* * *

“I think in the current economy it is highly likely that many young people will have chunks of time at their parents’ home after college,” says Carol Barash, Story to College. “This summer, both our Princeton graduates will be home for the month of June, before they head out to summer jobs and graduate school. I’m really excited to get to spend quality time with them! My advice is to be available to your children as who they are as adults, let them take the lead, listen to what’s on their minds and let them do their own laundry at least some of the time!”

* * *

“My advice,” says Judy Fishkind, whose 27-year-old son graduated from University of Delaware and 22-year-old son just graduated from University at Buffalo, ”a lot of patience, flexibility and a sense of humor.

“It’s a long transition period – they think they’re already adults, but since they’re living home, they revert back to being children (“what’s for dinner?” “did you clean my shirt”?…). Once the novelty of graduation wears off and their new daily work life kicks in, life eases into a new routine. But, once you get into a comfortable pattern living with your kids again, they move out. Cherish every moment. I’m looking forward to having my younger son home again but I know it will be short lived. He’s already talking about moving out.”

* * *

“We have put three kids through college, and just graduated our last one,” says Dianne Davis, who believes dealing with the transition to having kids back at home really depends on the situation. “Some kids are ready to go straight from college to the job world. One of ours was graduating in May and getting married in August. For us to be able to have a positive relationship we actually took out a three-month lease on a nearby apartment.

“He was still hanging in the wild, [being a] party boy, which wasn’t an acceptable influence on our two younger kids. I loved him, but just could not put up with him. So we got him an apartment a couple of miles away, and had him over for dinner a lot. We let him do his laundry here, etc. But I just couldn’t put up with an overgrown frat boy in our lives for that one last summer. Best decision ever!”

* * *

Angel Zobel-Rodriguez, whose son just graduated from California Lutheran University, suggests setting ground rules.

“They’ve just spent an entire year seeing how high they could stack the dishes from the cafeteria in the corner of their room. Make sure if you don’t want to be viewed as the cook/maid/butler, that you re-establish chores clearly, and remind early.

“Be clear about how often you expect them to attend meals or frequent ”family” events. They’re going to be coming back to friends they haven’t seen in nearly a year, and they’ll want to spend time with those friends, as well as people they have met at school this year.

“Be clear with expectations on where their “stuff” goes when they’re coming home. We’ve had to host dilapidated couches, carloads of grocery bags and plastic bins and assorted dumpster finds. If you can swing it – rent a storage unit near campus for the semester, and that’s one less argument to
have.

“Most importantly, ENJOY them while they’re home. You never know which summer is going to be their last living under your roof, and you’ll miss it when it’s gone.”

* * *

“Our two oldest children both graduated from University of Washington and are now on their own,” explains Kathy Pickus, “but our youngest son, Dylan, is in his second year at Northwestern University and still comes home for the summers.

“From our experiences, the best thing to remember as parents is that you now have another adult at home. And with adulthood comes responsibilities. That means cleaning up after themselves and still abiding by the house rules. We learned this was hard to do after the kids had been in the dorms or living on their own when housework was a low priority!

“It is important to also be somewhat flexible on the house rules. What worked for teenagers – like curfews – will not be appropriate for college-age students. With our son we no longer require he be home at a certain time, however, if he is out for the evening he must text us by 11pm with the approximate time he will be home, so we don’t worry. This has worked well the past couple of years.”

What advice do you have for parents welcoming home their college-aged kids? 

Read more parent insights, our parents guide to admissions and all the special features on The Explorer Blog.

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn more about college planning and paying for college.

The great thing about education in this age of technology is you can go to school anywhere and at any time. There are options for everyone, whether it’s traditional college, online, part-time. You can even test the waters with free online classes.

For those who have yet to complete their higher education, what is stopping you? And for those who always knew, who encouraged you?

Start your college search. Read about different types of colleges, finding the right college and college life.

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn more about planning for college.

Some might call it a college graduation checklist, we call it the top 5 things you need to do before college graduation.

1. Get Letters of Recommendation. While letters of recommendation for jobs have taken a dive in importance in the last few decades, recommendation letters for further education are still crucial to your chances of getting in to the school of your choice. Before you leave campus, make sure you’ve contacted a select group of professors, administrators, counselors or coaches who will write good things about your college performance.

2. Clean Your Apartment. Assuming you want your security deposit back, it’s a good idea to give your apartment or dorm a once-over before you vacate for the summer. Get your roommates to help you scrub the tub, fix any holes that may have been created on especially rowdy evenings and clean out the fridge. Doing this will ensure you get your deposit back or help you avoid residence hall charges that might keep you from getting your diploma.

