Princeton Review has recently published its 2010 College Rankings.  They are a fun read if nothing else.  Here is just a sampling of the lists based upon the responses of 122,000 college students…

• Most accessible and least accessible professors
• School runs like butter versus long lines and red tape
• Most religious students
• LGBT friendly
• Great College Towns
• Party Schools
• Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution
• Most conservative students and most liberal students

You could probably spend hours just going through the lists.  You can check them out at The Princeton Review.

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There are two great times to update the freshman college dorm shopping list:

1. Christmas – when you have to get rid of your student’s money, and you’re wondering what useful things you can buy them for the holidays.
2. End of summer – when they are about to take off for college and they still don’t have everything they need.

Here is my checklist of what you need to outfit a good dorm room…

The Gizmo’s and Gadget’s

The Computer (let’s start with the really fun one): if your student does not yet have a computer of their own, or the one they do have is outdated; you should certainly consider this as the “A” #1 top of the list. Consider a multimedia computer with a TV tuner card. You can kill a lot of birds with one stone here. Not only will a multimedia machine act as their computer, but it will also be their TV, their DVD player, their TV recorder, and their stereo. It is truly the Jack of all appliances. And it makes for a great entertainment system for the very few hours they will not spend studying.

A laptop is preferred. There isn’t much room in a dorm room, so you don’t want to take up precious space with a big desktop unit. Besides, they’ll want to be able to take the computer to the library, or class,
or home.

An Ethernet cable for the computer.  There will still be some places where wireless access may not be available to hook in to a network.

The Printer: although many schools and professors are now allowing students to submit papers in electronic format, this is far from being the norm.  So, your student is going to need some way to print off that earth-shattering report on Machiavelli. Printers are dirt cheap today compared to what you got yesterday. You can often pick up a good printer/scanner/copier for less than $150 or even $100

Surge protector: protect the investment you just made.  Two of them are better than one, and three of them are not overkill.

Extension cords: two or three of these as well.

iPod or other MP3 player.  Make sure you have headphones as well.  Your roommate will thank you for them.  Actually, you may want to take along a second pair of headphones… just in case your roommate forgot to bring theirs.  Then you will be thankful for them.

Phone: I grew up in a telephone family — literally. My family has
been in the telephone business since before there was copper wire; so what I am about to say would have been heresy at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. Go get your student a prepaid wireless phone. Don’t bother with the hard wired phones anymore. Phones can double as MP3 players as well.

A digital voice recorder for class lectures: skip the old tape recorder — your student will likely download the recording to their computer anyway. If you bought a good phone, the phone may double for a voice recorder as well.

Digital camera: they’ll want to preserve the rest of their high school year and college. www.cnet.com has excellent reviews of digital cameras. You can get one heck of a good camera for little money these days.  I have both a still camera and a Flip Video camera that only cost $150.  With the popularity of uploading video, a video camera is becoming more popular than digital still cameras.

Other appliances:

If you didn’t go the multimedia computer route, then your student is going to want these as well —

• TV – small LCD TV’s are very reasonable now
• DVD player
• Portable Stereo or iPod dock
• Coffee Maker – they can’t be a Starbucks all the time
• Microwave – if you check out www.sears.com, you’ll find quite a few small microwaves for under $100
• Refrigerator – you can get several dorm-sized refrigerators for under $100 as well

For around the dorm room

• Kitchen type tools: bowl, cup, glasses, can/bottle opener, etc.
• Chip clips
• A small safe or anti-theft drawer (there may be a few things you don’t want your roommate or others to get at)
• Desk Lamp
• Alarm clock (one with a really loud and annoying alarm — they’ll need it)
• Bulletin board and dry-erase calendar board
• A small toolkit (I do not suggest the Craftsman, rolling tool chest; a small bag will do)
• Duct Tape (the all purpose fix-it isn’t just for Red Green anymore)
• Bed linens & Bedding
• Bedside lamp
• Waste paper basket
• Milk crates or other storage cubes
• Stacking baskets
• Under-bed storage (check to see if you can access under the bed)
• Hangars
• A fan (even if the dorm is air conditioned)
• Drying rack
• Adhesive hooks, tacky strips, and mounting tape
• Towels and wash cloths
• Pillows
• Mattress Pad
• Blankets
• Laundry bag or basket
• Laundry marking pen
• Laundry detergent and stain remover
• Lint brush
• Small sewing kit (better teach your kid to sew on a button)

