Retail Therapy Retail shopping, one of my favorite things to do. And in Tampa, there are plenty of great places to get your retail therapy in. Yes, yo [...]
Radio & TV
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T13:55:14-05:00USF Radio & TV Yes, your student is at USF to learn, but they will also need some downtime. My daughter watched her favorite shows on her laptop, b [...]
Places of Worship
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T18:14:51-04:00Places of Worship - Continuing Traditions Religion and worship are a big part of many of our lives, and college students and families may wonder how tha [...]
Orient Yourself
Michelle Balaun2020-03-02T15:05:34-05:00Orient Yourself Your child has been accepted to USF! Congrats! The dates of Summer/Fall Orientation may be found here. The first thing you need to do i [...]
Nature vs Nurture – What’s around USF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-10T12:48:41-04:00Nature vs Nurture Now that you have a USF Bull, I’m sure your recent trips to Tampa have been all about seeing the school, orientation, and move-in. You [...]
Moving Out
Michelle Balaun2020-11-11T10:45:57-05:00Moving Out There is so much anticipation and prep involved with moving our kids INTO college, but not as much thought about moving them OUT. Moving them [...]
Moving In, It Just Got Real
Michelle Balaun2020-01-28T11:47:36-05:00Moving In Once your student has been given their move-in date and dorm or residence assignment, the process of handling what can be a stressful, labor-i [...]
Move-In Day
Michelle Balaun2020-06-12T12:48:03-04:00Move-In Day Means - M.I.D USF’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 i [...]
Meal Plans for USF Students
Michelle Balaun2020-07-19T15:09:20-04:00Meal Plans Note: Dining Services have been operating according to modified protocol throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the fall se [...]
Lost and Found
Michelle Balaun2020-01-29T13:45:19-05:00Lost and Found Oh, No….It Happened! We’ve all done it, lost something. It’s not surprising that a college student may lose their keys, book, wallet, ph [...]
Honor Roll
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:47:53-05:00Honor Roll It is that time of year when students receive notifications that they have made a collegiate scholar society. The cream-colored linen envelop [...]
Homecoming
Michelle Balaun2020-09-17T17:27:15-04:00Homecoming Plans If this is your first college Homecoming as a parent, get ready for your Bull to be super busy. USF’s Homecoming is packed with fun eve [...]
Home Sweet Dorm Make it Sweet at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-24T16:21:30-04:00Home Sweet Dorm You may be surprised at how one can transition a mass-produced, industrial-looking dorm room into a warm and inviting room or suite. And [...]
Health Insurance
Michelle Balaun2020-10-15T11:16:27-04:00Health Insurance Students at many colleges today must have a health insurance plan that meets their university’s minimum requirement. The University of [...]
Grocery Stores
Michelle Balaun2020-01-12T16:41:04-05:00Grocery Stores A Kids Gotta Eat On-campus or off, meal plan or not, your child will need to get groceries at some point and time. USF has many shopping [...]
Graduation Reservations
Michelle Balaun2020-10-16T14:57:50-04:00Graduation Reservations Four years just flew by, your student who seemed to be a freshman yesterday has completed all those courses, gotten through all [...]
Graduation at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-10-29T13:44:24-04:00Where Did the Time Go? I know what you are thinking. Didn’t we just go through the angst of high school graduation, waiting for acceptance, moving out [...]
Fix it!
Michelle Balaun2020-06-11T16:01:04-04:00Fix it! You know you are having a cruddy day when your car, bike or motor scooter breaks down or gets a flat tire. Talk about being late for class, how [...]
Transportation -Getting There
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:25:41-05:00Getting There – Transportation To and From Tampa The first time you drop your student off at college can be both stressful and exciting. Planning is th [...]
Get Involved
Michelle Balaun2020-08-10T15:14:47-04:00Get Involved USF is huge! With over 37,000 undergraduates across over 1500 acres, it can sometimes be hard to not feel overwhelmed by the size of the sc [...]
