Food Fun Family

Get Ready for College with Seventeen: College Goals

Lolli — Fri, 18 May 2018 04:01:35 +0000

Bluestreak Books sent me a copy of Seventeen: College Goals AND is providing a prize pack for one of my lucky readers! Affiliate links are used within this post.

I thought potty training was hard. The toddler struggles have NOTHING on dealing with growing teens. Teaching them how to drive, surviving SATs, preparing them for high school graduation, helping them with college applications, and finding their first apartment away from home.

Two down (almost).

Three to go.

My second daughter graduated from high school last year and has been attending community college locally while she worked as a nanny. She’s currently apartment hunting out west as she prepares to move out and continue her education (and her social life) in a different state.

My oldest son is 17 and finishing up his junior year of high school, which means that things are going to get REALLY busy around our house. Again.

When Seventeen: College Goals came in the mail, my 18-year-old immediately said, “where was this a year ago? I could have used this then!” However, as she flipped through the pages, she found so much helpful information. We both agreed that this would be the perfect book to give to a girl starting her junior year of high school. There are so many things that my kids weren’t thinking about that early in their high school careers, but I can attest that things like SATs and college applications sneak up on you FAST. It never hurts to start thinking and planning early.

About the Book

The only thing standing between you and that college life is figuring out where you might want to go, completing your applications, writing a killer essay, scoring solid test scores, shining in your activities, getting glowing recommendations, and . . . okay, that’s a lot. But even though being accepted into college can seem big and overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be.

That’s where Seventeen: College Goals comes in. This stress-free guide—part-planner, part-journal—will help walk you through the step-by-step process of applying to colleges. There are pages filled with practical cheat sheets, handy life hacks, thoughtful tips, fun quizzes, inspiring quotes from your favorite celebs and leaders, and prompts that will push you to self-reflect. (After all, that’s what college essays are all about!) This way, you can freak out less about if you’ll get in, and actually start thinking about which school’s offer you’re going to accept.

Seventeen: College Goals – An Insider’s Guide to Finding and Getting Into A School You’ll Love

By the Editors of Seventeen Magazine

In Stores April 10, 2018

Published by Bluestreak Books, an imprint of Weldon Owen

Do you have a son or daughter heading to college in the next few years? Then this is the book for you! And good news – one of my readers is going to WIN a copy (plus a fun little Visa gift card too!).

“REWARD THE WORK” Giveaway

Getting ready for college is a lot of work! One Food Fun Family (1) winner will receive:

Copy of Seventeen: College Goals
plus a $50 Visa gift card

Giveaway open to US addresses only. Prizing and samples provided by Bluestreak Books. Giveaway ends June 1, 2018 at 11:59pm ET, after which a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck!

Entry -Form

Follow Bluestreak Books on Twitter | Instagram

Follow Weldon Owen on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Learn more about the book at WeldonOwen.com

Buy the book on Amazon

Send Your Kids to College with a Gift that Gives You the Savings

CandyMan — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 20:49:25 +0000

No matter how you slice it, even with a scholarship, college costs a lot of money. Our second daughter is about to graduate from high school this year, meaning that we’ll have more college bills to pay soon. With 5 kids, we have to find ways to save wherever we can. Our oldest daughter daughter taught us several things about frugal college living, including getting as many textbooks as possible on Amazon. Want to know what we’d recommend? Here is the one thing you must get to cut down on college costs.

Prime Student – This is Amazon’s student version of Amazon Prime. It has ALL of the benefits of Amazon Prime, plus a few more that are catered toward saving you money on college purchases. The first six months are free when you sign up, and then it’s 50% of the cost of regular Amazon Prime. By my math, that makes it $49 per year. Not bad.

Now, having said that, let’s clear the air and see why your college bound kids should not miss out on becoming a Prime Student.

In addition to Amazon Prime Student benefits, Amazon can help students save time and money by skipping the bookstore line and visiting the Amazon Textbooks Store where you can rent textbooks for up to 80% less than buying them.

