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Five Ways To Financially Prepare Your Children for College by Craig Middleton offers sound advice for parents who are getting ready to send a child off to college. It makes the point that starting real-world financial lessons prior to leaving home is vital and offers specific ways to make this happen. Teaching students how to budget and giving them real financial responsibility while they are still at home is essential and this article will help. Good luck.

Introduction

• College is difficult for young adults. It is not just the academics that can be challenging, either. Students also have to manage their own money, often for the first time. This can be stressful for both a teen and his parents. You can make things easier for everyone by following these five tips for helping your children financially prepare for the college experience.

1. Involve Them in the Loan Process

• Your children will likely be paying off student loans long after they graduate from college. They should thus be involved in and prepared for this process. Make sure they understand the terms of any loan and when interest begins to accrue. They should also learn about different student loan refinance plans.

2. Warn About Scams

• Elderly people are not the only ones falling victim to financial scams. Predators may also target naïve students. Talk to your child about common scams and how to avoid them. Specifically, your teen should understand how to spot bogus emails, texts, and calls demanding cash or requesting payment of a fake bill.

3. Teach Then To Budget

• Budgeting is a key part of financial independence. If you plan to give your college student spending money while at college, consider paying one lump sum at the start of the semester. They will then have to learn how to budget that money over the ensuing months. You and your teen should also make a formal budget by writing down expected income and expenses each month. Make sure that you both understand which costs your student will pay, and which ones you will help cover.
• You may also want to give your child a fixed amount of cash to use on certain expenses, such as textbooks. Tell your teen that he can keep any of this money that they do not spend. This will encourage them to look for cheaper options, such as used or electronic textbooks. You and your child should also talk about this budget at the end of each semester. The two of you can then adjust the budget if necessary. After a year or two in college, your kids will understand how they are spending their money and learn how to save up for larger, entertainment-related expenses such as concert tickets.
• They should also realize the importance of making financial tradeoffs. For instance, if your child wants a new car, he may have to work extra hours or sacrifice some outings with friends in order to afford this expense. Learning this lesson as a young adult will make it easier to handle finances once he is completely independent.

4. Let Them Make Mistakes

• Of course, budgeting for the first time often leads to mistakes. Your kid may spend a ton of money on restaurant meals early in the semester and then not have enough cash left over for other bills. It may be tempting to lecture your child in this situation, or to simply fix the issue.
• However, they will not learn anything if you immediately come to the rescue. A few minor missteps should not ruin your teen’s finances, and they should teach him how to better manage money in the future. Instead of admonishing your child, help come up with a solution.

5. Let Them Be Independent

• Similarly, your child should learn that you will not be able to support her financially forever. You do not have to cut him off entirely, however. Instead, slowly cut back on the amount of money you give each semester. Even before she goes to college, you should also have her start paying at least two of her bills each month. If she has to use her own money to cover a cell phone or iTunes bill, she may be more judicious with all purchases. Once your child leaves for college, she will be one step closer to adulthood. To fully prepare for life on her own, make sure she understands how to manage finances.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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How to buy a house when you have student loan debt – Student loan debt doesn’t automatically preclude you from buying a house. While it does make the process more challenging, you can become a homeowner with student debt. Share with college grads you know. @zlwichter @Bankrate

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Many students in college can benefit from some tips and tricks regarding housing, diet, and balancing coursework with extracurriculars and jobs. However, each major and minor will have different aspects that require different tips. Here are five useful tips for business students in college.

1. Choose Your Major And Classes Carefully

• Many business majors simply call themselves business majors, but the reality is that business encompasses several varied and interconnected disciplines, including business administration, marketing, and economics. You should choose your business major and the classes you take to gain your degree carefully, based on your interests, career objectives, and course requirements. For example, if you want to get involved in sales at some point in your career, look for classes that will teach you and help you build skills in both the customer-facing part of sales work, such as giving pitches and the supportive aspects of sales work, including concepts such as sales enablement.

2. Make Sure You Know How To Study Strategically

• All students need to know how to study strategically, but for business majors, this is particularly important. Other majors, such as English, foreign languages, and history will place the focus on researching and writing papers. Majors such as chemistry and mathematics tend to be straightforward in their exam questions and work. Business majors may have a combination of both types of coursework and exams, so you need to be able to prepare for research projects, presentations, practical work such as developing marketing campaigns, and written exams. Each of these will require a unique method of preparation and may overlap with any of the others, so you need to be able to balance all of them as needed.