3. Leave a Forwarding Address. The days of getting care packages from mom might be over (aww …) but your university address is probably still the destination for most of your important mail. Take a trip to the mail center to update your forwarding address, then make sure the post office has the same information – it’s an easy process you can complete mail forwarding online. Finally, ensure the alumni center has an address to send alumni information. Don’t have an address yet? Use mom and dad’s or a friend’s in the interim.

4. Meet with Career Services. Surprisingly, most college students don’t take full advantage of the career services center at their college or university. Career services can help you figure out exactly what you want to do, set you up with jobs and internships, and probably – most importantly – connect you with alumni in your job field who might be your only acquaintances in a new profession or new city.

5. Pay Your Parking Tickets. How pissed would your parents be if you didn’t graduate because you didn’t pay your parking tickets? We all know parking on campus is never a treat. In fact, it’s estimated that college students get (earn?) an average of two parking tickets a year. And when these tickets are not paid, colleges have been known to do insidious things like delay grade reports and withhold diplomas. Pay your tickets now and avoid frustration later.

Take care of these five things and most likely you’ll progress from college student to real-life adult with no problem at all. Even though now you’re probably wondering if leaving college life behind you and becoming a real-life adult is a good thing…

What other things must students do before college graduation?

Find your alumni network using Campus Explorer Connections. Learn about in-demand jobs in today’s economy and recession-proof careers. Find  out how to ask for graduate school letters of recommendation. Read all of our Graduation Week posts.

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with our special features.

With that in mind Campus Explorer launched their new Campus Explorer Connections Facebook Application. Campus Explorer Connections helps prospective students, college students and graduates find where their friends and family went to college, learn where their friends will be going to college and discover and explore the most popular schools in their network. Prospective students can use the app to learn more about their top college choices, while students and alums find potential mentors to guide them through their academic and career paths.

To access Campus Explorer Connections, simply sign in to the application using Facebook Connect.

“I have met a large amount of new friends in college through student organizations and my university job,” shares Caroline Radaj, who is graduating from University of Wisconsin – Madison this month. “The college environment allows people to explore a wide and essentially never-ending network.”

And it’s these networks that grow throughout grads professional lives.

“I have many good friends from college, explains author Walter G. Meyer. “Some I worked with on the college newspaper – the Daily Collegian – at Penn State are now editors at major newspapers and magazines and they frequently hire me to write some freelance articles for them. … I trust some of them to read and critique early drafts of my books, and I do the same for them.”

“My college roommate for three years continues to be one of my dearest friends,” shares Angela Betancourt, who went to Barry University. “We became very bonded during difficult times of our college lives. Whether it was boy issues, crazy professors or keeping each other awake, while we studied in the middle of the night, she and I learned how to help boost each other spirits.

“The experiences we go through during school are usually unique to that environment, so it’s comforting when you can relate with someone who has been through the same.”

In this day and age where connecting in virtual and real life leads to so many opportunities, it really helps to have an extra connection. And there are fewer bonds that are stronger than a common alma mater.

“I went to University of Michigan for college, and the friendships I made while on campus have somehow gotten me ahead in every step of my life,” explains Lauren Herskovic, Director of Operations at Precision Essay.

“It took me some time to realize this, but success is all about networking, and there’s something about college pride/that college connection that instantly bonds two people together. In fact, my current apartment is owned by a Michigan grad and upon finding out I also went there, he leased the place to me on the spot!”

Herskovic feels ”very lucky” to have gone to a school with a giant alumni base. “It seems everywhere I go and everyone I talk to is somehow connected to Michigan or someone I knew at Michigan. And it always comes back to help me out,” she continues. ”There is something about college friendships that not only makes them stronger than others, but also makes them invaluable.”

So keep maintaining those friendships. See who went to or is going to your school. Find out who of your fellow alums is working in your area of interest. Connect using Campus Explorer Connections.

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn more about college life and education and careers. Start your college search. 

It’s Graduation Week on The Explorer Blog! This week, we will share tips for life post-college graduation, starting with job-search advice from our career expert …

Question: “How do I find a job after I graduate?”

Answer: Just because you don’t have a job when you graduate does not mean that you are in trouble. Don’t panic. There are plenty of jobs out there. First you need to ask yourself: “Which one is best suited for me? And which job will best lead me to the career I want?”

Even if you have a degree in one area, it’s okay to want to explore another. Define your end goal, then figure out the steps to get there. To determine what type of job you want, sit down and start writing. Start by making a list of personal attributes – strengths and weaknesses – and career needs.