You get all of the two-day free shipping options that regular Amazon Prime offers, you get exclusive deals and Prime Early Access where they sell limited items only to prime members at really low prices.

On the non-shopping side, you get free access to Audible Channels which has tons of original series and material. When you need to expand your brain, relax, motivate yourself or just laugh out loud, you can find a channel that explores everything from spirituality to scientific theory.

If you prefer to read, you get Prime Reading which allows you to read thousands of books, magazine and other titles on any device you want. You don’t need a Kindle to use it, they have a Kindle App that is free. This is one of the best ways to escape the onslaught of junk information that comes across your news feed.

For gamers, you get Twitch Prime that gives you access to free games and discounts on new releases every month.

Lastly, if your kids like to take pictures, Prime Student let’s you tap into Amazon’s huge data storage facility at no cost. You get unlimited photo storage that is all organized and ready to use. So, go ahead, keep taking 432 pictures of the same thing. You can store all those pictures for free. Or, instead of that, refer a friend to use Prime Student and get a $10 Amazon store credit when they sign up.

Just take a look at any one of the features and you’ll see that this is the place to go for all kinds of resources to make college better. It will also save you money on tons of things you have to buy anyway.

If you are not an Amazon Prime member already, then you are either just plain missing out on life or perhaps you haven’t embraced the concept of not having to get our of your pajamas to do your shopping. Either way, get up and make a change for the new year!

How to sign up for Amazon Prime Student:

Go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup
Click on the button that says “Start Your 6-Month Trial”
Click on “Create your Amazon account”
Follow the instructions on the screen and provide your personal information

Note: When you sign up for Amazon Prime Student, there is no cost for the first six months, courtesy of Sprint and you can cancel at any time. After that, students receive 50 percent off of regular Amazon Prime Membership at only $49 annually.

Find more about Amazon Prime Student and sign up HERE. Find out about the latest deals and promotions by following Amazon Prime Student on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (add ‘amazonstudent’).

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Keep Your College Student Safer This School Year #Wearsafe #SaferSmarter

Lolli — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 22:35:23 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Wearsafe for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Next week, my oldest daughter starts her third year of college. When she started college a few years ago, I had a hard time believing that I was old enough to have a college-aged daughter. It felt like yesterday when I had started my first year of college. Now, she’s halfway through her college career and my second daughter is getting ready to send out college applications. It’s still amazing to me that I could be at this stage of parenting.

I love that my daughter is able to go to school, but I have worried about her being so far away. During her first year of college, she lived off campus and had a long walk to and from her apartment to the campus. Knowing the schedules of typical college students, I knew that she would often have to walk alone early in the morning and late at night. I do feel like campuses are somewhat safer today compared to my pre-cell phone days in college, but I still worry about my daughters walking alone. Even though she’s always had a mobile device, I understand that sometimes situations arise where it’s not possible to call. Every parent wants to protect their children, no matter how old they are. Knowing that my kids are safe (my college student, my high school students, and my middle school kids, too) means everything to me. I was so excited to find out about the Wearsafe Tag, which offers not only college students and their parents peace of mind, but can be a great resources for non-students, like women who run or walk for exercise on their own.

How Wearsafe Tag Works

Imagine my daughter or your daughter or another college student walking home from campus after a study session. If, at any time, she has questions about her safety, she can use her Wearsafe Tag and app to notify her group and she has instant peace of mind.

She pushes the button on her Tag and the close friends and family members who she has added to her group on the Wearsafe app are notified. Not only are they sent her GPS location, but they hear audio from the scene and can coordinate a response or call 911 to get help to her exact location as soon as possible. She never even has to take her phone out of her bag.

