Tag Archives: Responsibility

Freshman Finance 101

Coaching, First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Success In College, Uncategorized, , ,

The focus for this fall’s college freshmen has, no doubt, been academic preparation to be accepted into their chosen college or university and to do well once they arrive.  There’s another important aspect of preparation for college that may not have gotten enough attention – financial preparation.  I don’t mean having enough money to pay for college even though that’s a tremendous challenge.  I’m referring to money college students will spend for other things.  Parents can’t send them everything they need or want.  The question is whether they’ll know how to manage the hundreds or thousands of dollars they spend in cash and with debit/credit cards during the school year whether they earn it or get it from home.

Parents, start teaching your college bound sons and daughters good money management skills before they graduate from high school.  We all know how challenging managing money is even if we know how to do it.  Every month, things happen that can derail our financial plans.  We’ve had time to learn how to deal with these events.  Typically, college bound high school seniors haven’t.

Help your sons and daughters practice good money management skills before they go to college also.  Knowing how to manage money and doing it well are not the same.   Help them get some practice at budgeting and spending their money based on their budget.   Also, strongly suggest that they take a course in personal finance to learn more about how to manage money now and after graduation.   Take a look at this article to read  about four things you can do now so your sons and daughters pass Freshman Finance 101 with flying colors and dollars to spare.

CARRYING ON THE TRADITION

Mentoring Students, Success In College, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

 

 

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by Rashida S. Mar b. courtesy of Flikr

In my blog post “Talking Good Talk” I shared the important role family dinners had in my life as I grew up. When I had my own family, my wife and I  instituted the same rule as my parents—six days a week, Sunday through Friday, our family ate dinner together. The tradition had the same effect on our children it did on me. We talked and laughed about everything which helped us bond as a family. We also talked good talk about what was happening the world and what it meant to each of us. My wife and I intentionally kept the conversation at a high level so our kids could learn from the discussion and the thinking behind comments  made.

My oldest daughter, who had a very good public school education, got a scholarship to a university in upstate New York. After a few weeks on campus she called and said “Daddy, I’m going to school with trust fund babies.”  When I asked her what that meant, she said these kids were from successful,  affluent New York families who provided them with everything they needed. From the day they were born their families set aside trust fund all they would need for the best private schools. “They had and still have advantages I don’t have,” she also told me, “but I have  no trouble keeping up with these students academically or socially because of what I learned around our dinner table.” I’m sure some other things contributed to confidence but I believe what she was telling me was that she knew what she had to say was valuable and valued and she could hold her own in any environment – with or without a trust fund.

From her experience and mine, I know that what happens to outside of school is as important, perhaps  more important than what happens in school. School is where you get your knowledge but home is where you learn your values. Let me know if you had similar experiences growing up or as a parent.

GradeUP! Challenge #3: Go See Your Professors

Coaching, First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , ,

student-talking-to-college-professor - croppedIf you haven’t yet visited the professors for the classes you’re taking this semester, Go Now! Make sure your teachers know you and understand that you’re serious about doing well in their classes. If they know you as more than just a name— you give your professors the opportunity to respond to you as a person, not just a name or number on the class roll.

See every teacher from every course, outside of the class time, at least once during the semester. The biggest chunk of the money you spend on college pays for your professors, so go see them, make them know you, let them help you and get your money’s worth!

When you go to see your professor, you’re not just going to introduce yourself – try to accomplish the following:

  • Be prepared! Show your instructor that you have read and thought about the material you’re covering in class. If you don’t understand something, formulate reasonable questions beforehand so the meeting will be beneficial for you and your instructor will gain more appreciation for you as a scholar.
  • Ask open-ended questions about the class. For example, “What can I do, other than the assignments, to improve my performance in class?” or “ Are there things you can tell me that I should avoid doing in this class to improve my performance?”
  • Ask your instructor how he/she thinks you are doing in class and whether he/she can project a grade for you based on your performance so far. This is the assessment that counts. Find out how it is being made and the best ways to monitor/influence your performance in a positive way.
  • Act on the advice you are given. If your instructor suggests that you do something to improve your performance in class, do it and make sure he/she knows you did it.
  • Be grateful. Make sure your professor knows you appreciate the help and advice you are given. Saying thank you, and meaning it, is important.

