In the current shaky economy, where prices for everything are going up, yet income and available financial aid are going down, it is more important than ever that we make the most of the college years.
While the focus is usually on making sure the student is prepared for the big transition to college, there is also a lot that parents need to do, learn and know before they wave goodbye at the airport or dorm.
Thankfully, Marie Carr kept careful track of everything she learned the hard way as her three daughters went off to college. In Sending Your Child to College: The Prepared Parent's Operational Manual, Carr has assembled an amazing amount of important information in an easy-to-use format. All parents of a college-bound student (whether this is their first year or their fourth) will want to have this handbook -- both for the "getting ready" phase and for quick reference later.
It became clear how hungry parents are for this information after Carr talked with hundreds of parents of incoming students for Emory University and during 3 trips to Boston University to participate in orientation programs for the parents at the request of the college. Both college's previous parent handouts paled in comparison with Carr's helpful guides that she created with her daughters to give to these parents.
In Sending Your Child to College, there is information on safety, greening, privacy laws, paying tuition bills, managing a sick child no longer at home; as well as health care proxies, dorm insurance, identity theft, hidden costs and budgeting. The clear, concise instructions, organization charts and forms, tips and shopping lists allow parent and student to plan ahead, be eco-friendly, save time and money, and make the most of these exciting years.
In fact, the issue about managing a sick child no longer at home, was added after Carr got a call from an EMT who was treating her daughter Ann for a severe reaction to a bee sting. Mom learned the hard way that the old, commonly used "Blanket" medical permission is no longer accepted, permission needs to be granted each and every time the student wants the attending physician to discuss their medical care with their parents or guardian.
The section on paying tuition and attention to "due dates" is the result of Texas A & M receiving by Fed/Ex Ann's tuition check prior to the "due date" but not early enough to allow sufficient time to "open the envelope and process the check." The end result was Carr having to pay the tuition a second time so Ann could register for classes. Subsequently, both checks were cashed and the first one refunded 10 days later.
Carr begins the book with this letter to parents: "I wish I knew then what I know now. How many times have we all heard this? So much has changed since we were in college both in laws, rules, regulations, and in the resources that colleges make available to help." With Sending Your Child to College, parent's responses in the future won't sound like this.
This handbook will help parents deal with the nitty-gritty details of sending their child off to college. Getting ready emotionally is a whole different matter.
My Take on the Book
As a person who works in higher education administration I found this book to be a great resource to aid first time (and beyond) parents with the step-by-step process that parents go through as they are helping their children transition to college. Many parents do not have the experiences or background to know what they need to do to help their child as they go off to college. This book does a great job at helping parents see what one other family went through as they stumbled and learned (sometimes the hard way) about what they needed to do to assist their daughters. I can say that I know that there are numerous parents that I have met in the past that would truly have benefited from this book, and it would have made their and their childrens' lives that much easier. The book is well laid out and offers a systematic approach to how a family should plan for college. Thus in Chapter 1 parents are given resources to consider before the college process begins while Chapters 2-8 examine the summer months prior to college. Chapters 9-13 reflects the moving in and first few weeks of college and the final two student related Chapters (14 and 15) are things that all parents need to share with their kids before college even begins. Chapters 16-20 are geared directly toward parents and gives them helpful hints and resources that will aid them in making the separation as pain-free as possible. This book was so easy to follow and provided great hands-on tips that all parents can follow. I believe that this book definitely is one that any parent would gain valuable insight from as they prepare to send their child off to college. If this book sounds like one that you would like for your own library you can find it on Amazon!
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