Frequently Ask Questions

First year students face numerous challenges and some struggle at first. We advise them to give it a little time, get engaged with their academic work, eat the right foods, engage in regular exercise, get enough sleep, invest in their relationships with their roommates, join a club or organization, and establish a good working relationship with their advisor or another faculty or staff member.

The Pell Grant program provides grants to low-income undergraduates to help them pay for college. In 2002-03, this program provided $11.6 billion in grants to 4.8 million undergraduate students at 5,900 postsecondary education institutions. Individual grants ranged from $400 to $4,000; the average grant was $2,411. The average family income of Pell Grant recipients who were dependent on their parents for financial support in 2000-01 was $21,599. The average income for financially independent students was $13,658.

I recommend contacting National Student Services Insurance & getting a quote for renter's insurance - http://www.nssi.com/ or call 800-256-6774.

Students recommend that new students wait a couple months before going home for the first time, citing Thanksgiving to be a good goal. Staying at school forces your student to connect.

Go to FAFSA.gov. Make sure that you go to ".gov" not ".com." If you go to “.com” they will charge you $45.

A 529 account can be opened by anyone. Grandparents, other relatives or family friends can all be account owners, or simply choose to contribute to an existing account. In most states, a trust, corporation, non-profit or government entity can also open an account.

Even students who have done exceptionally well in high school find college work challenging. Students spend less time in class and more time in preparation. College professors demand much more, and course material is covered at a faster pace. Good note-taking and study habits are essential.

Your FAFSA information should be completed based on the information of the parent you lived with most during the last 12 months. If you didn’t live with either parent, or if you lived with each parent an equal number of days, use the information of the parent who provided the most financial support to you in the most recent calendar year.

Suggest your student first meet with the school's career services office. Often, career services offices offer testing services and internships with alumni. Assessments such as the Myers-Briggs can help match talent with logical career choices. Once the student has picked a career path - encourage them to meet with their academic adviser to determine which major may best prepare them for their desired career.

If a student is struggling in a class, they should schedule an office meeting with the professor. They can discuss challenges, note-taking and test-preparation methods, and tutoring possibilities. The professor can help the student decide if they should continue or drop the class. If the student continues, they should attend every class session.