Wearsafe is compatible with both iPhones and Androids, this app is $5 per month – with NO commitments – and comes with a FREE device/tag. Wearsafe is the only product to offer audio, GPS and group chat, offering 3 methods of assistance. Try it free

How Wearsafe Works:

The Wearsafe Tag provides the following information so that you can get the help you need as soon as possible: GPS information – the app recognizes if you are traveling or moving or stationary…but that alone is not enough information. Audio from the scene – pushing the button on the Wearsafe Tag sends live audio, or if selected before hand, an audio file of 60 seconds before the ‘event.’ Being able to hear what is going on gives the context of what is happening. Group chat – all those in selected network are in group chat to create a virtual situation room. They can connect as a team to address how to help person in distress and assess the situation. It was easy to set up our Wearsafe account. The app is free to download on Android and Apple devices. Just download the app, open an account, and let them know if you have a Tag or need one. Two of the most impressive things for me when I was setting up my account was that they send new users a free Tag when they sign up for their first month of service AND there is no month-to-month commitment. Once I set up my account, I was able to select people from my contact list to add to my network. It was easy to activate my device – I was even able to choose my own name for my Tag.

The Tag is small and discreet and easy to wear or attach to a key chain

I definitely would have had more peace of mind that first year that my daughter was off on her own, and I’m happy that I can send my second college student-to-be to school with Wearsafe. Try it free

Are You Prepared for Your Kids’ College?

Lolli — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 01:58:01 +0000

When my oldest daughter was born many years ago, I had just finished college a week (yes, literally seven days!) before. My husband wouldn’t be done for another semester (and I waited to walk with him at graduation). It’s hard to believe that our baby girl is halfway done with her college education – and as of last weekend, she’s a married woman!

As we finished up our schooling and started our family, we were just beginning to think about paying back our own student loans. Planning ahead for our children’s educations was something far ahead in the future.

And then, it seems, we blinked our eyes and that baby girl was graduating high school and getting college acceptance letters in the mail. Don’t even get me started on the fact that she got married last Saturday!

Just as we’ve started to settle in to this stage in our lives as parents, our next daughter is about to enter the college application process. Pretty soon, we’ll be packing up her things and moving her in to her life on campus.

I remember when my oldest daughter was finishing up her senior year, preparing to move 3000 miles away to attend school. Several of my local friends asked how I was dealing with the fact that she’d be moving so far away. I told them that I’d been preparing for this day for 18 years. Yes, I’d miss her but wasn’t this what we had been working towards as parents her whole life?

Yes, I was prepared for her leaving but not so prepared for the way HER college experience effected our family finances.

Are YOU prepared for your kids’ college?

Luckily, as parents often do with their oldest child, we learned a few things through her college experience that we will be using with the other kids…and the tips that tops our list is to start planning way ahead for college expenses.

This year, we’ve been introduced to College Ave Student Loans Parent Loan program. Here’s what you need to know about College Ave:

College Ave Student Loans recently launched the New Parent Loan, which offers savings over Federal Plus Loans. With no origination fee and a lower fixed interest rate than the federal program, College Ave Student Loans new parent loan has the potential to save parents big bucks. In fact, qualified parent borrowers save an average of $1,000 versus the Federal Direct Parent Plus program.

Not only do the parents loans offer savings, but they have more flexibility to fit your specific financial situation. Parents can choose to start paying the loan in full right away, or to limit monthly payments while the student is in school, and to pick their own repayment terms from 5 to 12 years. Parents can also choose to have money deposited directly into their own bank account to help pay for extra expenses (like food, books, and housing) which often get over-looked when budgeting for college.

I took the site for a spin and tried out the College Ave Student Loans qualification tool and Parent Loan Calculator. I was amazed at how easy it was to customize options to fit our budget and my daughter’s upcoming tuition needs.

I love how you can choose the payments you’d like to make each month and how you can instantly see how that directly impacts the amount that you’ll be paying in the end. You can opt to pay over 12, 10, 8 years (and more), and the loan calculator adjusts the amount you’ll be paying – both in interest charges and in monthly payments after school is over.

Because every family has different needs and unique budgets, a one-size-fits-all loan program….well, it WOULDN’T be one-size-fits-all. With College Ave Student Loans Parent Loan program, you really can pick the loan that is the best fit for YOU and your family.

Do you have kids in college or high school? How have you started planning for their college career?

What tips do you have to make paying for college as painless as possible?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Worried About College Tuition? Let ScholarshipOwl Handle It.