Gasparilla
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T16:09:56-05:00Gasparilla Aaargh! It’s An Invasion! Being that we live in the same city as our college kid, there is one part of Tampa's life that I must tell you abou [...]
Finding an Internship
Michelle Balaun2020-09-09T14:23:29-04:00Finding an Internship One of the best ways to learn about a prospective career is to do an internship. Most colleges will require at least one, paid, or [...]
Family Weekend
Michelle Balaun2020-04-21T17:46:53-04:00Family Weekend Every school has Parents Weekend, and for USF the tradition continues. This is a great time to see your students in their “natural habit [...]
What is – FAFSA?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T10:24:40-04:00What is – FAFSA? First Applicants Find Substantial Assets, FAFSA of course! FAFSA is the national Free Application for Federal Student Aid but, based on [...]
Entertainment Options for You at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-05-16T18:21:29-04:00Entertainment What kind of entertainment are you looking for? It seems a little silly writing about things to do when visiting your student at USF. It [...]
Eating on a Budget at USF, Ways To Make It Fun.
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T14:48:20-05:00Eating on a Budget One of the not-so-fun things parents do is to teach their children to budget, about money and how to handle it. We’ve all heard it; [...]
Eating Healthy at USF, It Can Be Done!
Michelle Balaun2020-09-08T14:54:16-04:00Eating Healthy For most, eating healthy is a challenge in college. With priorities on being social, going out late, and needing quick meals, nutritious [...]
Dress for Success
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T15:26:50-04:00Dress for Success As they get closer to graduation, one of the greatest changes our students are about to experience is abandoning their shorts, t-shirt [...]
Computer and Phone Repair
Michelle Balaun2020-09-20T12:29:14-04:00Computer and Phone Repair One of my pet peeves with my kids is how frivolously they take care of their electronics, especially their phones. As teenager [...]
Dance Marathon aka Bulls For Kids
Michelle Balaun2020-10-23T13:55:41-04:00Dance Marathon aka Bulls For Kids One of the most popular fundraising events in colleges across the country is a dance marathon. Dance marathons are st [...]
They’ve Been Accepted, WooHoo, Now What.
Michelle Balaun2020-04-21T14:03:48-04:00They’ve Been Accepted Congratulations on Becoming a Bull! Congratulations to the Class of 2024! Accepted! I mean, they made it, but it sure feels like w [...]
Care Packages
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T10:38:05-04:00Care Packages So, your college student has been away and you and your family are getting used to your new normal. Even though your student is busy with [...]
Budget 101
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T11:10:51-04:00Budget 101 I’m going to start with the dreaded comment starting “when I was in college, we didn’t have…” (insert teenager eye-roll here). But, all of us [...]
Books, Books, Books
Michelle Balaun2020-08-21T15:47:16-04:00Books, Books, Books Now that our sons and daughters have moved in, begun exploring, meeting friends, the reality begins. This means that they are now s [...]
Birthright Israel – Hillel
Michelle Balaun2021-01-14T16:30:37-05:00Birthright Israel – Hillel What exactly is Birthright? Birthright began in 1999 with a bold idea—offering a free, life-changing trip to Israel to young [...]
Beauty and the Beast
Michelle Balaun2021-06-10T14:54:10-04:00Beauty and the Beast Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder, but sometimes it is in the eyes staring back at you in the mirror. Being the mother of t [...]
Are Your Student’s Valuables Protected and Safe?
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:41:33-05:00Are Your Student’s Valuables Protected? Keeping your stuff safe while at college is a priority. As we were preparing my daughter for college, one of the [...]
Are U Ready For Some Football?
Michelle Balaun2020-10-22T11:22:41-04:00Are U Ready For Some Football? With most large universities, planning on attending the school’s football games starts in the summer. The big rivalry gam [...]
University of South Florida Info
jadmin2020-05-07T16:09:29-04:00University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USA 813-974-2011 Congratulations! If you are on this page, you probably have [...]