Here are a few examples, tho your list should be much longer:

Personal Attributes – Strengths
- Amicable in a group work environment
- Likes statistics, graphs and research
- Sincere in wanting to help others
- Performs tasks quickly
- Meets deadlines
- Willing to work on weekends and into late evenings

Personal Attributes – Weaknesses
- Energetic personality might irk people
- Needs space away from others to get focused on work
- Gets nervous when presenting in front of groups
- Keeps personal space messy
- Not always succinct in writing and speaking
- Needs structure of office environment to reach potential

Career Needs
- Wants to work in a professional office setting
- Okay with relocating
- Prefers to live in a city
- Flexible work environment – would eventually like to be able to work at office, home or anywhere
- Opportunities to advance within organization
- Receive a decent paycheck; large enough to maintain some aspects of current quality of life – dinners, concerts every so often, plane tickets

Now look at your list and from that think about what your dream job might look like – where you would like to work: if you’d like to work in a large or small office or not in an office; what jobs would match your strengths – if you are social by nature, find a job working with people; and what you would prefer not to do – if you do not like bureaucracy, you do not want to work for a large corporation.

Put Together Your Resume
Before you start applying for jobs, create your resume. If an amazing opportunity presents itself right off the bat, you want to be ready at a moment’s notice. Your resume is not just a list of prior jobs, education and interests. It’s also a reflection of your path and what type of career future it could lead to. Double- and triple-check that there are no spelling or grammatical errors, maintain style consistency throughout, keep it succinct but not too brief that it appears as though you have done nothing and have no interests.

Look for a Job Online
There are a plethora of online job boards and websites. Many companies that post are not necessarily looking for new employees right now, but instead just like to always have feelers out. Before going in for an interview, find out what types of positions are available. Sure, a few practice interviews are great in order to familiarize yourself with the interview situation, but you don’t want to start wasting time going on job interviews for non-existent opportunities.

Headhunters and Recruiters
Being interviewed by a headhunter is a very different interview since you aren’t being interviewed by the person who would actually be hiring you. Those meetings are often more general and straight-forward and less personality driven. You should expect to take different tests – sometimes multiple choice and sometimes essay. Since you don’t know the type of clients who are hiring, be professional, polite and together.

Referrals – AKA The Best Way to Get A Job
The best jobs often never make it to the job boards but instead are hired out through word of mouth and internally. Once you know what your career goals are, start telling people – let friends and family know that you are looking within a specific industry. Once you start telling people these goals, they will try to help you. And you will find that instead of spending so much time trying to find the right job, the right job will actually find you.

Throughout your search, know that you have something to contribute, as well as something to learn from the job. This is not just about you doing a task, it’s about the goal. The goal is to gain experience, build relationships and put your best self forward at all times so that you can ascend the ladder and reach the success that you so badly want and you are about to prove that you deserve.

Congratulations, graduates! Best of luck on your job search.

What job search advice do you have for recent graduates? Post in the comments.

Have a question for our Career Expert? Email The Explorer Blog.

Read about in-demand careers, careers in growing fields and degrees that get you hired. “Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more career advice. 

* * *

Laurel House is a published author and lifestyle mentor. At 19, while an English major at University of California Santa Barbara, she secured the “most powerful man in Hollywood” (at the time) – super agent Michael Ovitz – as her mentor. At 23 she left corporate America to work for herself… and never looked back. Her new book – QuickieChick’s Cheat Sheet to Life, Love, Food, Fitness, Fashion and Finance on a Less than Fabulous Budget – makes a great graduation gift.

To celebrate this year, we thought it’d be fun to compile the funniest Mother’s Day ecards, all made using someecards. You’ll probably recognize some of the pastel colors and goofy characters from your social media feeds, as they have made for extremely popular viral content in recent weeks.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to send your mom a card on Sunday.

From the college student who’s a bit of a smartass:

From the husband who knows his wife’s worth:

From the loving son or daughter:

From the grammar nut:

From the failed aficianado:

For the drinkers:

From the college student not quite ready to leave the nest:

Which ecard will you send to your mom?

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn more about college life.

Save your parents some money. Apply for your chance to win the monthly Campus Explorer $1,000 Exclusive Scholarship.

As you wrap up your school year – whether you are a high school or college student - here are a few notable applications that can help you survive finals.