Personal Care

• Ear Plugs (The RA’s will probably keep a lid on things, but better safe than sorry)
• Pepto-Bismol
• Imodium
• Aspirin
• Vitamins
• Any prescriptions
• Neosporin
• Band-aids
• Small first aid kit
• Cough drops
• Shower tote
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Hair care stuff
• Bath & face soap
• Soap travel container
• Toothbrush & Toothpaste
• Dental Floss
• Tweezers
• Nail Clippers
• Hair dryer
• Razor & shaving supplies
• Lotion
• Q-tips

School Supplies

• Memory Sticks
• Stapler & Staples
• Printer Paper
• Pens & Pencils
• Notebooks
• Post-it Notes
• Paper clips
• Rubber bands
• Scissors
• Highlighter pens
• Ruler
• Dictionary & Thesaurus (or just use the Internet)

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College Students Hide Hunger, Homelessness was the headline for the NPR (National Public Radio) news story from July 27, 2010.  The story described the dire straits that some college students find themselves in like Diego Sepulveda at UCLA.  Sepulveda became a causality of the down economy when he lost his job at Subway and was without a place to stay.  The article went on to describe how some students are battling against the tough economic situations they find themselves in.

These are tough stories to read about.  Frankly, they frustrate me to no end.

Earlier this week, I was looking at relative EFC (expected family contribution) in relation to the median income in this country.  It is shocking how many students are most likely not going to college and leaving thousands of dollars on the table.  Many students like Diego who are in college are leaving thousands on the table at no fault of their own.  They have believed those myths about state colleges being cheaper, or the sticker price determines what you pay, or who knows what others they’ve been trapped with.

There are so many opportunities for financial help for students in tough financial conditions.  Why are these students not getting the message?  Are high schools ignoring financial preparation for students?  Are the students oblivious to the sources available to them?  Are the generous schools that bad at getting the word out?

I suppose I could ask similar rhetorical questions for hours, but that won’t make a difference.  We will just keep working to educate students and families.  I am looking forward to EduLaunchpad going live soon.  It will be a powerful tool to combat this despicable problem.

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Seth Godin is a blogger I read every once in a while.  One of my business partners sent me a link to his latest blog with some thought provoking analysis of very common trends amongst colleges and universities.

I encourage you to take some time and read through what Seth has to say.  It strikes home with every student and family looking forward to college.

Here is a preview of his five primary points…

1. Most colleges are organized to give an average education to average students.
2. College has gotten expensive far faster than wages have gone up.
3. The definition of ‘best’ is under siege.
4. The correlation between a typical college degree and success is suspect.
5. Accreditation isn’t the solution, it’s the problem.

Click here to read Seth’s blog.

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Next Webinar is…

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 7pm Central Time

Register Below

College Finances 101 has now come to the web. Attendees have been praising this ground breaking presentation for years; now you can participate in the comfort of your own home or at work.

In 90 minutes, I will cover the most important aspects of minimizing your students’ costs for college. You will learn…

• How parents can often send their children to expensive private colleges for less money than a state school.
• How to fix lost money caused by popular college savings plans.
• How to identify schools that give you more free money.
• The great myths and misconceptions about college funding that can cost you thousands of dollars.
• What assets are penalized 4 times higher than others when applying for help.
• Why waiting one year can cost you as much as $5,000.

