“ahh, serial tweeting when I should be studying!”

“Philosophy exam tomorrow. And I’m going to go on a guessing spree…”

“I’m less than 50 tweets away from 2000! It’s taken me forever to get this far. I blame it on philosophy, and biology, and history!”

There you have it in the student’s own words. Later she says,

“I’m heading back home, so I can catch Gossip Girl.”

So, she’s heading from one distraction to another — anything to avoid studying. All of this “conversation” is out there in plain view on the Internet. Anyone can go look at it — even her parents — if they have her Twitter name. I’m sure they’d be impressed that she’s about to hit a very important milestone while at college — 2000 tweets.

Today’s first year students are part of what’s known as the Y Generation, sometimes called the Millennial Generation. As a group, it’s been sliced and diced by marketing analysts in search of clues as to what the next hot product might be. Political analysts look to them for the next generation of recruits to a political party, a candidate, an idea.

Those of us who have been around the block at least once may disapprove of their tattoos and body piercings, their music and their clothes but are these kids any more rebellious than the teens of the past? For answers I turned to a study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Its report, titled Your First College Year, surveyed more than 30,000 college freshmen at dozens of campuses. Among a variety of questions, students were asked what objectives they considered to be very important and essential to their life. The answers may surprise you.

76.2% Help others in difficulty

76.1% Raising a family

67.7% Being well off financially

65.4% Becoming an authority in my field

59.2% Obtaining recognition from my colleagues for contributions to my special field

56.7% Improving my understanding of other countries and cultures

54.1% Developing a meaningful philosophy of life

Yep. They’re a rebellious bunch aren’t they? More than three out of four said helping others and raising a family were top priorities. There’s certainly nothing revolutionary about that. As for money, it came in number three. The four remaining “essentials” all point to them wanting to make their mark in the world and making it a better world at the same time. Somewhat idealistic? Maybe. But if you’re not idealistic when you’re 18 or 19 years old, when will you be?

So, what can we do with this information? As parents, it’s comforting to know that they have values far higher than what seems to be the REALLY important RIGHT NOW: such as playing videogames, texting friends, spending time online with their Facebook crowd, going to the next party, etc. But the study can give us more than hope that they really will mature. We can tell by the research that their hearts and minds are in the right place. Discussing those “visions for the future” with your children can be a great jumping off point for bringing up your vision, your expectations for them in college. And what might those be? I expect you to:

1. Go To Every Class, unless, of course, you’re sick
2. Do the assigned readings before class and turn assignments in on time
3. Meet with each of your professors and/or their teaching assistants
4. Join at least one student group or club
5. Study at least three hours a day
6. Make sure you get enough nutrition and sleep
7. Have fun. Be safe. Obey the law

That’s my own version of a parent’s seven expectations. Use them or make up your own list. Write them down. Discuss them with your student. I didn’t put a “grade” expectation on my list. I just asked my kids to do the best they could. If they meet your seven expectations and follow all the tips in the DVD College: The Big Change, they will be well on their way to making the world a better place for all.

The first thing I’d want to know is, “How are they fitting in? Are they making friends? Who are they? Has your son or daughter joined a club or team, anything where they’ll meet other people outside class or the dorm? If your student isn’t making friends, chances are they’re lonely and isolated. And that could be affecting their schoolwork. If you suspect that’s the case, make a visit to campus. Don’t make a big deal of it. Let’s say it’s your daughter. Just tell her you’re dropping in and you want to take her out to dinner with a couple of her friends. If there are no friends available for dinner, there’s a clue.

Or you could have a student who is at the other end of the spectrum. Mr. Extrovert. He has too many friends and is involved in too many activities to the detriment of his studies. If that’s the case, then it’s a matter of urging him to set priorities and cut some activities. As exciting as it is, he can’t do everything this first semester.

