Is this any way to go to college?
March 2, 2012

Ian Welham shares his views on packing for college

Not too long ago, this was the list of items freshmen brought with them to their college dorm to start their college careers:

• blanket & pillow
• towel
• suitcase or trunk
• stereo (if you were lucky enough to have one)

Goodness, have you seen the paraphernalia hauled off to college by freshmen today? You wouldn’t believe how they decorate and furnish their college dormitory rooms! Not to mention i-Pads, i-pods, i-phones, i-Macs…

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The thing that really blows my mind is the bed-sheets. Evidently, every college in America has taken a solemn oath to banish standard-sized beds from dorm rooms. (An entire industry must have been created to mass-produce non-standard-sized beds for college students. Either that or college administrators hang around back alleys of bed stores, asking unsuspecting workers: “Psst, got any rejects?”)

A helpful letter from the Housing Office alerts parents to the bedding anomaly. The gist of the message is: Don’t dare arrive on campus with twin-size bed sheets. Your child will go on immediate academic probation and be hazed simultaneously by the rugby team and glee club.

Of course you can save your child this ignominy by purchasing expensive custom bed linen from the university or university-endorsed catalog company.

This cozy arrangement has really gotten under the skin of my business partner. His daughter will attend a $57,000/year college in the fall. The fact that the school is trying to shake him down for custom sheets at $79 per is driving him batty (think Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies). He calls it “The Linen-gate Conspiracy” and he’s determined not to succumb. “I’m packing standard-sized bed linen,” he avows. “If it’s too big, we’ll tie it down with bungee cords. If it’s too small, she can sleep on recycled newspapers.”

I’ve learned to avoid the subject. But I will share some advice from a Mom who has sent 3 off to college and 2 to grad school: purchase a twin X-Long mattress cover and pillowcase cover with bed bug and allergy protection. During the last 2 years, there has been a prevalence of bedbugs on many college campuses — even Ivy League schools — you just don’t hear about it. The mattress and pillowcase covers are a good investment because they can be easily washed and reused for all four years.

Common college questions answered on video
February 29, 2012

Ian Welham suggests these videos if you have kids going to college

Stuck inside with the winter blues?

If you’ve run out of DVDs to watch, or the book you want is on hold at the library, here’s an idea: Check out the Complete College Planning Solutions videos at:
http://completecollegeplanningsolutions.com/welcome.html

Actually there are three videos you might find worthwhile. The other two can be found at:
http://completecollegeplanningsolutions.com/parent-track/
http://completecollegeplanningsolutions.com/student-track/

Two questions I hear over and over (and over) are: “What services does Complete College Planning Solutions offer?” and “What makes you different from other college counselors?”

These videos provide the answers. You’ll also get to meet some of the parents and students who have been through our program. Truth be told, their videos are much more interesting than mine. I come off as overly serious, IMHO.

If I asked, I’m sure my daughters would tell me to stick to radio.

More sage advice to parents of college-bound students
February 27, 2012

Ian Welham shares Part II of life wisdom from a smart lady

Last week I shared the first 20 of Regina Brett’s “45 Lessons Life Taught Me.” Ms. Brett is 90 years young, and is a former columnist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Here are her remaining pearls of wisdom.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Advice to parents of college-bound students
February 24, 2012

Ian Welham passes along life wisdom from a wise source

I heard from a number of readers who cheered Conan O’Brien’s commencement address at Dartmouth College as reported in Wednesday’s blog. Most of Conan’s advice was directed at students.

Here’s some life advice that’s more suited to parents, and perhaps especially to stressed out parents of college-bound students. It’s called “45 Lessons Life Taught Me,” written by 90-year-old Regina Brett from Cleveland. Someone should track her down and make her next year’s commencement speaker.

I will share Regina’s first 20 pearls of wisdom today, and the remaining 25 next week.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

The funniest college commencement address
February 22, 2012

Ian Welham laughs at the speech Conan O’Brien delivered to the Dartmouth Class of 2011

In my travels I’ve heard a few graduation speeches.

The funniest one I heard in recent years was Conan O’Brien’s commencement address to the Dartmouth Class of 2011. Some highlights:

“Before I begin, I must point out that behind me sits a highly admired President of the United States and decorated war hero while I, a cable television talk show host, has been chosen to stand here and impart wisdom. I pray I never witness a more damning example of what is wrong with America today.”

“…Besides policy, another hallmark of great commencement speeches is deep, profound advice like ‘reach for the stars.’ Well today, I am not going to waste your time with empty clichés. Instead, I am going to give you real, practical advice that you will need to know if you are going to survive the next few years.

• First, adult acne lasts longer than you think. I almost cancelled two days ago because I had a zit on my eye.
• Guys, this is important: You cannot iron a shirt while wearing it.
• Here’s another one. If you live on Ramen Noodles for too long, you lose all feelings in your hands and your stool becomes a white gel.
• And finally, wearing colorful Converse high-tops beneath your graduation robe is a great way to tell your classmates that this is just the first of many horrible decisions you plan to make with the rest of your life.”

“…Of course there are many parents here and I have real advice for them as well. Parents, you should write this down:

• Many of your children you haven’t seen them in four years. Well, now you are about to see them every day when they come out of the basement to tell you the wi-fi isn’t working.
• If your child majored in fine arts or philosophy, you have good reason to be worried. The only place where they are now really qualified to get a job is ancient Greece. Good luck with that degree.
• And, I have to tell you this: You will spend more money framing your child’s diploma than they will earn in the next six months. It’s tough out there, so be patient. The only people hiring right now are Panera Bread and Mexican drug cartels.”