“The information Mr. Anderson shared was
incredibly eye opening.” — Tricia Christiansen, Guidance Counselor,
Hampton-Dumont HS, Hampton, Iowa

“What an eye opener! We wish we had
attended this seminar sooner. This seminar has given us ideas and
information but also hope…” — Dave & Maria Sullivan, Rock
Island, Illinois

“He has provided our families with
invaluable information. Scott does an excellent job…” — Linda
Cutler, Guidance Counselor, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge,
Illinois

“Listening to all the options available
to pay for college encouraged us that we don’t have to sacrifice a
quality education because of a lack of money.” Pastor Scott & Tonya
Culley, Silvis, Illinois

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The fall is a great time to visit colleges.  Classes are back in session.  The culture of the campus is very evident.  There’s a lot of activity, energy, and you really get a chance to see what the college is like.  Now is the time to pack up the car or get your tickets and head to the colleges.

There are a few things you always want to make sure you get done on a campus visit:

Take a campus tour.  Although campus tours are typically heavily orchestrated by the admissions department, there is no better way to get a quick overview and feel for the college.

Sit in on a class.  Or two would be even better.  See if you might be able to get in on a lecture in a field that you might be studying while you’re there.  Pay attention to the lecture size and attendance by the students.  Then try to get in on a discussion class to see what the other side of the class structure is like.  If you’re visiting a relatively smaller campus, they probably won’t have the classes segmented into lecture and discussion; so you can go spend more time elsewhere.

Check out the dorms.  You’ll be living there, so you better know what you’re in for.

Take a drive around town.  Get a feel for the surrounding area.  Are there things to do while you’re not studying?

Imagine what the campus will be like year round.  Will there be lots of snow to deal with?  Are the summers scorchers?

Below is a college visit checklist.  Click on the picture to download a copy of it.  Use the “to-do” list to cover your bases.  Find a student, not on the tour, to ask questions of.  Rate your experience so you have solid information to compare this campus against the other colleges you will visit.  This information will be invaluable when it comes time to decide where you will attend or apply to.

You may not be able to get to all of the schools you want to visit.  That’s ok.  In fact, you may want to visit some close by colleges you might not be seriously considering just so you can get a better feel for college in general.  The more colleges you visit, the better decisions you are likely to make.

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College Freshmen walk out the door with all kinds of new educational “equipment” every fall.  The computers, the dorm fridge, the microwave, the iPod have all become practical necessities of the college life.  It takes a lot for a new item to be added to the list of college “must-haves”.  I’m wondering if Livescribe has come up with the next item to be added to the “must-have” list.

Yesterday, I came across the Livescribe Pulse Pen and was blown away.  Now I haven’t got my hands on one of these yet, but I am looking forward to one soon.

In a nutshell, the Pulse Pen records everything you write and hear and synchronizes it for playback and transfer to your computer.  Imagine reviewing your lecture notes for an exam and wondering what you were trying to write about a particular point.  Tap on your computer screen or, now get this, the paper in your notebook; and your professor’s voice is played back from that very point.  This is one very cool gadget with some very serious applications.  Check out these two videos below.  The first is from Livescribe, and the second is a review from Wired Magazine.  There are also a links to Amazon after the videos.

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There are two great times to update the freshman college dorm shopping list:

1. Christmas – when you have to get rid of your student’s money, and you’re wondering what useful things you can buy them.
2. Now – when they are about to take off for college and they still don’t have everything they need.

Here is my checklist of what you need to outfit a good dorm room…

The Gizmo’s and Gadget’s

The Computer (let’s start with the really fun one): if your student does not yet have a computer of their own, or the one they do have is outdated; you should certainly consider this as the “A” #1 top of the list. Consider a multimedia computer with a TV tuner card. You can kill a lot of birds with one stone here. Not only will a multimedia machine act as their computer, but it will also be their TV, their DVD player, their TV recorder, and their stereo. It is truly the Jack of all appliances. And it makes for a great entertainment system for the very few hours they will not spend studying.

A laptop is preferred. There isn’t much room in a dorm room, so you don’t want to take up precious space with a big desktop unit. Besides, they’ll want to be able to take the computer to the library, or class,
or home.

