RAMBO

The best gift my mother gave me (besides siblings) was a college education. She acted as my unofficial guidance counselor, coach and mentor. She did all of this as professionally as any professional I have ever met. She realized the importance of college because she was born during the depression, went to high school during World War II and did not get the gift of a college education herself.

The best Mother's Day gift I gave my mother was graduating from college. It was such a popular gift, I did it five times. She was there every time, which sometimes meant sitting in an auditorium on Mother's Day.

If your mother pushed you toward college, thank her. Because of her actions, you are more likely to earn a minimum of $20,000 per year more than you would have without a college education. Because of her, your children and grandchildren are more likely to attend college as well. There is a wide body of research that shows the far-reaching impact of a college education on a family. College raises the standard of living and health of a family for generations. Happy Mother's Day!

What great stories do parents tell about a teen's early life? What challenges has a teen faced and with what outcome? What adventures has a teen had that turned out well or disastrously? What makes a teen unique? These are some of the questions college-bound teens should consider as they decide on the focus of their college essays.

College application essays have the potential to convey personality, potential and why a teen is a great addition to an incoming college freshman class. Or they can be boring narratives that convey little about the student. Parents and grandparents can be a great asset to teens considering what to write about because they know all of the wonderful stories about the early life of a teen that could be used to create a spectacular essay. 

College acceptance notification as well as other critical notices from scholarship and financial aid sources come to families through email.  The good news is that email is fast and reduces waiting for decisions.  The bad news? Not all teens monitor their email.

 

To avoid missing critical time-sensitive messages, parents need to work with the teens in their familiy to encourage regular email check-ins.  This is an important skill that will translate to success once today's high school senior reaches college.

 

Another discussion to have with teens in your family is email addresses.  Family members who insist on having email addresses that are a little too trendy or casual should be encouraged to have a second, professional email option for use in college and scholarship correspondence.  That's not bad advice for adults in the family as well.