One trade off with teens is bigger appetites can be tough on the budget with a lot of convenience food because some teens can just really pack away the food. One thing we hit on in the teen years was trying to have some ready to go staples in the fridge that were cooked on the weekend and could be reheated in the microwave during the week after coming home from activities. Stuff like cooked beans and cooked rice, that can be topped with cheese and salsa and nuked. Other options like baked pasta, enchilladas, chili, rice salads, etc. can be good. This stuff is fairly carb heavy and not the world's most perfect healthy stuff, but it easy to make and it fills them up for not too much money. Editing to add: I also say no way on making homemade waffles for everybody. It takes forever and if they want them they could cook them for themselves couldn't they?

Check your email at least twice a day.

They did consider going co-ed. They decided it would not help because they would have to give such significant discounts to attract students that it would not be financially viable. The fact that they are a women's college in a rural area and that they are small all contributed to their difficulty. Many students don't want to go to a rural area away from internships, etc. While rural liberal arts colleges generally face greater enrollment challenges, it is a bigger problem for some than others. Some schools were more able to rebrand or add in additional programs that could produce revenue and due to location and timing this was harder for Sweet Briar. A big factor was also just the student size of around 700 students. That's much smaller than a lot of liberal arts colleges which are often more in the 1,200-1,500 range. That is a significant difference in tuition revenue and it is very financially difficult for schools that size because the standard features (library, science labs, faculty for core subjects) all distributed across fewer students.

Transfer deadlines are typically later than for freshman so there is still time and hopefully they will help students with transferring. They are working out agreements with some similar institutions. It is interesting that Sweet Briar opted to close before it was totally run into the ground. They still had endowment left. It is a reality though that they are in a rural area, it is a women's college, and the discount rate to successfully enroll students is just too high to be sustainable.

It is sad. I'm sure it won't be the last. It is just very tough for colleges to remain financially viable when enrollment is under 1,000 students.

I know a high school student who got into trouble at school in a situation that sounds kind of similar. He's a good kid who just likes a challenging puzzle and he ended up crossing a line he shouldn't have in the school system. The consequence agreed upon by the parents and the school was for the student to do a research paper on ethics in computing. He looked into the legal consequences of hacking. I thought this was a smart solution because it made him accountable and he learned to be more aware of where the limits are. In his case it would have been a mistake to totally ban him from the computer because he's really talented and he's on well on his way to a good career in computer science. He just needed a little time to mature and be reminded to use his powers for good. ;-) I also think it would be great if your son isn't already doing so if he could get involved in computer programming classes or an internship using his skills to help others - sometimes when kids cross into trouble it is a reminder they need plenty of opportunity to flex their muscles in productive ways.

Has she taken the ACT or SAT? Do you know that she can get in to the local college? Is the cost of college something you need to factor into your decision making? As several mentioned dual enrollment may be a less expensive option. With some time under dual enrollment and a more solid transcript she may be in a much more competitive situation for scholarships if costs matter. Also, I'd keep in mind that there is really no forgiveness from grad schools, etc. for lower grades just because a college student was younger. There are exceptions, but as a general rule I like to see students having some successful with dual enrollment or rigorous online graded courses (like PA homeschoolers, etc.) before they jump in to full time enrollment.

My short answer is that NPC are typically not accurate when it comes down to the difference between $800 and $3,000. In the end you'll probably have to wait for the final packages to see that. That's not to say Net Price Calculators are not useful. They are incredibly helpful because the reality is that a lot of families don't have an idea if their cost will be $3,000 or $30,000. So, they are a good starting place to get that kind of information. For any family that has a very low EFC, it is going to be important look at the institutions overall record of meeting financial need. Do they meet 100% or do they leave students with gaps? How do loans figure into their financial aid package.

In most cases it won't make a dramatic difference. Colleges calculate a budget based on the cost of attendance which includes tuition, room, board, books, transportation, etc. Often colleges use a different budget figures for living on campus, living off campus, and living off campus at home with parents. There isn't one standard amount for all schools because local costs vary and schools have some leeway in the budget. Some students will find it less expensive to live on campus, some less expensive to live off campus. If you have questions about how it would affect financial aid at a given school you can always contact the financial aid office and ask how it works. One situation where this can make a big difference is if the student has a merit scholarship that only covers living in on campus housing. Most often that's not the case, but students always want to understand the scholarship they are accepting.

