OnCampus Blog

This scene is from one of my favorite movies, Raising Arizona. The woman doing most of the talking is Dot, played by Frances McDormand. As a parent, each of us has had a conversation like this with a “well-meaning” friend. Our blood pressure skyrockets. Our stomach rolls. We feel like we’ve missed the instruction booklet that came with everybody else’s child. We panic. Or we feel generally inadequate as a parent. Is it just me? Can y’all relate? The struggle’s…

On the east and west coasts, many college-bound families hire a professional college planner for college search help. In fact, the question isn’t really, “Are you working with someone?” It’s “Who are you working with?” In recent years, more Madison-area families are enlisting the help of a professional college planner to guide their college search process. Read on to learn why, what the benefits of college search help are, and to decide if professional College Search help is right for…

Jack shared his freshman year of college realities. You can read it here. Now it’s my turn. Overall, this post is less a chronology than it is some truths I’m learning to apply as the parent of a now-adult son. That said, we’ll start with Jack’s freshman year in a nutshell for the sake of context. The following “CliffsNotes” summarize the year in a few short paragraphs. Then, I’ll share a few key takeaways which I’m working really hard to practice.…

Freshman Year of College Realities: The Unedited, Gritty Truth Starting college this fall? Here’s a firsthand perspective from our son Jack, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Memphis. This is Part 1 of a two-part blog. Next week, you’ll get Mom’s firsthand perspective on freshman year: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly. As with any life experience, there’s how you THINK it will be and then there’s how it ACTUALLY GOES. We’ve left Jack’s comments unedited,…