If your student seems to be fitting in just fine and they’re balancing their time well, what else could be causing lower than expected grades? Now, it’s time for them to do what one professor calls “The Autopsy.” What you want them to do is evaluate whether they’ve moved from being a high school student to being a college student. What you and they want to do is review the  Troubleshooting Checklist which identifies specific study tactics they need to utilize along with the corresponding chapter in the College Freshman Survival Guide videos. If they haven’t seen it, go here and buy it now. It’s not too late to salvage this first semester. What I want you to do is watch it first, then send it to your son or daughter. That way the two of your are on the same page when it comes to identifying what they need to do to improve their scores on upcoming papers, quizzes, tests and final exams. You’ll be surprised how quickly they can turn things around when they know how to study, how to take notes, how to prepare for exams, etc. It’s what I call “Learning the System.” And once they figure it out, you can breathe a sigh of relief for about five minutes. Who knows, the next phone call from them may be that they want to switch majors. But we’ll leave that issue for another post on another day.

We’ve also prepared a detailed list of Questions to Ask your health insurance carrier and the college or university where you son or daughter is a student. Keep us posted on your experiences. We want to hear from you.

The New York Times recently reported on a new drinking study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota. They compared past and recent behavior at the so-called party schools and found binge drinking has gotten worse. The headline: Party Colleges Do Little to Curb Drinking.

University of Minnesota researchers tracked the drinking habits of students at 18 U.S. colleges with a reputation for heavy drinking. In 1993, 28 percent of students said they frequently binged on alcohol. A similar survey in 2005 found that 32 percent were frequent binge drinkers, according to a report last month in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Lead author Toben F. Nelson, assistant professor of epidemiology and community health, says colleges tend to focus on alcohol education programs that simply warn students about the risks of alcohol, but a host of studies show that approach is ineffective. Research shows a better approach is to educate students about how their drinking habits compare to those of other students and to show them that regular excessive drinking isn’t the norm. Stepped up efforts to enforce drinking and driving laws, higher prices for alcohol and reducing the number of outlets near the university that sell alcohol all have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption.

The italics are mine. I highlighted that sentence because that is the very focus of the blog articles and the video about drugs and alcohol abuse that you’ll find on this website. Our message and that of experts across the country is that “Not everyone is doing it.”

Health insurance alert to parents of college students: Your health insurance coverage and full benefits may not follow your children to college. For just a few minutes forget about the health care debate raging across the country. That’s important, of course, but that’s about the future. Let’s talk about right now. Your child is about to go off to college. If he or she is going out of town or out of state, you have some phone calls to make now.  “I have insurance,” you say. “What’s the problem?” Think about this. Your child gets the flu, a bad cold or some other minor illness that may require a physician’s care and/or prescription drugs. What do you do if…

• You’re in an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)? Does it have facilities in the town where your child is going to school? If not, what does your student do? He or she can’t just walk in to any doctor’s office. Where should they go? Will you have to file a claim? Will your student have to pay immediately?
• You’re in a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)? Does it have doctors and facilities in the town where your student is going to school? If not, what does your student do? Can he or she use “out-of-network” health care providers? Will that cost more? How much more? For example, an insurer may pay 80% for “in-network” providers but only 70% for out-of-network providers. Other questions to ask: Will you have to file a claim? Will your student have to pay immediately?
• You have a traditional “fee-for-service” policy? With these policies you generally have a wider choice of doctors and facilities to choose from. However, virtually all of these plans have instituted “managed care” rules designed to lower costs by restricting what they cover, how much they will cover and under what circumstances. You need to find out what your student should do to maximize their benefits in case of illness. Those rules aside, will the doctor in the college town accept your type of insurance?

You don’t want to learn the answers to these questions after your child needs care. In case of emergency, your child should go straight to an emergency room. Insurance companies won’t deny benefits for emergency care. But what you want to know from your insurance company is “Does my health insurance cover my son or daughter for medical care that is necessary but not an emergency,” says Dana Mills, former chairman of the Student Health Insurance Task Force for the American College Health Association. Mills, who is the director of the student health service at Marquette University, also advises parents to “make sure your student has your insurance card.’  

Emergency Notification

One additional note about emergencies. While insurance carriers provide benefits in an emergency, your insurer will want to know about the emergency soon after it happens. It may require notification within 24 to 48 hours and there may be a financial penalty for failure to promptly advise them.

