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Strollerderby
This is the most expensive college in America.
I’m a college dropout. I also think college is overrated and too damn expensive, but don’t tell that to my kids. I plan to raise them with a healthy respect and a motivation to go to college.
However, if “college is overrated” are fighting words for you, check out my colleague Sunny Chanel’s article on 30 Wildly Successful College Dropouts which includes the late Steve Jobs and arguably the most famous and influential personality in film, Steven Spielberg.
But, like my husband says, college isn’t just about academics, it’s about the experience. And if you’re a parent who is constantly gauging the cost of college then here are some of the most expensive colleges in America, according to Forbes, as reported by Yahoo.
And the most expensive college in America is… Harvard? Yale? Princeton? Wrong, wrong and wrong.
What makes a school the right one for your child?
We can’t all go to Harvard. We wouldn’t even all want to. There are so many different colleges and universities thriving because what’s best for one student isn’t always what’s best for another. What we’re seeking in the quest for the perfect alma mater for our kids is going to depend on a lot of different factors.
Huffington Post just ran a story on the friendliest colleges out there. Friendliness wasn’t even on my list of things to look at when I was choosing a college. My stepson is getting ready to do his college applications, and I don’t think he had “friendly” on his list of criteria either. What other college-choosing criteria might we be overlooking? Here’s a list of ways colleges stack up against each other on factors ranging from academic excellence to safety.
The specific schools at the top of each category might change year to year, but these are all good things to consider before you drop your kid, and your life savings, off at a college campus.
It's a long four years between freshman orientation and graduation. Be sure to get your kids ready for the journey.
School’s out for the summer, but for some kids, school will be the only thing on their mind during the next couple of months anyway, particularly if they’re heading off to college for the first time in the fall.
Whether a kid is going across the country or sticking close to home base, there are things parents can do to make the transition to college easier and more manageable.
Here are some important things to keep in mind as your child heads off to an institution of higher learning:
Time's up! Put your pencils down.
Not to put pressure on high school students or anything, but the ACT and SAT are, perhaps, one of the most important tests you can take. If you want to go to college, that is.
Although, increasingly, many parents, including Babble’s own Meredith Carroll, say the tests are not an accurate measure of a student’s ability.
For most students, the first step to planning for college is by taking the ACT or SAT standardized test. Scores on this test determine the colleges to which students should apply. Lot of pressure, right? With the test playing that big a role in college admission many parents choose to shell out hundreds of dollars for ACT prep classes to help their children prepare.
But is it worth it? Continue reading »
It’s graduation season, and there are many heartwarming stories of graduates who’ve come through exceptional challenges to get their degrees. Among them are a number of moms and daughters graduating from college together.
This is a news story that’s especially close to my heart, because 12 years ago my mom and I graduated from our local community college together. I was 19, finishing up an associate’s degree in journalism that I’d started as a high school senior. My mom was in her 40s, finishing a degree she’d started over 20 years earlier. Earning those degrees together was an incredible experience that changed our relationship forever. Continue reading »
Stock up on supplies in the middle of the year
When I was little my mom used to dread shopping for school clothes. Now I understand why. It wasn’t the actual process of shopping, it was how much money would be spent keeping four elementary-children in clothes.
School clothes are just one of dozens of expenses parents are required to pay. Even if your kid is in public school, it all adds up.
But the Krech family put their noses to the grindstone and was able to save around $4,000 in just one year. Now, college student Rachel Krech is documenting how they did it: Continue reading »
With school just about to start, the anxiety is beginning to rise around here. Not my child’s, but mine. She’s all set with school supplies and new clothes and happily looking forward to the fourth grade. But I am already beginning to dread the commencement of the homework war.
Like a lot of kids, mine resents having to do school work at home. Not only does she regret the loss of what she feels should be leisure time, she claims to not even see the point of doing homework in the first place. Doesn’t she do enough work in school? Aren’t her good grades enough to exempt her from taking work home? Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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