Lolli — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:05:36 +0000

This post is sponsored by ScholarshipOwl, but all thoughts are my own.

About a month ago, I moved my oldest daughter into her new home away from home. A few days later, she started her 2nd year of college. Yes, she made it through her first year (with flying colors!) and she’s already rocking year two.

Paying for their child’s college education is one of those things that parents start worrying about as soon as they bring their babies home from the hospital (am I right??). And as a mother of one college student and 4 more close behind, I can attest that high school graduation and college sneak up faster than you could ever imagine. I swear I was just watching her learn how to walk….and now she’s an adult, living on her own. I am so proud of her and the woman she’s become, but as any parent of a grown child will tell you, just because they don’t live at home anymore doesn’t mean that you stop worrying about them.

When Kim was a senior in high school, she applied to dozens and dozens of scholarships. She appreciated the fact that we (her parents) have a lot of kids and a lot of college tuition checks to make out over the next dozen years. I’m very grateful that she has been not only conscientious but amazingly qualified to be a scholarship recipient.

We figured that she’d have scholarship offers coming out of the woodwork…but we found that finding the right scholarships to apply for (and when to apply for them) and then going through the whole process for each application was tedious and time-consuming…and most of the time totally unproductive.

We’ve been fortunate that she has had most of her tuition covered through scholarships both years now. But like I said, I’ve got 4 younger kids who will all need to go through the same process. Sometimes it makes my head spin.

Luckily, we found out about ScholarshipOwl at the beginning of this school year. Suddenly, I am so much more hopeful about getting all five of my kids through college without totally breaking the bank OR breaking our backs to find scholarships that are a good fit for each of my unique kids.

Here’s a quick video explaining what ScholarshipOwl is and how they can help, whether you’re a college student or a parent.

About ScholarshipOwl

ScholarshipOwl is the one-stop online service for students trying to win more college and graduate-school scholarships. The company was founded by veteran tech entrepreneurs Daniel Better and Kenny Sandorffy, who believe passionately in the need to transform the tedious process of applying for college scholarships. ScholarshipOwl provides a wealth of free services that quickly match members to eligible scholarships, improve their applications, and automate their submissions. Premium services provide even more power for students seeking the most scholarships to finance their education.

For more information, visit www.scholarshipowl.com. Follow Scholarship Owl on Twitter @ScholarshipOwl

“Finding which scholarships you’re eligible for, and then applying for them one by one, is so slow and painful, but so important,” said Sandorffy, ScholarshipOwl’s Head of Marketing and Optimization. “We wanted to fix this tedious process and make it easy for students and their families to find all the scholarships they deserve, and to win those scholarships. Our goal is to make sure everyone’s college is paid for with scholarship aid.”

I love that! ScholarshipOwl’s basic membership is free for anyone to use, which means that MORE students are being matched with scholarships without the typical headache associated with the standard application process. Here are just a few facts about ScholarshipOwl:

Free basic membership
Simple signup (takes just 2 minutes)
Access to more than 3.5 million potential scholarships
Automatic search and eligibility matching
Simplified application process that eliminates redundant data-entry headaches
Every member gets a set of free automated scholarship applications per month, and multiple ways to unlock additional free applications each month
Ongoing tracking/notifications of all applications and additional matches
Free email account
Advisory sessions with previous scholarship winners. Find out what worked for them
Free newsletter on scholarship news and opportunities
The Ultimate Guide to College Scholarships ebook
Premium packages allow additional automated applications each month, and resubmissions when new eligibility windows open up

I can’t wait to come back in a month or two with the news of the scholarships that Kim has received, thanks to ScholarshipOwl (we’re both so excited about this new process….it’s so much easier than the “old” way!).

Game Day Fashion – Seven Simple Looks for College Football Tailgating

Lolli — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:43:35 +0000

Despite the fact that I’m missing my daughter as she starts her first year of college 2000 miles away, I am loving reliving my own college days through her. I loved college! Fall is one of the most exciting times on a college campus, thanks to football season and all of the opportunities students (current students and past students, like me!) have to show their school spirit and go tailgating with friends. This list of game day fashion ideas is sponsored by Country Outfitter, but all opinions and ideas are my own (with lots of help from my college freshman and her friends).