Questions To Ask

College costs enough. You don’t need any financial surprises related to health care coverage you thought you had. So, what to do? William Foudy, president-elect of the American Association of Health Insurance Advisors, says “a lot of parents are unaware of the insurance issues that arise when their children go away to college.”  Foudy, who heads Foudy Insurance Agencies in Los Angeles, suggests you “contact the insurer directly or talk to the benefits specialist in your company’s human resources department.” Tell them where you son or daughter is going to school. Ask these types of questions:

• What should your student do in the case of a minor illness?
• Do you have a list of doctors and/or facilities he or she can use?
• Will claim forms have to be filed?
• How will benefits be paid?
• In case of an emergency, how quickly must I notify you that my son or daughter has been treated in an emergency room or been admitted to a hospital?
• If your student takes prescription drugs, ask if you can get a 90 day supply by mail order. That will usually cost less and will provide your student with enough medication until they return home for a break or holiday.
• How many credit hours must a student be taking to qualify as a full-time student?
• When is my son or daughter too old to be covered under my policy?
• Will my insurance pay for services at the campus health center?

A Warning About Part-Time Students

College students are generally covered by their parents’ health insurance when they are full-time students through their early to mid-twenties. Some states and the federal employee plans have increased this limit, but you’ll want to know when your son or daughter “will have aged out of the program” says Mills, Marquette’s student health service director. He also cautions parents about students who drop courses and lose status as a full-time student. He says “part-time students stand to lose their insurance coverage.” There is an exception to the part-time rule in some states.  “If your student becomes part-time or has to leave school temporarily (for up to one year) because of medical reasons, some states require the insurance carrier to continue coverage.”  

Your Insurance And Campus Health Facilities

Many college students have access to care at an on campus facility. Some of the cost for service is already paid for through a health fee assessed when students pay tuition, room and board and other fees. Still, the student or parent may have a balance due after receiving services. Here’s another question for your insurance company. “Will you pick up some or all of the cost of the balance due?”  In those circumstances, Mills says “Since the health fee has already covered a portion of the amount due, some insurance companies may cover a share of the balance due because it’s cost-effective for them to do so.   Ask for

Confirmation or Proof of Coverage

Whatever the answers to all of your questions, don’t take anybody’s word for it. Ask if the person can confirm in writing — in an email or a letter — what they told you in person or on the phone. If they won’t do that, ask them to tell you where to find the specific provisions of the policy that discuss the coverage, benefits and restrictions.   Lastly, get the person’s name, title, phone number and email address.

Purchasing Student Health Insurance

Four out of five college students have health insurance. That’s according to a report from the Government Accounting Office. But what if you don’t have any? More than half of the nation’s colleges and universities offer relatively low-cost student health insurance. So, that’s the first place to look. If your student’s school doesn’t offer such a policy, do an Internet search for “College Student Insurance” and you’ll find a wide variety of plans to research.

What Is Available On Campus?

Whether you have health insurance or not, make sure you and your student know what health facilities, if any, are available on campus. Mills suggests you and your student go to the school’s website. “Find out where the facility is located, what type of care is offered, the hours of operation, what services cost and how payment is handled.” Facilities vary widely from one school to the next. And as Mr. Foudy warns, “with the threat posed by the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu), your student should immediately know where to go and what to do in case of illness”— without having to call you. 

An Issue for All College Parents

Finally, it you think that just because your student is a sophomore, you don’t have to worry about any of this, think again. Conditions change. Has your health insurer changed the terms of your policy? Have you changed jobs and enrolled in another plan in the past year? Has your employer changed health insurance carriers? If any of those events have occurred, you have some “homework” to do and it’s due tomorrow!

The first step to getting good grades in college is attending class. But you can’t just show up. You have to be mentally prepared. That means you’ve eaten a nutritious meal. You’ve had enough sleep. Protein and rest are the one-two punch you need to stay mentally sharp. Without a keen mind, chances are you’re going to miss something important during the lecture. Here are 4 tips to get the most out of your professor’s lecture.