One question your daughter might want to ask is how the work is graded. For some online language courses, the work is all graded by computer. So, if she's got one accent mark or letter wrong the entire answer may be marked wrong. It may be helpful to know that is how work is graded because in that situation the instructor likely has little flexibility or ability to help.

It has been a long time ago... but, the most important thing I learned from the experience was to start by looking at what people know first and as much as possible build on the strengths in the group. While you want to offer some structure, recipes, etc. people respond best and will make the most changes when the ideas come from within the group. I bet you'll find you have participants who are brilliant with budgeting and shopping and they may be able to share tips with others in the group who are just getting started. The two things we found most helpful were 1. Basic cooking techniques - such as making potatoes into oven fries - simple and a huge hit, easy egg recipes, making chili from scratch, stir frying, working with less expensive cuts of meat. 2. Kid-friendly ideas. One place the budget gets shot for a lot of families is relying on more expensive stuff (frozen chicken nuggets, boxed cereal, microwave mac and cheese, pudding snacks) because it is what kids will eat. When families try out something new and the kids love it, that's a great way to get buy-in and really make a difference. Good luck with your class. It is a great thing you are doing and much needed really for people of all income levels. I'd love to see more young parents confident in cooking at home.

If she hasn't found it already she may want to look at the Language Flagship program. It is offered at 20+ schools in the US and has a program that integrates study in less common languages along with potential for study abroad.

How to Cook without a Book is great for teaching basic cooking formulas. Lots of easy weeknight type of meals that can be adapted to different tastes and ingredients. http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Without-Book-Techniques/dp/0767902793 Having designed a class like this ages ago, I would suggest beginning the first class with a survey of your audience and adapt what you teach from there. It would be good to get a sense where the skill level in the group is and what sorts of foods people enjoy.

It is developmentally common thinking for 7th grade to think there are a handful of schools for smart people (Stanford, MIT, Harvard - or whatever). In some areas of the country it is also pretty common for kids to "pick" their favorite school that they are going to go to. It is akin to picking a sports team or a favorite celebrity - kind of an identity thing and I wouldn't put energy into talking the child into or out of it or in any way make it a big deal. My suggestion is to say something like "It's awesome you are thinking about this stuff, what do you like about MIT?" Most often what kids will say is they want to go to the number one college, to a college with really smart people, that they want to go to college with other people who love technology, that they want a really good job someday, etc. My goal would be elicit that kind of conversation about goals and then subtly over time offer information the child may not have about other schools and so forth. What I would really suggest avoiding is setting it up as a goal that they are succeeding or failing like noticing they aren't focusing on schoolwork one day and saying "well you won't get into MIT with that attitude." That's setting up a really negative dynamic that is best avoided and someday if they don't get into MIT it puts a lot of baggage on that. I do think it is appropriate to notice that your child is a fast learner and needs more challenge. It is okay with a middle schooler to look ahead and see what are typical expectations of highly selective colleges and make sure you are offering an appropriate homeschool education to meet your child's needs.

One thing I think that's hard about this is that you have to see it. If he was away at college you'd never know if he was studying in a distracted environment or he was procrastinating and pulling all nighters. I bet MOST parents would be upset if they knew the hours and conditions under which their kids study. I'm not even sure I want my mom to know the late hours I work as an adult sometimes!

I guess one big question is will there really be unhappiness? What kind of unhappiness? Will the benefits of being the "big fish" outweigh whatever limitations there are to this school environment? How are the "big fish" who currently attend doing? Are they getting major awards, good grad school admissions, summer research opportunities, etc.? Can the school be flexible to waive some introductory courses and offer some special opportunities?

Fantastic! I hope the parents acknowledge her hard work!