You can see it on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDYXaaT9sA

How to find a satisfying job out of college
February 20, 2012

Ian Welham found a website that helps college students in their pursuit of a career

I found a new website that college students and their parents will find useful.

CareerBliss.com is an online community designed to help people find career happiness. The site offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at thousands of companies, including salary ranges and job reviews written by former employees. Gives you the kind of insider information you don’t normally get during a job interview.

CareerBliss looked into what companies are hiring and what fields are happiest for college grads, and came up with the “Top 20 Hot Jobs for the Class of 2011.” Leading sectors include healthcare, finance, technology and sales. Here are the top six jobs:

What this means is that software engineers have the highest number of open jobs, but Financial Analysts jobs yield higher happiness scores. All jobs listed are relevant to college grads with zero to three years’ experience.

For the complete list, go to: http://www.careerbliss.com/press-releases/careerbliss-announces-the-top-20-hot-jobs-for-new-grads/. On that same page you’ll also find “The CareerBliss Top 20 Hot Companies For Hiring.”

How to get into your first-choice college
February 17, 2012

Valuable tips on how to get noticed by the college of your dreams

Last year I attended the annual conference of the New Jersey Association for College Admissions Counseling.

One of the guest speakers was Chuck Bachman, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Lafayette College. Mr. Bachman had a number of interesting things to say.

One of the audience members asked him to share some insider secrets to getting accepted at Lafayette, a competitive college. Here’s his list (I’m quoting Chuck):

1. Visit the school. Make sure we know you were here. Log in at Admissions.
2. Visit the faculty in the department in which you’re intending to enroll.
3. Write a follow-up note saying what you got out of your Lafayette visit.
4. When you write, write me a “real” letter, not an email.
5. Make sure to do a local alumni interview.
6. Demonstrate your tenacity. One way to do this is to keep pushing until you talk to me directly. That may not be easy. But it will indicate to us your seriousness of purpose.

A short, valuable list. Nothing too difficult or complicated here. I’m not sure that his suggestions would work equally well at all colleges and universities, but they will certainly do you well at many, many schools.

One other tidbit. Chuck declared that #1 and #6 above will not only get you extra admissions consideration, but will also likely increase your financial aid package.

A word to the wise should be sufficient.

Complete College Planning Solutions now appearing in MoneyMatters
February 15, 2012

Ian Welham on how he ended up in MoneyMattersNJ.com

I sometimes kid or tease accountants and CPA’s for myopic thinking.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against CPA’s. Most tend to be consummate professionals, Plus, hey, I was trained as one myself – except in the U.K., the professional designation is Chartered Financial Accountants instead of Certified Public Accountants.

What I find exasperating is when an accountant can’t see the forest through the trees. For example, when she can’t see the merit of paying $500 extra in taxes today in order to reduce a college bill by $4,000 tomorrow. Or when he advises a parent of a 16-yearold to put money in a 529 Plan. That kind of stuff drives me Looney-Tunes.

So given my penchant for tweaking accountants’ noses, you can enter this in the ledger under ‘Life’s Wonderful Ironies’ …

One of our college planning articles was recently added to the MoneyMattersNJ.com website.

MoneyMattersNJ.com is a site started and facilitated by the New Jersey Society of CPAs. As such, you might expect it to be a real snore fest. Actually, the opposite is true. It’s quite a varied and interesting site. Not to mention useful. All sorts of topics are covered, from how to pay down debt to how to appeal your real estate taxes to helpful tips on retirement relocation. There’s a ton of free information available, and they break it down into life stages to make navigation easy.

Our article is in the “Parents and Children” section, under the title, The 4 Most Common Mistakes Parents Make That Cost Them College Financial Aid (and How to Avoid Them). Here’s the link: http://www.moneymattersnj.com/story.cfm?SID=15430

If you read it, let me know what you think. And if you like the website, hug an accountant.

College Planning Workshop
February 14, 2012

Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ is one of our favorite places to hold a college planning workshop. Why?

1. There’s always a big crowd (about 125 parents at this event last Thursday)
2. The people are nice, attentive (check out all the note takers), respectful, and appreciative… bonus points: they laugh at my jokes
3. The facilities are beautiful (just look at this lecture hall — better than some colleges!!!)

A smarter alternative to the summer job?
February 13, 2012

A different perspective to the conventional wisdom about summer jobs rounding out a resume

Last week I wrote about summer jobs and how much of a student’s income is counted in the college financial aid formula.

One of the examples I used was a student who earned $7,000. That prompted one mother to email me a question.

“What summer job do you know of that pays $7,000? I want my son to get a job like that.”

Good question. However, I actually wasn’t referring to a summer job (although be patient, dear reader, because below I will share an idea for how your student can earn $7,000 over the summer). In the example from last week, I was referencing a student who worked all year long. We did some pro bono counseling for a hard luck student who worked 6 days a week, all year long. Her annual income was close to $7,000.

The best paying summer job I’ve heard is one of our client students, who makes $25 an hour as an art teacher at CCD summer school. That’s great money. But sometimes a student can earn more money by not working than they can by working. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say your student spends the summer studying biology. And because of her hard work she’s able to take AP biology and score a 5 on the AP test. Most colleges will award you at least 3 credits for scoring a 5 on AP biology. One school I know, the University of Notre Dame, awards 5 credits. At their current cost of attendance, each credit hour is worth about $1,867 (for a typical 15 credits/semester student). So getting 5 free credits is equivalent to earning $9,333.

That’s a lot more than most high school students can earn cutting grass or working in a restaurant or being a lifeguard.