College Parent Central Podcast-logo

College Parent Central Podcast

Education Podcasts

You don’t stop parenting the day you drop your student off to college on Move-in Day. Your role simply changes. (Actually, it’s not simple at all, but it changes.) You’re a parent for life. Join Lynn Abrahams and Vicki Nelson, higher education professionals and former college parents, as they explore the topics that can help you be a more effective and supportive parent to your college bound student. Whether you already have a child in college, college is still a year or more away, or your student is about to step out, start now to gather the information that empowers you to be an effective college success coach to your student.

You don’t stop parenting the day you drop your student off to college on Move-in Day. Your role simply changes. (Actually, it’s not simple at all, but it changes.) You’re a parent for life. Join Lynn Abrahams and Vicki Nelson, higher education professionals and former college parents, as they explore the topics that can help you be a more effective and supportive parent to your college bound student. Whether you already have a child in college, college is still a year or more away, or your student is about to step out, start now to gather the information that empowers you to be an effective college success coach to your student.

Location:

United States

Description:

You don’t stop parenting the day you drop your student off to college on Move-in Day. Your role simply changes. (Actually, it’s not simple at all, but it changes.) You’re a parent for life. Join Lynn Abrahams and Vicki Nelson, higher education professionals and former college parents, as they explore the topics that can help you be a more effective and supportive parent to your college bound student. Whether you already have a child in college, college is still a year or more away, or your student is about to step out, start now to gather the information that empowers you to be an effective college success coach to your student.

Language:

English

Episodes

#065 – Talking College with Transition Expert Dr. Andrea Brenner

5/18/2022
Having the right conversations is an important way to help prepare your student for college. In this episode we talked with Dr. Andrea Brenner, co-author of How to College and creator of the Talking College Card Deck, a collection of discussion prompts for parents and students. Andrea is a seasoned college professor and former director of an award-winning first year experience program who recognizes the complexity of the transition to college. She shared ideas about how parents and students...

Duration:00:40:53

#064 – Supporting Students Who Struggle – Continuing the Conversation with Dr. Lynn Zlotkowski

5/4/2022
Dr. Lynn Zlotkowski, Director of Advising at Southern New Hampshire University first joined us in episode #061 to talk about Advising and Student Success. We know that no matter how much support students receive from their parents and their college, no matter how much they take advantage of the college resources, some students flounder and fail. In this episode, we asked Dr. Zlotkowski to help us understand some of the reasons students struggle and how parents can respond and help them. Lynn...

Duration:00:51:30

#063 – Get Real and Get In: An Interview with Dr. Aviva Legatt

4/20/2022
The college admission process can be overwhelming, anxiety-producing, and thrilling all at the same time. We had a conversation with Dr. Aviva Legatt founder of Ivy Insight College Counseling and author of the book Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self. Dr. Legatt shared advice for how students can avoid working to impress admissions officers and focus who they truly are in order to find the college that is right for them. This...

Duration:00:46:25

#062 – Understanding College Senioritis and How Parents Can Help

4/6/2022
Although the transition into college in a common topic, we don’t talk enough about college seniors and their transition out of school. In this episode Lynn and Vicki explore the reasons so many college seniors feel paralyzed, disconnected, and anxious. Understanding the factors that influence a student’s ability to cope with the changes they are experiencing can help parents support their student through this time. Parents can help their student recognize this transition as a normal part of...

Duration:00:46:00

#061 – Exploring the Role of Advising in Student Success: An Interview with Dr. Lynn Zlotkowski

3/16/2022
We had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Lynn Zlotkowski, Director of Academic Advising at Southern New Hampshire University to talk about the role of academic advising in college. Our conversation was wide-ranging and covered the shifting role of parents throughout their student’s academic career. Lynn brought her tremendous insight, energy, humor and fresh perspective to the discussion of how both the college and parents can best support student success.

Duration:00:52:54

#060 – Experiences in College That Can Contribute to Wellbeing After Graduation

3/2/2022
As parents, we often worry about how our student will fare in college. But college is just a stepping-stone to the rest of their lives. In this episode Vicki and Lynn discuss the results of a poll conducted by Perdue University and Gallup Inc. that identified six factors that influence graduates’ well-being after college. While colleges have a role in providing these experiences, we emphasized the student’s role in in taking specific actions while in college that will increase their...

Duration:00:42:40

#059 – Preparing for Internships and Career: An Interview with Bob MacNeil

2/16/2022
Bob MacNeil has worked in radio and television for many years, but most recently has served as Internship Coordinator at Curry College and has taught courses preparing college students for their internship experiences. Bob joined us in this episode to share a wealth of information about the things students can do during college to prepare for their career and to set themselves apart from the competition. Both students and parents will benefit from Bob’s concrete suggestions and illustrative...

Duration:00:51:35

#058 – Listening Matters

2/2/2022
Listening is one of the secret weapons for communicating and building relationships. As parents, we often don’t listen very well. In this episode Vicki and Lynn talk about why our students sometimes tune us out and some of the listening habits parents fall into that can become barriers to communication. We share some tips and suggestions and new ways of thinking about this undervalued skill. Good listening takes effort and practice, but you will be able to help your student feel heard and...