Yes, for sure. All good ideas. If the College Board is going to be "non-profit" I'd like to see more accountability about fees. There is very big money in the testing industry including a lot of government money as several states have contracts for all students to test through ACT or College Board. Sadly at this point in time we are in a situation where the testing agencies (ACT and College Board) are one of the only providers of information to school counselors. It is sort of like the system where pharmaceutical companies are educating doctors about medications. Not ideal by a long shot. One thing I am concerned about is that sometimes there is some negative characterization of students who apply to more than a couple of schools. It may be suggested they are trying to game the system or they are too invested in admissions. I'd just like to see that attitude shift a little with more awareness that not everybody has the same situation and for some students a couple more applications may be one of the smartest financial decisions they will make in their lives.

Thanks... I edited the link and hopefully it will work better. But, reading the Huff Post article gets you a good overview even faster!

True about APs. Schools are given awards based on participation rates without consideration of pass rates.

I'm the last one to defend the College Board because I've had to give them hundreds of dollars of my family's money as well. That said, students get four free score reports with the SAT so applying to four schools doesn't need to cost students any more. My personal experience as a counselor confirms what I the research finds which is that many students would benefit from a better planned application strategy often including adding a school or two. Again and again I have students come to me with a plan like this: apply to one state u (not necessarily the one that's the best academic or financial fit) and then a school like Stanford that is not at all a possibility given their academic record. Depending on their academic profile and financial circumstances this may be a huge missed opportunity. When you see a student go from having as their only options a school with poor quality instruction, lousy financial aid, and a low graduation rate - OR, a nurturing school with great financial aid and a high graduation rate, it becomes pretty clear why putting in a couple more applications can be absolutely life changing. Again this is a very individual situation based on a student's circumstances, but some students will end up with an absolutely HUGE difference between their best and worst financial aid offer.

My thought is always to read the methodology before you put a lot of reliance in rankings. Is this weighting factors that are really important to you. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/09/08/best-colleges-2015-about-the-rankings-methodology If the methodology makes sense it may be worth the money to you. I urge all parents to realize the limitations. It is useful to know if a school is ranked 2 or 500 - but the difference between 2 and 5 - totally meaningless. There are plenty of places to get information such as average SAT score, acceptance rate, financial aid, etc. The College Board site is free and a bit more user friendly in my opinion.

For school assignments submitted to another teacher I think you should be hands off. When it comes to writing for an important audience (as in a resume, application or scholarship essays, articles for publication) it is crucial to have a second reader. Obviously one role of this second reader catch typos and silly mistakes. Beyond this though, I would suggest it is absolutely essential for teens to have someone read essays because often they just don't have a clue how what they say will be perceived by others. Even very wonderful, brilliant, mature teens sometimes write stuff in essays that is way off the mark because they don't have a good sense of their reader and what is appropriate.

I find it to be a really helpful way to organize bookmarks. I think there are three keys to making it work well. 1. Set up a variety of boards for different stuff you are interested in. For example, soup recipes, books I want to read, vacation ideas, science experiments, vegetable garden, etc. Having more boards makes it easier to keep track of stuff. 2. Next install the "pin it" button on your tool bar. This is a free button that you get on the Pinterest website. Once you've got this button as you are traveling around the Internet you find that perfect looking potato soup recipe - click the button and you can automatically save it to your soup recipes board. You can also search within Pinterest for ideas "potato soup recipes" as well. 3. Follow other pinners. You can use this to connect with friends or to follow people or businesses who tend to post content you are interested in. Once you have set up to follow other pinners, when you log on to Pinterest you'll get to see new pins that might be of interest to you and you can decide if you want to click it or save it. If you give it a try I invite you to take a look at my homeschooling boards. http://www.pinterest.com/hsuccess/

I got an Instapot for Christmas and it is amazing. It is making me feel very middle aged to feel this much enthusiasm for a kitchen appliance, but I can't help it. In addition to it cooking stuff really fast, the main feature for me is that I can put stuff in, set the timer and 100% forget about it. I don't have to stir, take the lid on and off, adjust the temperature, or pay attention to it. Stuff doesn't just cook fast, it really tastes good and like it has been cooked longer. The fact that you can saute in the same pot first helps add a lot to the flavor of soups and other dishes. This morning I made this recipe so we'll have chili for lunches this week. If you like beans the Instapot makes dry as easy as using canned beans. http://amysnutritariankitchen.blogspot.com/2014/10/three-bean-chili-pressure-cooker.html