Get more information and advice on the benefits of talking to your professors and, read about the time a visit to a professor saved my grade in Good Players Talk to the Coach, Chapter 15 of College in Four Years. If you don’t yet have College in Four Years, during the GradeUP! Challenge you can purchase the book for $14.99 (normally $19.99), a special 25% discount. I’ve set up a special College in Four Years storefront that will only be open during the Challenge and it is the only place you can buy the book for $14.99.

To get the discount enter the code BBQ86MXV at checkout from the special College in Four Years GradeUP! Challenge storefront. Use this direct link to the storefront.
If you prefer an eBook, you can purchase it for $9.99 on Amazon.com.

Next GradeUP! Challenge,Thursday, 2/12: Why your professor isn’t the only person you need to see.

 

GradeUP Challenge #1: Talk To Your Advisor

First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Academic advisor - croppedOne of your most valuable and probably most under-utilized resources is your academic advisor. They do more than sign your advisement form. Your adviser actually has the best view of your academic future  – no crystal ball needed. With access to your academic past (what courses you’ve already taken), present (what courses you’re taking now) and future (what you’ll need to graduate) and the experience they’ve gained from successfully shepherding other students through the college experience – they have some valuable skills.

Meet with your advisor as early in the semester as possible – before the drop/add date in case you need to make changes to your schedule. When you see your advisor do the following:

  • Talk to them about your performance last semester. Discuss why you got the grades you did and how to keep doing what you did right or how to fix what didn’t work. They actually have the answers to these questions.
  • Ask them to review with you what your curriculum is going forward and what if any changes you need to make or accommodate.
  • Look at your present course load – are they aware of any particular challenges? Should you arrange or rearrange what you’re taking this semester?
  • Talk to your advisor about scheduling classes so you’re not trying to take a spring course in the fall or a fall course in the spring.
  • Talk to you advisor about when you should take your courses to ensure you meet all the prerequisites when you want to take a course that requires them.

Get more information and advice on working with your advisor in Chapter 9 of College In Four Years.

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Let me know what you think about this post and the Challenge.  Please leave a comment below.

The next Challenge posts on Thursday, 2/5/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here. 

 

College Equals Freedom to Succeed or Fail

Coaching, Higher Education, Success In College, ,

freedom word cloudGraduating from colleges in four years with good grades and professional prospects is about more than academic excellence. College is where students start to learn how to balance freedom and responsibility for success. The two concepts are linked whether students know this or not. Each students earns the right or freedom to choose by making good choices and acting on them successfully. Each good choice earns more freedom to choose in the future. Every poor choice means less freedom to choose in the future. Here are five tips to help you make the decisions that earn you the freedom to be successful:

* Be honest with yourself.  Even if you can’t say it to anyone else, know the truth in your heart and act on it. Let your actions and good decisions tell other people all they need to know about you.

* You are responsible for you – not parents, relatives, advisors, professors, friends or anyone else because only your name will be on that diploma and the transcript that shows how well you did in college. Accept full responsibility for your decisions and actions. Never give someone else the authority to make decisions for you unless you are prepared to be responsible for the decisions they make.

* When you have acted responsibly expect or, if necessary, demand the freedoms that go with it. When you have acted irresponsibly accept and learn from the loss of freedoms that result.

* Treat other people the way you want to be treated. When they act responsibly with you, give them credit for that and tell them you appreciate it. When they act irresponsibility with you make sure they know that too and how you prefer to be treated.

* Managing freedom and responsibility well will have a positive impact on your attitude and actions. You will look for and expect the best of yourself and so will others. Those expectations  will make good decisions easier to make and follow through on.