College Football Tailgating Fashion Ideas

When it comes to Game Day, it’s important to show your school spirit…but at the same time you want to stand out from the crowd. I asked my daughter, Kimberly, if she and a few of her friends would come up with a few fun and unique outfit options for attending their next football game. I love what they came up with!

1 – After attending a bunch of freshman activities on campus where almost everyone is wearing a school shirt, Kimberly realized that you can make a boring school t-shirt cute by pairing with a sweater or skirt.

2 – This look is good for wanting to just relax at a game and still represent your school. Adding a sweater or jacket with the school logo can still can keep you warm during a chilly game without cutting back on the school spirit.

3 – Sometimes you want to go all-out. This whole outfit is school colors and apparel. The beanie is a fun addition that can set you apart (and always attracts lots of compliments).

4 – Want to dress it up a bit but still be comfortable? A fun fall/summer dress paired with some boots is the perfect option. A simple dress with a pair of boots is fun and flirty.

5 – Another option for showing school spirit: a pair of bold white or colored jeans is another item that can set you apart. Want to step a simple spirited outfit up a notch? Add some fun accessories.

6 – When you want to make a school shirt more fun and girly (since the guys are wearing the same school shirts as you!), add a cute plaid shirt over top and some stand-out cowboy boots. Boots are also a good way to keep a little warmer at games when nights start to cool off.

7 – You’re going to an event so why not dress it up! Looking cute and feeling confident about your outfit makes 100% of the difference and can even make your experience more fun. If you feel good about what you’re wearing, you won’t worry about it and you can just relax and have fun at your game.

What is your favorite Game Day look?

PS – aren’t Kimberly and her friends awesome? They’re totally ready for Game Day!

Many thanks to Country Outfitter for Kimberly’s new cowboy boots which are a perfect addition to her tailgating fashion look.

Connect with Country Outfitter on Instagram – @CountryOutfitter | Twitter – @CountryOutfittr | Facebook – Country Outfitter | Hashtag #CountryOutfitter

And a New Stage of Motherhood Has Begun… #WW

Lolli — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 18:33:49 +0000

On Monday, I dropped my oldest daughter off at her college apartment. I’ve entered a new stage of motherhood.

We made a dozen trips carrying all of her possessions up to her 2nd floor apartment, unpacked what we could, did a big grocery shopping trip to stock her fridge and kitchen shelves….and then we gave her hugs and drove away.

We haven’t cried yet, though I do miss her. I think it will hit me more when we’re all back home and the house is a little emptier.

I realize that I’m quite late in posting a Wordless Wednesday but I couldn’t resist posting this picture from Monday. It makes me happy.

And sad.

An InLinkz Link-up

Convenience. Assortment. Savings. From the Comfort of the Computer

Lolli — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:53:33 +0000

As much as I LOVE shopping (and I really do) sometimes it’s nice to shop from the comfort of home (particularly the convenience and comfort of the computer)….so when I was given the opportunity to do some household shopping for Kimberly’s new apartment at college, I jumped at the chance. Although a gift card was provided to facilitate this post, all thoughts are my own.

The summer has been a blast – spending time daily with cousins (a huge luxury for my kids who normally live across the country from their cousins), hiking, going to museums and relaxing for hours at the water park across the street – and we haven’t had much time (let alone ENERGY!) left over for running errands. But with SO many people staying at my mom’s house this summer (16 people at the height of summer) we’ve had to run a LOT of errands. Toilet paper, diapers and wipes and training pants, dish washing detergent (can you imagine how many dishes we’re doing with 3 households staying in the same house??)….you get the picture!

But my new college student’s needs were even greater than the needs at the big house. She’s setting up an empty, brand new apartment and needs ALL the household items that I keep stocked in my house. Here are a few of the things that she was excited to order on Walmart.com:

It was easy to find everything we needed – by using the simple search feature on Walmart.com – and then all we had to do was select the quantity and add it to my cart. When I had everything I needed in my cart, I was able to add the gift card and use my own credit card to pay the small difference.

