pre-college

Just mention the words “college admissions,” and the anxiety level for some future college parent households rises as quickly as the spring pollen count outside their front doors.Part of that anxiety, no doubt, is being driven by a recent spate of high-profile newspaper articles, followed inevitably by their cribbing on television or radio news programs, all of which are collectively making the point that college admission is harder than ever.

Dear Parents:When your children leave home for college, they will face a host of new experiences and responsibilities. As a parent, you recognize that now they will be "on their own" to tackle life's basic functions - at the same time that they are adjusting to a new environment and new freedoms. To help your student in this transition, he/she should know the "financial facts of life" before opening that first checking account or making that first purchase on credit.

At least 1.7 million college students are uninsured for health care, according to a March 2008 study by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). As a result, it’s natural for these students to turn to plans put in front of them by the schools they attend. However, these “school-sponsored” plans are uneven in their coverage, often provide limited benefits and many times contain exclusions and high cost-sharing amounts.

Traditionally, college education was assumed to reach completion in four years. However, studies indicate that recently more students are enrolled for five years to earn a bachelor's degree and, indeed, some college programs are requiring a five-year period for matriculation. For instance, with more and more educational opportunities available through colleges and universities, many students are eligible for work study programs, study abroad, internships and volunteer programs.

Do you hover low to the ground, micromanaging your collegebound kids from a helicopter pilot seat directly overhead?Or, in contrast to so-called helicopter parents, do you assume your not-quite-yet-launched kids need so little oversight you become what parenting educator Michael Popkin calls a satellite parent? (Hint: Your kids complain you're so far in outer space not even the longest-distance phone plan reaches you.)

Don't worry if you're feeling a little sad about your student leaving home for the first time – it's perfectly normal, assures Dr. Bill Pfohl, a professor of psychology at Western Kentucky University. (And yes, it will get easier!) If it hasn't started already, you and your children will experience normal separation pangs.As parents, you go from having a lot of control over your children's lives to having less control. That doesn't mean you're no longer necessary in their lives.

For those of you whose children are preparing to go away to college this fall, a sense of anticipation is already in the air.You may have a checklist that you’re following, maybe even a few checklists.

The University of Richmond, like many small liberal arts colleges, has its roots in single-sex education. The campus, which sits on a picturesque 350 acres of woodland a few miles outside the Virginia state capital, was once two schools: Westhampton and Richmond colleges, on opposite sides of a small lake. The campuses merged around the turn of the 20th century, creating the coed institution that exists today. The delicate balance between men and women at Richmond has always been a tricky thing to manage.

Spring is a great time for high school juniors to visit college campuses. Here are some "Dos & Don'ts" that students and their parents need to know before visiting universities.

Students heading off to college, especially for the first time, face many insurance issues that they or you may not have considered. Here's a quick look at four of those issues.