Evernote
Keeping track of all of your brilliant thoughts takes more effort than a stack of college-ruled notebook can possibly ever provide, hence Evernote. The app will sort and label your text, photos, audio clips and videos and make them searchable by keyword and accessible across all syncable platforms that you use. Compatible platforms include all of the colors of the mobile rainbow including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7 and WebOS, as well as on Mac and Windows desktops. The app is free but there’s also a $5/month (or $45/year) version that offers 1 GB per month of storage for those with really expansive ideas.

gFlashPro
Paper index cards are hard to beat when studying for that French I final. But gFlashPro, by gWhiz, LLC, manages to save a few trees while allowing you to put hundreds or even thousands of 2- to 6-sided flash cards into your iPhone, Blackberry or Android device. You can also import cards from a Google Docs spreadsheet or just chose from thousands of downloadable flashcard subject sets online. Just make sure that you double-check some of the answers, since many uploaded sets – though free – may not be edited. A very useful app that doesn’t dog ear for $3.99 and there’s even a free version called gFlash+.

iStudiez Pro
Students have the busiest schedules on the planet which is why serious organization is needed. Fortunately, the iStudez Pro planner app provides the goods. It’s syncable across all of the current devices in the Mac universe, including Mac computers, iPad and iPhones, and allows the iOS endowed to manage their assignments and due dates, sort contact info for study group partners for those cram sessions and track grades. A GPA scale can be added as well. A little piece of mind for $9.99.

iAnnotate PDF
This app by Branchfire has quickly become an unspoken standard for anybody that regularly reads and passes on marked up PDF’s to classmates and colleagues. Although the idea sounds simple, iAnnotate PDF - an iPad/Android/Windows/Mac app – will dazzle you with its multi-fold offerings to customize documents with different colored highlighting pen tools, strikethroughs, strokes and footnotes. You can also bookmark and caption photos, tab your reading, customize navigation and write – with your finger -what you really think. Indispensably cheap at $9.99.

Instapaper
The photocopier used to be an important tool for the old school set. This app brings that same functionality – sans toxic toner and paper waste – to your iPhone, iPad and Kindle by allowing you to save web pages. Sure you can just bookmark, but Instapaper allows you to organize your bookmarks and save the stories on your device, so you don’t have to be online to view them. The app integrates into web browsers and readers, so does not require any extra effort to use. A perfect way to capture research for that final paper that might not be there tomorrow. Remember, a lot of publications may pull initially free stories and put them behind a paywall. A lot of utility for $4.99.

What is your favorite study or resource app?

Read about college academics, reading strategies and college exams. Also, check out our favorite organizational apps and SAT study apps. 

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. 

* * *

Dennis Nishi is a freelance writer who works as a contributing careers columnist and blogger for the Wall Street Journal, as well as a freelance producer for NPR and the BBC World Service. 

While both the SAT and ACT are standardized tests used for college admissions, there are major differences between them.

- The essay is required on the SAT, and optional on the ACT (tho many suggest you complete the essay on the ACT, since some schools require it anyway).
- The SAT deducts points for wrong multiple-choice answers; there are no penalties for guessing on the ACT.
- The ACT tests science; the SAT does not.
- Math is 1/3 of your SAT score, 1/4 of your ACT.
- The ACT focuses on your high school education; the SAT tests your application of the information you have learned.

Keep in mind, some schools do not require test scores. So if testing is not your forte, that’s good news. Just check to see what other requirements are listed.

Read more about standardized testing, other standardized tests, the difference between the SAT and ACT and colleges that do not require the SAT. 

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn about the latest articles from our test prep expert.

“Next year, I will be attending Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and I am planning on majoring in marketing,” Vierkandt says.

“I am so happy to recieve this award! It will help me pay for college tremendously. I have used Campus Explorer to help me search for possible majors to try during my college experience. I like how fast and easy it was to use, all the options it gave in all areas of the site and all the information it had on each school.”

And what has prepared him most for college …

“Taking college courses in high school has really helped,” Vierkandt explains. “The advice I would give to students starting their college search is to apply for every scholarship you can as soon as you can.” Naturally!

Enter for your chance to win this month’s Ratings & Reviews Scholarship.

Learn about planning for college in high school, paying for college and scholarships. Start your college search.

Campus Explorer is giving away free scholarship money every month. “Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn about our latest scholarships and meet the lucky winners.

NACAC (the National Association of College Admissions Counseling) released their 2012 Space Availability Survey, which says that at least 375 colleges still have space for freshman or transfer students for the Fall 2012 semester. Of the schools that are still accepting applications, 70% are private and 30% are public colleges; 373 have financial aid available and 354 have housing. 

The 2012 Space Availability Survey of NACAC-member four-year colleges and universities is designed to assist those who have not yet completed their college admissions process. Community colleges are not included in this survey. 

The list will be updated and available until June 29, 2012.

Re-start your college search.

“Like” Campus Explorer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to read more about college planning in high school and finding the right college.