Kimberly also ordered an elephant-shaped humidifier (because elephants are her favorite animal, and she’s moving from the humid east to the dessert) that she’s extremely excited about…well, she’s probably equally excited about the Tide Pods (such an easier way to take her laundry to the laundromat!). Can you blame her?

I was excited about all we were able to get (and how far everything will stretch for her in her new apartment) for such a great price! The variety and the prices were exactly what we were looking for!

Why shopping at Walmart.com is so amazing:

When you shop for household items on Walmart.com or on the Walmart smartphone app, you can shop wherever and whenever you want – at your own convenience – wearing whatever you want.
Walmart.com has the same everyday low prices that you love at your local Walmart (especially on your favorite P&G products).
Shipping is free if you spend $50 or more or you can have your order shipped for free to the nearest Walmart location for a quick and easy pick-up with Site to Store.
Pay how you want – Walmart.com offers different payment options, including a Pay with Cash option if you’d rather not use a credit card online.
The Walmart smartphone app makes it easy to build a shopping list for your next shopping trip by scanning the products you want to buy again.

Win a $25 Walmart.com giftcard!

Enter below to win a $25 Walmart gift card to make your own purchases on Walmart.com. US mailing addresses only. The giveaway will end on Wednesday, August 20 at midnight ET and a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Winner must respond by end of day Thursday or another winner will be selected. Good luck!

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Note: The Walmart gift cards and information have been provided by P&G.

The Girl Who Has Everything {for Back to College} #BritaBackToCollege

Lolli — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:20:21 +0000

This post brought to you by Brita. All opinions are 100% mine.

If it weren't for the fact that in a matter of days I'll be driving away from my daughter's college apartment…and leaving her there…I would say that getting her ready for college this summer has been a lot of fun. I admit that I've gotten a little jealous of a few of the things that we've had to buy her for new apartment (I mean, who doesn't love new towels??).

It has been a long time since I had to set up my first apartment from scratch…but I'm feeling like a lot of the items in my home (especially the kitchen) could use an upgrade. Maybe I need to head back to college, too!

Because we had a 3000 mile drive to deliver my oldest daughter to college this summer, we packed up her clothes and shoes and pillows and planned to shop for most everything else once we got to town. Brita® helped Kimberly get ready to head back to college with a $100 shopping trip to Target, where we were able to pick up some essential Brita® items, available at Target, for college life, saving her lots of money on portable water for this coming school year, and assuring me that she'll always have plenty of water to drink while she's away from home.

Our shopping haul at Target included:

-Brita® Space Saver Water Filter Pitcher (6 cups)

-Brita® Hard-Sided Water Bottle (23.7 oz.)

-Glad Food Storage Containers

-Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

…as well as several other items that she needed for her new apartment at college.

Kimberly wrote this parody song featuring all of the items she purchased on her back to college haul (re-writing songs is one of her many talents!). She’s the girl who has everything!

What makes Brita® so awesome?

Brita® filtration systems reduce impurities from tap water, leaving you with healthier, great-tasting drinking water.
When you drink water regularly, you feel better and more energized (yes, without caffeine!).
Brita® pitchers and water bottles are good for the environment (reduce waste) and for the wallet (you don't have to constantly buy water bottles you throw away).

Enter to Win a $25 Target gift card (to pick up Brita Back to College items!)

Want to get your own Brita while Back to College shopping?! See all the Brita® products available at Target. I have a $25 gift card to give away! Just enter on the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to residents of the US and ends Saturday August 23 at midnight ET. Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck!

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College Application Tips #IntelTablets

Lolli — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 19:07:42 +0000

When my oldest daughter started her senior year of high school, she made it clear that she needed a computer of her own. I had figured that I would have to break down and buy her a laptop sometimes before she headed off to school…but I was hoping to be able to delay that time as long as possible (heck, I don’t even have a laptop of my own! Someday…someday!). Her need became more clear as she began the college application – and scholarship application – process this Fall. She needed access to a computer a lot more frequently than my own work computer was willing to share with her.