1. The professor will hand out the course syllabus on the first day of class. It usually tells you what your reading assignments are for each class. Make sure you read the assignments prior to each class. That way the lectures will make a lot more sense. Chances are you won’t understand everything in the reading assignment. That’s OK. In most cases, your professor will provide you with analysis and interpretation of the subject that you won’t find in the assigned reading. You’ll probably understand the material after the lecture. If you don’t, meet with your professor as soon as possible.
2. Sit toward the front and center of the class. You’ll be able to better focus on what the professor says and there will be fewer distractions.  If you sit way in back, it may be difficult to read what the professor is writing on the board or clearly hear what the professor is saying.
3. Be ready to take notes. That may seem obvious. But if you’re leaning back in your chair like you’re watching a TV show, you’re really not ready. Think about how baseball players in the field position themselves when the pitcher throws the ball toward home plate. Are they standing up straight? Do they have their hands on their hips? Are they looking at who’s sitting in the stands? No. They’re in a semi-crouch with their hands forward intently looking at the batter and the ball. They’re ready to catch anything that comes their way. That’s exactly how you need to be positioned in your seat, ready to catch any information the professor throws your way. So, your feet are on the floor, not propped up on the seat in front of you. You’re not slouched, but sitting up straight, even leaning forward a bit, pen or pencil in hand, ready for anything. Physically positioning yourself cues the brain to be alert.
4. Don’t try to write down every word the professor says. Instead, listen for key words and phrases. These might include: “In summary,” “the three key points are,” “the crucial passage here is.” Try to capture that information and the themes of the class. One highly recommended note-taking system is called the “Cornell Method.” Google “Cornell Note Taking” to learn how it works or watch Chapter 12 of our DVD video, College: “The Big Change”

Success in college isn’t about how smart you are. Your success depends on extensive preparation and utilizing proper  study and note-taking technique. Follow those tips and you’re not only ready but confident. Batter Up! 

The casual, “anything goes” nature of Internet speech is perfectly OK among family and friends. However, one major problem is that it creates bad habits when it comes to grammar. Another is that people tend to forget that certain communications should be more formal. That’s the view of many a professor I interviewed. So, here are three tips to proper etiquette when communicating with your professors online or on the phone.

1. Use the professor’s proper title.  When writing to your professors, use the same title online that you do offline. (See previous post: College Classroom Etiquette) Also note that profs have hundreds, sometimes thousands of students.  So, they may not immediately recognize who you are by your email address. That’s especially true if you use a non-university email account. Professors have been known to receive email from addresses such as partyboy@yahoo.com.  Whether you’re using a Yahoo type account or your university email account, it’s important to let the teacher know who you are. Here’s what to do:  The subject line of the email should include the name of the course and general subject of your email. So, it might read: Psychology 275 Writing Assignment.  Then the body of your email should immediately begin with your full name and the days and times the class meets. For example, “This is Jody Smith. I’m in your Psychology 275 class that meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30am in Milliken Hall 204. I have a question about the writing assignment.”  By putting that information in the subject line and in the body of the email, the professor will be able to properly respond.
2. Use proper English and punctuation in online communications. Do not use Internet shorthand or Internet Lingo (such as OMG) unless your professor does.  When in doubt, use proper English. At the end of the email, simply say, “Thank you” with your name.  Keep it professional. Do not use the casual closing lines you may use with friends or family such as XOXO (hugs and kisses). 
3. Telephone etiquette. Use the proper title, identify yourself, the class you’re in, when it meets and the subject of your phone call. It might go like this: “Professor Crowley. This is Ann Jones. I’m in your Psychology 275 class that meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30am in Milliken Hall 204. I have a question about the writing assignment.” At the end of the conversation. Simply say something such as: “Thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to discuss this. Goodbye.”

As noted in a previous post, one professor summed it best when she said, “show your professor the same respect you give your grandma. You talk and act differently when you’re with your friends compared to when you’re with your grandma. Treat your professor with the same deference you give grandma.” Remember the “Grandma Rule” and you’ll ace College Online Etiquette 101.