3. Manage Your Time Wisely

• Part of studying strategically means being able to manage your time wisely. College students tend to juggle several classes and extracurricular activities with jobs, internships, study time, and their free time to spend on enjoyable activities such as spending time with friends. You shouldn’t cut any of these activities, but you also need to make sure you don’t engage in any of them to excess. Find ways to manage your time and ensure you can finish everything you need to do without overwhelming yourself. Some people find physical or app-based calendars and schedules helpful. Others may find methods such as time blocking to be helpful. Whatever method you choose should be one that helps you successfully manage your time. (Doug: Research shows that you should spread out your study of any subject rather than cramming just prior to exams or deadlines.)

4. Set Short-term And Long-term Goals

• The long-term goal of most college students is to graduate and get a job, but a business major should strive to be as specific as possible in his or her long-term goals. Think about where you want to work, the type of career you want, and how you want that career to advance or change over time. Consider the stepping stones, the short-term goals, you’ll need to achieve those long-term goals. Think about the classes you need to take and any electives that will benefit your goals. Look into extra-curricular activities, student employment opportunities, and networking opportunities too. From there, get even more granular. Base your class goals on the syllabus and what you need to achieve in your course work, for example.

5. Start Considering Internships As Early As Possible

• One thing business majors especially should do in college is start researching potential internships and networking appropriately as early as they can. Depending on your major, your career goals, and where you attend school, there may be stiff competition for internship opportunities, so you want to prepare for and seek opportunities early. Internships are vital aspects of business major curricula and are gateways to potential future employment and networking opportunities that can benefit you after graduation. Some aspects of being a business major can benefit from general college tips while others will require more specific tips. You should make yourself aware of a mix of both these types of tips so you’re better able to develop your own unique strategies and methods.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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Six Ways To Improve Your Focus At School by Craig Middleton offers tips for students of all ages for paying better attention in class. Please share with any students you know.

Introduction

• You know how important it is to pay attention in class. Your teacher or professor is likely explaining concepts that you cannot grasp just by reading the textbook. Yet it is easy for your mind to wander during a lecture. You may get distracted by your classmates, or you might start thinking ahead to your extracurricular activities.
• If you have your cell phone or laptop nearby, you might start texting or checking social media instead of listening to your class. To survive grade school and college, you must understand how to focus during boring lessons. Learning this skill will also help you concentrate during work meetings as an adult. Here are some tips to help you pay attention during your classes.

1. Eat Right

• Your brain needs certain nutrients to function. If you are not eating properly, then you will struggle to concentrate no matter what else you do. Your diet should include lots of vegetables, healthy whole grains, lean proteins, and some fruit. Limit your caffeine intake, as too much coffee, can make you jittery. You can further maintain the health of your body and mind with supplements from USANA Singapore

2. Prepare Before Class

• As you sit at your desk and wait for class to start, you should get in the right frame of mind for learning. Read your textbook, look over your homework assignment or review your notes from the prior day. This should get your brain into “learning mode.” Similarly, you should spend a minute or two organizing your desk and ensuring you have everything you need. This way, you will not get distracted looking for a pencil or eraser during the lecture.

3. Participate and Take Notes

• Once the class begins, keep your brain engaged by participating in the discussion. This should prevent your mind from wandering. Specifically, asking questions can help you better understand confusing material. Just listening for concepts that you want to be clarified can force you to pay more attention.
• If you are not comfortable speaking in class, you should at least take detailed notes as the teacher speaks. (Doug: Some research indicates that taking notes with pen and paper is better than taking them on a computer. It also allows you to draw graphic organizers.) This should help you better remember the material and connect personally to what the professor says. You can also use the notes to help you study for tests later. There is no one right way to take notes. Instead, find the technique that works best for you. If you learn best from images, use pictures and diagrams to convey certain topics. If you stick to written notes, use color-coded pens or bullet points to organize the information.

4. Stay in the Present

• As mentioned before, your mind can easily wander during a boring lecture. To pay attention in class, you need to stay focused. If you find yourself daydreaming or stressing about your personal life, manually get those thoughts out of your head. Even thinking about future tests or assignments during class can cause you to miss important information from the teacher. To truly absorb the information, you need to keep your undivided attention on the day’s lesson.

5. Remove Distractions

• It is not just random thoughts that can distract you during class. Physical items, particularly electronic devices, can make you lose your focus. The best way to deal with distractions is to physically remove them from your presence. That means keeping your phone or tablet in your bag until class is over. If a window or a chatty classmate is distracting you, try sitting in a different seat. (Doug: I also recommend sitting in front. This way students in front of you can’t distract.)

6. Get Enough Sleep

• It is almost impossible to focus if your brain does not get enough rest. Most people ages 12 and older should get eight to nine hours of sleep per night. Figure out what your ideal sleep schedule is, and stick to it. Avoid getting too much sleep, as this could also make you feel overtired during the day. If you do not focus properly at school, you could end up failing your classes. The above tips should help you concentrate during lectures so you can achieve your academic goals.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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