Duration:00:50:22

#057 – College Lingo – Can You Talk the Talk? – Part 2

1/19/2022
So many mysterious terms and acronyms to understand when your student heads off to college! In this second College Lingo installment Vicki and Lynn define and discuss several of the insider terms that colleges use that may not be clear to parents. We cover topics from Accommodations and Assistive Technology to Degree Maps, Degree Audits, Registrar and Academic Probation. We’re only scratching the surface of this new language, but it should get you started being able to understand and Talk...

Duration:00:46:18

#056 – Using the College Years to Prepare for Career

1/5/2022
In this podcast Vicki and Lynn followed up on an earlier episode about professionalism by talking about some of the practical things that students can do during their college years to prepare for career. Students who start early and think about all of their college experiences as preparation for the world of work, will have an advantage. We discuss characteristics that will set students apart as well as how to learn and practice a professional ethic in and outside of the classroom. We...

Duration:00:48:36

#055 – Reflecting on the Past Year of the College Parent Central Podcast

12/15/2021
As Season 2 comes to a close, Vicki and Lynn review the past year on the College Parent Central Podcast. It’s been a full year of interviews, trends, important topics, and a few milestones. Join the hosts as they reflect on the past year and preview a new season of the podcast in 2022.

Duration:00:42:36

#054 – Thinking About the Transition from College to Professional Life

12/1/2021
The ever-lengthening road from adolescence to adulthood has impacted students’ preparation for their professional lives. College provides the ideal environment for students to experiment with and practice those skills that will help them advance their future careers. In this episode Lynn and Vicki use Jeffrey Selingo’s book There Is Life After College as a framework for discussing how students approach this task of career preparation and how they can maximize their college experiences with...

Duration:00:44:34

#053 Campus Sexual Assault: A Discussion with Author and Public Health Expert Susan Sorenson

11/17/2021
This is a sensitive and important issue for anyone who has a student living on a college campus. Susan Sorenson, author of the book After Campus Sexual Assault: A Guide for Parents, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania joins us to discuss how students, parents, and colleges deal with sexual misconduct. Susan shares advice on how parents can talk to their student before college as well as how to respond if their student shares information about something that has happened. Despite...

Duration:00:47:19

#052 Undecided Students: Is Your Student Ready to Decide on a Major?

11/3/2021
20-50% of students enter college undecided about a major. That’s a lot of students! In this episode Vicki and Lynn unpack some of the reasons students may not be ready to make a decision, some myths about undecided students, and some of the questions parents can ask to help their student take control of the process of exploring options. Being an exploratory student may be the best option for some and will help relieve a bit of the pressure on students to make this decision before they are...

Duration:00:48:47

#051 – Adulting Made Easy – An Interview with Author Amanda Morin

10/20/2021
We were joined in this episode by Amanda Morin, author of Adulting Made Easy: Things Someone Should Have Told You About Getting Your Gown-up Act Together. Amanda shared with us why the skills she includes in her book are so important for this generation of students. We covered a host of topics including how to engage in small talk, how to register to vote, how to find the right fire extinguisher for your first apartment and how to zip up a dress if you live alone. Parents and students will...

Duration:00:47:07

#050 - We Celebrate Our 50th Episode with 50 Top Tips

10/6/2021
We’re thrilled to be celebrating the 50th episode of the College Parent Central Podcast! We hope we’ve shared helpful information, advice and support in our first 50 episodes. We had fun brainstorming 50 helpful tips for parents and students to celebrate our 50th episode. They range from “Go to Class” (for students) to “Don’t Call Professors” (for parents.) Find the suggestions that speak to you and your student and see how many you can practice right now. Thanks for joining us on the...

Duration:00:47:14

#049 - The Middle Years of College: Getting the Work Done

9/15/2021
Sophomore and Junior years make up half of your student’s time in college. Yet these years don’t often get the attention that those transitional first and last years receive. In this episode, Lynn and Vicki explore the unique nature of each of these middle years and discuss the challenges and the growth that your student may face and how parents can best support them.

Duration:00:32:26

#048 - Your Freshman is Off to College: An Interview with Authors Laurie Hazard and Stephanie Carter

9/1/2021
In this podcast episode we had an opportunity to talk with Laurie Hazard and Stephanie Carter, about their book Your Freshman Is Off to College: A Month by Month Guide to the First Year. This book should be on every new college parent’s bookshelf. Laurie and Stephanie highlight information about healthy transitions from high school to college, how to support students in their growing independence, and how parents can shift into their new coaching role. Listeners will not want to miss the...

Duration:00:52:59

#047 – College Lingo – Can You Talk the Talk?

8/18/2021
So many mysterious terms and acronyms to understand when your student heads off to college! In this episode Vicki and Lynn define and discuss several of the insider terms that colleges use that may not be clear to parents. We cover topics from FERPA through disability laws, admission waitlists and various faculty roles. We’re only scratching the surface of this new language, but it should get you started being able to understand and Talk the Talk.

Duration:00:47:30

#046 - A Story of Hope for Parents of Struggling Students: An Interview with Marie Force

8/4/2021
In this episode writer Marie Force shares the story of her son’s journey as he struggled with learning challenges throughout school. Now that Jake has graduated from college (with honors!) and is headed to graduate school, Marie recounts her personal journey as a parent. Marie’s story will inspire parents whose students might be struggling. Helping your student find their motivation and staying optimistic will be key.

Duration:00:48:23

See More