If you don’t want to send your student out the door with one do it all machine like above, here are the minimum requirements for a student computer (considering Microsoft Vista is now standard):

• Processor: AMD Turion or Athlon, Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad.  Avoid the budget chips like the Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron.
• Memory:
  at least 1GB (I would recommend 2GB or even 4GB; more memory is often
  the single most important factor to computer performance)
• Hard Drive: at least 100GB
• Disk Drive: DVD+RW
• Wireless and wired networking equipped
• Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium or Apple MAC OS X (ten)
• Software: Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student edition
• A webcam: If you want to use a service like Skype to stay in touch, then get a computer with a webcam built in.

Standard computers would include:

• Dell Inspiron 14 (I am on my second Dell laptop and love their customer service)
• HP G60 (Two of our desktop machines are HP and we’ve had great success with them)
• Apple MacBook

More capable multimedia machines would include:

• Apple MacBook Pro
• Dell XPS
• Alienware Area 51m17x (the gold standard of super horsepower gaming machines)
• HP Pavillion dv7
• Acer Aspire 8920

Details of some of the suggested computers are available here on my website.  I’d recommend checking out www.cnet.com for reviews and information on computer comparisons.

The Printer: although many schools and professors are now allowing students to submit papers in electronic format, this is far from being the norm.  So, your student is going to need someway to print off that earth-shattering report on Machiavelli. Printers are dirt cheap today compared to what you got yesterday. You can often pick up a good printer/scanner/copier for less than $150 or even $100

Surge protector: protect the investment you just made.

Phone: I grew up in a telephone family — literally. My family has
been in the telephone business since before there was copper wire; so what I am about to say would have been heresy at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. Go get your student a prepaid wireless phone. Don’t bother with the hard wired phones anymore. Phones can double as MP3 players as well.

A digital voice recorder for class lectures: skip the old tape recorder — your student will likely
download the recording to their computer anyway. If you bought a good phone, the phone may double for a voice recorder as well.

Digital camera: they’ll want to preserve the rest of their high school year and college. www.cnet.com has excellent reviews of digital cameras. You can get one heck of a good camera for little money these days.

Other appliances:

If you didn’t go the multimedia computer route, then your student is going to want these as well —

• TV – small LCD TV’s are very reasonable now
• DVD player
• Portable Stereo or iPod dock

• Coffee Maker – they can’t be a Starbucks all the time
• Microwave – if you check out www.sears.com, you’ll find quite a few small microwaves for under $100
• Refrigerator – you can get several dorm-sized refrigerators for under $100 as well
• Art – Most college art isn’t much more than posters on the wall

For around the dorm room

• Kitchen type tools: bowl, cup, glasses, can/bottle opener, etc.
• Desk Lamp
• Alarm clock (one with a really loud and annoying alarm — they’ll need it)
• Bulletin board and dry-erase calendar board
• A small toolkit (I do not suggest the Craftsman, rolling tool chest; a small bag will do)
• Bed linens & Bedding

I also recommend you check out Consumer Reports’ articles on Back to School.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

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Parents are often concerned about the amount of time their new college freshman is going to have to spend on their studies.  This concern often comes up when any kind of work-study or other part time job is discussed.  Let’s take a closer look at this.

Several years ago, the University of Illinois decided to find out just how much time the typical college freshman spends on various activiites.  The results are rather surprising.

Out of a 7 day, 168 hour week; the average college freshman spends the following:

• Sleep – 35 hours
• Class – 15 hours
• Studying – 13 hours
• Socializing – 12 hours
• School activities – 5 hours
• Commuting  – 4 hours
• Dependent care – 2 hours

That is a total of 86 hours.  168 hours in the week, minus 86 hours of activity, equals 82 hours of free time.  Time to eat — time to do the laundry — time to clean up the dorm room — time to play HALO — time for a 10 to 15 hour part time job.

I highly encourage you not to assume your student doesn’t have the time for a work-study or part time position.  At least encourage them to try it for a semester and see how it goes.  This is one of the best methods available to help cut down those out of pocket expenses.

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