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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Preparing for Grad School Exams
Michelle Balaun2021-05-07T13:09:58-04:00Just keep going! Whenever you hear someone say, “four years fly by” believe it! Preparing for graduation comes as a shock to some, but then there is th [...]
The Best Apps for USF Students
Michelle Balaun2020-11-10T13:40:43-05:00The Best Apps for USF Students I always feel old when I say, ‘back in my day’, but the truth is that back in my day, we lived in a world without apps, c [...]
Favorite Apartment Rentals
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T16:39:30-04:00Favorite Apartment Rentals Not Your Momma’s Apartment Just when you think you have your student all settled in the dorms, chances are you will be hit wi [...]
Campus Resources for Students of Color
Michelle Balaun2020-07-27T09:44:33-04:00Campus Guide to Resources for Multicultural Students Campus diversity amongst students has grown considerably over the years and USF vies to maintain an [...]
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 [...]
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; [...]
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 [...]
Care Packages for USF Students
Michelle Balaun2020-10-01T10:42:48-04:00Who doesn’t enjoy getting a care package delivered? We know you really care, you care a lot about your student and want them to be happy. Whether it is [...]
It’s All About the Delivery at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-09-15T13:07:13-04:00Delivery, It Is So Easy! When I was in college, the only delivery available was pizza delivery. Getting a five-dollar pizza delivered right to my dorm w [...]
How to Transition as A Transfer Student
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T14:54:12-05:00Becoming a BULL We all know that there are many ways for a student to end up at their final college institution. Maybe you have attended the college of [...]
Make the Call to Admissions if you have Questions
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T14:57:14-05:00Should I, or Shouldn’t I? Call admissions or not? After the excitement of finally deciding on what colleges to apply to, there comes the time-consuming [...]
An Insider’s Guide to Living on Campus
Michelle Balaun2023-05-08T16:34:12-04:00Learn the Best Way to Manage Your Housing. Housing is one of the first decisions you must make after being accepted into USF. The housing you select wil [...]
Finding a Roommate
Michelle Balaun2020-05-07T18:32:37-04:00What To Look For In An Ideal Roommate. One of the biggest fears of any new college student is “the roommate”. Finding the ideal roommate can be stress [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The First Few Weeks
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:14:53-05:00We 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 [...]
I’m Not Your Maid: Cleaning Services
Michelle Balaun2020-09-04T15:11:51-04:00Maybe It's Not A Luxury, But A Necessity? Does everyone need a maid? Ok, let me start by saying that yes, my children know how to clean their rooms and [...]
The Stress of College
Michelle Balaun2020-06-01T12:15:04-04:00The Stress of College It happens to all of us, even our kids. You probably saw this when they were studying for their AP exams or writing the dreaded c [...]
Trouble in Paradise
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:24:41-05:00Trouble in Paradise Your student got in trouble. Or they are having trouble. Now what? It’s not uncommon. Sometimes even “the best kids” end up getting [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Cultural Resources for Hispanic-Latino Students
Michelle Balaun2020-08-18T15:06:04-04:00Support, Empowerment, and Connection for Hispanic-Latino Students Campus diversity amongst students has grown considerably over the years and colleges v [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The Loss of a Pet
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:44:05-05:00The Loss of a Pet More than half of our population owns at least one pet. For many college students, the family pet was acquired when they were a child [...]
Staying Fit in College
Michelle Balaun2020-09-08T14:53:13-04:00Staying Fit There is so much to gain in college; new friends, experiences, knowledge, and yes, sometimes even weight. I remember hearing about the “Fres [...]
After the Hurricane
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T15:47:17-05:00After the Hurricane - Getting Back to “Normal” Prior to Hurricane Irma, our blog talked about hurricanes that had impacted Florida. It had been twelve [...]
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 [...]
Choosing or Changing Your Major
Michelle Balaun2020-04-21T14:12:30-04:00Choosing or Changing Your Major You’ve graduated from high school and have chosen to go to USF. The most popular question asked to you will be, “what ar [...]
Where the Wind Blows
Michelle Balaun2020-10-07T12:34:13-04:00Where the Wind Blows As a Florida Native: Been there, done that. Wind blowing, we get that a lot. I was born in Florida and have never lived outside of [...]
Transferring to USF
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T16:04:38-05:00Transferring to USF Some students leave for college unsure of what to find and realize when they get there it is not the place for them. Perhaps too the [...]
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 [...]
Where to Pregame at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-01-10T16:13:01-05:00Get Ready For A Fun Day! I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of the term, pregame until I heard my daughter mention it before attending her first colleg [...]
Away for the High Holidays
Michelle Balaun2020-09-01T13:06:15-04:00Celebrate High Holidays with a New Community Generally, our kids get to come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for those who celebrate the upcomi [...]
Best Coffee Houses at USF
Michelle Balaun2020-10-21T14:43:25-04:00Coffee, Cup of Joe, a Cuppa, Java Caffeine is king for most college students and, while generally the most economically savvy way of getting it is makin [...]
Trick or Treat The College Version
Michelle Balaun2020-10-02T12:43:56-04:00Trick or Treat Halloween is the first holiday that your student will encounter since leaving home. With their new status as adults, the holiday takes on [...]