College Transition: Resources for Parents

Whether your child is going to a local community college or an ivy league campus across the country, the transition from high school to college is huge for your child, your family and you as a parent. Frequently the support that exists for families of young children just isn't there for parents of teens and young adults.

We've collected a list of books and resources for those of us experiencing this transition. Hang on -- the road might get bumpy!

• Books
• College Links from Teen Health 411
• Additional Outside Resources

Books

• When Your Kid Goes to College: A Parents Survival Guide, by Barkin, C. (1998). Publisher: Harper Paperbacks.
  
• Prepared Parent's Operational Manual: Sending Your Child to College, by M. Carr, K. Carr and A. Carr (2009).Publisher: Dicmar Publishing; Expanded edition.
  
• The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life, by L. Kastner, and J. Wyatt (2002) Publisher: Three Rivers Press.
  
• You're On Your Own (But I'm Here if You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years, by M. Savage (2003). Publisher: Fireside.
  
• What To Expect When Your Child Leaves For College: A Complete Guide for Parents Only, by M. Spohn (2008). Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company.

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College Links from Teen Health 411

Picking a College

• Making Community College Important
• A Gap Year
• College Touring
• College Touring with Younger Siblings
• College Visits - The OR/WA Road Trip
• On the Road Again: Another College Visit
• The First Overnight in a College Dorm

Finances

• College Financial Aid
• College Costs: Reality Check
• Stanford Here We Come
• College Financial Aid - When to Start Applying
• Student Loans

College Application Process

• Guide to College Admission Process
• College Applications & Facebook
• What Matters in the College Application
• Is Character as Important as Grades?
• College Courting: Decision Approaching
• College Letters are Coming
• Picking a College - The Last Step

AP Classes & College Testing

• Education Update
• PSAT Scores & College Prep

Parenting During the Transition to College

• What to Expect When Your Child Leaves for College
• Book Review: You are on Your Own (but I'm Here if You Need Me)
• The Used to be Empty Nest
• The Launching Years, Part 1
• The Launching Years, Part 2
• Teens Leaving for College
• When Your Kid Goes to College
• Is Your Parenting Ready for College?
• My Kid is Going to College

College Student Health

• College Students & Stress
• Are Teens Emotionally Ready for College?
• Mixed Gender Dorm Rooms

What to Take to College

• What to Take to College

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Additional Outside Resources

• The Launching Years: No Time to Stop Parenting. Kastner & Wyatt (2002).
  
• Teen Health 411 post about gap years.

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