Luckily, an Intel Tablet came to the rescue, and none too soon. I was shocked – and incredibly blessed and humbled – when I was offered a ThinkPad 2 tablet and keyboard as part of the #TabletCrew program with #IntelTablets. And, just so we’re clear, all ideas and opinions in this post are totally my own. And my daughter’s. She helped.

Let me start off by saying that the college application process (and subsequent scholarship applications) is a lot of work – and not only for the prospective new college student. So many forms to fill out, essays to write, recommendations to request and information to gather. I don’t remember it being so difficult when I was applying to college 20 some odd years ago. Maybe my own mom took the brunt of the college application stress for me. Or maybe I just had no idea how important it was back then like I do now.

Despite the amount of work that it has taken, I was amazed at how KitKat was able to do EVERYTHING she needed to do to apply to colleges, scholarships, and housing right from her Intel Tablet. It really has been an incredible tool as she’s prepared for this next step in her education.

I asked her about some of the most helpful features as well as some of her best college application tips – from choosing colleges to finding the best scholarships to apply for – to share here.

College Application Tips

Start early – Don’t wait until the week before applications are due to start putting things together. Gather all information well ahead of time (have everything lined up before your senior year starts, if possible). Begin the school year by filling in a calendar with all school and scholarship application deadlines. Start with the earliest deadline and work your way through.

Make a check list – Especially when you’re applying to multiple schools and scholarships, the amount of information needed can be overwhelming. Make a list of tasks that need to be completed and information that needs to be gathered and how long each task will require from you. Not only will a check list keep you organized, but it will help give you a sense of accomplishments as you see steps being marked off the list. Tip: Ask for letters of recommendation at least 3 weeks in advance.

Research schools – If you’re not sure what colleges would be the best fit for you, research online and talk with your school counselor. Looks for local scholarships at schools, clubs and other local organizations. Also, don’t hesitate to make college visits to get a feel for a school and decide which might be the best place for you.

Set aside time – Pick a time each day or each week that you can dedicate to working on college applications and scholarships. There is always something you can do to further your college readiness, whether it’s searching for a new scholarship to shopping for supplies.

Take a break now and then – Applying for college is important (and so is staying on top of current the school and work load) but all work and no play leads to burn-out. Intel Tablets are perfect for striking a balance between work and play. Not only is it easy to swipe back and forth between a word document and a movie app, but they are also ideal for multi-tasking teens. KitKat loves to run two apps side by side – she can type up a document on half the screen and watch Netflix on the other half (she also loves being able to select the size of the screens…say 3/4 screen for Netflix and 1/4 screen for her paper).

Honestly, I don’t know how KitKat could have done as much as she had on her college applications without her ThinkPad tablet. Not only has it gotten her INTO college, but it will be following her TO college and will be a great resource as she takes notes in college classes and works on college essays next year.

What she loves most about her Intel Tablet:

Battery life is fantastic – she doesn’t even have to charge it everyday AND it uses the same charger port as her cell phone.
Easy-to-use stylus – The stylus fits into the top of her tablet, so she always knows where it is. She loves using her stylus along with her fingers for swiping, and she doesn’t have to chose one or the other.
Light-weight and portable – She can fit her tablet and keyboard in a handy case that fits both. Together, they are lightweight and incredibly portable. It even fits in her purse.
Convenient keyboard – the detached/optional keyboard with built-in mouse makes the tablet as easy to type a paper – or an email – on as a computer.
A true tablet/PC – unlike other tablets, Intel Tablets can run Microsoft Office. So KitKat can work on a paper AND play on apps at the same time. She’s got the convenience of a portable, touch-screen tablet and the power of a PC. It’s perfect for her.
Split screen – She loves being able to run multiple apps or programs at the same time. That means, she can split her screen between a digital textbook and a paper or Netflix and email. You know, the important stuff.

What are your best college application tips? I’d love to hear any that we may have missed!

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