College Parent Central Podcast

Elizabeth and Vicki were joined in this episode by Jane Thierfeld-Brown and Lorraine Wolf,  important experts in disability services in higher education. Jane and Lorre shared their insights into the complexities that autistic students face as they transition from high school to college. They shared their personal journeys as well as the work they’ve done together, including their new book, Neurodiversity in College: A Parent’s Gui...

Vicki and Lynn were thrilled to be joined in this episode by Jay Gonzalez, president of Curry College, to learn more about what college presidents do and why it matters.  With his background in business, politics and law, Jay brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on what it means to lead a higher education institution today. Jay also described the groundbreaking Curry Commitment, a job guarantee program that is the...

In this episode, Elizabeth and Vicki are joined by education experts Ned Johnson and Bill Stixrud, authors of the book The Self-Driven Child and of the new workbook for parents, 7 Principles for Raising the Self Driven Child  for a thought-provoking discussion on how to empower your child to become self-driven, allowing them to navigate their own educational journey with confidence and independence. We tackled the intricate dynamic...

Almost all colleges have a set of required courses for all students – sometimes called General Education or Distribution courses. They’re designed to expose students to a variety of different subjects and disciplines. But what happens when that particular area or course is especially challenging for a student? How do they face this mandatory course that can seem so daunting?  Some students may assume or wish that they might receive...

If you are in the midst of the college search and admission process, financing this college education is likely top of mind. Merit aid is an important part of many financial packages and there’s no one better to talk to about the topic than Ron Lieber, financial columnist for the New York Times.  It’s so important that we decided to share this episode again. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Ron talk about his Merit Aid course, a ...

Nearly half of recent college graduates are finding themselves back in their childhood bedrooms, and it’s not just nostalgia pulling them home. Financial pressures are nudging this generation towards a new developmental stage of life. These shifting family dynamics come with their own set of challenges and opportunities. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn explore the concept of "boomerang students" and share their personal j...

The transition to second semester of college is so important – and often hidden – that we’ve decided to share this episode again. You and your student may be taken by surprise when the start of the second semester of college seems so difficult. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn explore why some students may experience the “second semester blues” and why some parents feel they need to increase their involvement. We share strategies yo...

This is the time of year when we reflect on the year and another season of the College Parent Central podcast. It’s been a busy year for all of our cohosts, Vicki, Lynn, Elizabeth and Sarah. It’s always fun to get all of us together to share thoughts and stories, but our schedules just wouldn’t allow that to happen this year. So Vicki had a conversation with each of our cohosts and we share those conversations in this episode. We t...

We were excited to have a chance to talk to Lindsey Cormack for this podcast episode. Lindsey is the author of the book How to Raise a Citizen (and why it’s up to you to do it.) Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about how our students learn about how the government works, how government affects our lives, how to register to vote, and why it matters. In our conversation, Lindsey helped us understand why schools often avoid t...

Once your child steps into the world of college – even if it is in the next room – both parents and students begin experiencing a new stage in development. Students are exploring the academic and social world of college; parents are exploring the experience of stepping back and watching them do it.  But, it is also part of the parenting package to worry.  In this episode, Lynn and Vicki highlight some of the signs that parents can ...

So many mysterious terms and acronyms to understand when your student heads off to college! You’ll understand how college works better when you understand the strange terms they use. In our fourth installment of our College Lingo series, Vicki and Lynn define and discuss more of the insider terms that colleges use that may not always be clear to parents. In this episode we cover Blue Light Phones, Articulation Agreements, Federal W...

Just about anyone who has a student in school knows there are school counselors, but many of us don’t have any idea what they do. We know they provide guidance and assistance with college and career planning, but that’s just one part of the career that also includes social and emotional counseling and addressing academic needs – and for a national average of 250-400 students per counselor! With that much to do, for that many studen...

Most of us probably know that getting enough sleep makes us feel better, but there’s so much more to it than that – especially for our teens. In this episode, Vicki and Elizabeth talk with Lisa Lewis, author of the book The Sleep Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive about why our students aren’t getting enough sleep, the dramatic effect that can have on them, and how to hel...

Zachary DesJardins and John Martinez are Academic Advisors at the State University of New York at Albany, and they work with students every day. In this conversation we learned how important it is for all of us to recognize that we are in a constant state of change and how crucial it is to be present in the moment. Zachary and John, both First Generation students themselves, shared some of the challenges these students face, but mo...

If you want to know how to best support your college student through potential mental health or anxiety issues, who better to ask than a psychiatrist? That’s exactly what Vicki and Elizabeth did in this episode. We were joined by Dr. Bianca Busch, founder of The College Psychiatrist, a medical practice that works with college students and their families. Dr. Busch emphasized that each individual is on a unique journey at a potentia...

This subject is so important we decided to share it again. In this final part of our summer college preparation series, Lynn and Vicki discuss how to support your student on Move-In Day and throughout their first six weeks on campus. Parents and students who are prepared for the emotional peaks and valleys of transitioning into the world of college, are better able to feel in control of their experiences. In this episode we offer s...

Preparing for and transitioning into the first year of college involves so many, many details, and it’s easy to get caught up in just getting through what needs to be done. Then the college experience can be taken over by the day-to-day details of classes, assignments, GPA, activities, friends, schedules, career planning and just surviving. While we all know it’s good advice to live in the moment, sometimes it can also help to take...

Vicki and Elizabeth had a wide-ranging conversation with Harlan Cohen, college transition expert and author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College. Harlan shared why the transition to college can be so difficult and why finding your People, your Places, and having Patience can make a difference. Harlan encourages parents – and students – to understand that the first year of college, or at least th...

Talking about tutoring is a new topic for our podcast, but we are finding that college parenting begins earlier and earlier, and parents are making many early decisions with future college potential in mind. In this episode, Vicki was pleased to be able to have a conversation with Celine Bewsher, Owner/Manager of Club Z! Tutoring in Cambridge, MA. Celine shared her insights about how tutoring can help students succeed, not just by ...