Taming The High Cost of College

In this episode, Susie shares her experience helping families have better relationships:

• Internationally
• Former Marriage and Family therapist then changed to coaching.
• You can see results in 30 days or less.
• Works with people to have great relationships.

In this episode, Susie shares her experience helping families have better relationships:

* Internationally

* Former Marriage and Family therapist then changed to coaching.

* You can see results in 30 days or less.

* Works with people to have great relationships.

Transitioning Through the Teenage Years

“Relationships are the currency of today. No matter what we do, so much revolves around the people involved in it,” Miller believes. The teenagers can be defined as:

* “Score keepers of pain”

* Beginning of pulling away. They no longer believe in super mom or super dad and are now keeping track of the injustices.

* Be aware that they are reacting in a way where they will go to the extreme opposite.

* Disequilibrium state where their body isn’t caught up to their mind very similar to a toddler.

To begin talking about college, start with your own experience. “If you are doing a good job as a parent, your kid isn’t going to like you,” jokes Miller. It is important to discuss expectations and boundaries as a family. “They are your kids and the final say belongs to you,” reemphasizes Miller. With responsibilities come the privileges and consequences when those responsibilities are not met.

Helping Motivate Your Child

Give instructions and sometimes they must be nonnegotiable. If your child says, “No,” be creative in a humorous way so they know you are not going to do it for them, but they have to get it done. Kids don’t often verbalize their gratitude, but they are grateful because you don’t let them ease and skate by. Miller states, “As parents we have to step back because we don’t need them to approve or like us. Sometimes we are almost crippling them from understanding what is their responsibility.”

Communication With Teenagers

Talking with teenagers is tough. You might have to work to get along. Miller suggests three ways to make it easier:

* Spend time doing mundane things with your child, like watching their favorite T.V. show. This gives context and leads into other conversations because you have a common place of a shared experience to refer back to.

* Your child will not tell you everything. Set a few standards, such as they are not allowed at a house if no parents are home, and if they break this there must be a significant consequence. The hardest part of teenagers is following through on what you said. “It is exhausting. It is emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting to follow through with teenagers and they know it and will wear you out,” warns Miller.

* Try a counter debate where you take each other’s side and argue it giving one point at a time.

Conversations should happen while you are doing something else, such as throwing a football around or driving, so you aren’t looking right at your teenager, but are next to them.

Preparing Your Teenager for Being Away At College

Take the time to give more independence and name it. Miller says, “It is this idea of slowly preparing them for things with added responsibility and added freedom and seeing how they do.” Be sure to name these opportunities as preparation for when they are leaving.

The biggest things when they come back from college are:

* Remind them they are still part of the family.

* They have expectations when they come home, but it is slightly negotiable because they have been on their own.

These conversations are difficult, but it is easier than if you don’t discuss it.

Some ways to prepare for this during high school:

* Later curfew

* Freedom to test them

* See how they do with less rules in a controlled environment

* Have them practice staying up late when they have something like chores or another responsibility the next morning over the summer.

In this episode, Ryan Parker shares what to expect and consider if your child is interested in pursing a culinary career.

About Ryan K. Parker:

• Has been cooking for 20 years.
• Working in restaurants for the last 10 years.
• Is currently working in the classroom as a culinary instructor.
• Grew up loving being in the kitchen.

In this episode, Ryan Parker shares what to expect and consider if your child is interested in pursing a culinary career.

About Ryan K. Parker:

* Has been cooking for 20 years.

* Working in restaurants for the last 10 years.

* Is currently working in the classroom as a culinary instructor.

* Grew up loving being in the kitchen.

Options for Pursuing the Culinary Field

“Schools offer anything from weekend classes for people who want to see what it is like all the way up to degree granting programs,” explains Parker. These programs can include certificate programs that take a year to complete or full bachelor degrees.

What to expect when enrolling

* Robust programs.

* Ability to customize beyond core classes.

* Time in the kitchen almost everyday.

* Learning about business, communication, writing, and history.

Parker elaborates, “You won’t necessarily have a wide range of educational background from the certificate programs, but you will certainly have a solid base to build on when it comes to direct culinary skills.” This provides a great opportunity to start in the field quickly after high school, or if changing careers, by providing a strong set of skills and understanding of the flow of a kitchen.

Careers in the Culinary Field

There are lots of opportunities in the culinary field from health care to a typical kitchen. “You can go a lot more places today than when I was in culinary school,” says Parker.

Some potential careers in the culinary field are:

* Hospital Wellness/Healthcare cooking

* Entry level position at a restaurant

* Retail grocery to prepare foods

* Cooking show star

* Food Journalist

* Research and development team for chain restaurants to invent new menu items

“All of these large chains have teams of people who develop food for them,” notes Parker.

Choosing the Culinary Path

You can customize your education depending on your preference. “I would say the expectation that parents should have when children leave culinary school is they are not going to be a chef walking out the door, but they will have a lot more opportunities than someone that has no formal training,” warns Parker, “Restaurant ownership is a possibility, but it is one of those things you need to build into your career and track yourself in that direction.”

Things to consider when selecting:

* Plan for the career you want when entering culinary school

* Look for programs with wonderful reputations or years behind them.

* Should have some state or national accreditation.

* The American Culinary Federation is a national program that gives certification based on a school’s level of performance and has a high level of standard.

Visiting a Culinary School

Visiting the campus is very important. Parker states, “I think one of the things I look for, first of all, is that you are going to schedule a tour with the admissions rep.”

There are a few things to think about when on the tour:

* Location

* Housing, moving away, and thinking about finances for that.

* The facility itself

* Is it clean, organized, and set up well?

* Is everything accessible to students to help them be successful?

Most of the major schools started as stand alone culinary programs, but have added some additional disciplines, depending on their location, such as hospitality. There is not a hard and fast rule for transferring, so if you change schools you might not be able to transfer course credits.

Contact a school and plan ahead of time to find out what classes will or will not transfer.

Job Prospects for Graduates

Parker jokes, “People always need to eat and people always get sick.

Cena Block shares how she came to be a productivity expert and business coach:

• Focuses specifically on moms and business.
• Helps people get better systems and time management.
• Took time off herself to be home with her kids.
• Started as a professional organizer and realized she wanted to be a coach to other moms who wanted to start their own businesses.

Cena Block shares how she came to be a productivity expert and business coach:

* Focuses specifically on moms and business.

* Helps people get better systems and time management.

* Took time off herself to be home with her kids.

* Started as a professional organizer and realized she wanted to be a coach to other moms who wanted to start their own businesses.

Managing Time While Planning for College

“One of the things that really helps with time management is creating routines,” says Block. Create routines for anything and everything, especially things you have to repeat.

Start with planning. Begin with a quarterly plan and start with holidays or time off, then layer in the school calendar of concerts and other extra curricular activities. Other things to consider:

* Plan meals

* This leads to planning a shopping list.

* Have laundry on certain days

* If kids know they need something clean, it is their responsibility to get it in on time.

* Make lunch before bed.

* Create different locations in the house for different activities.

* o Have the downstairs bathroom be for doing your hair and the upstairs bathroom for brushing teeth, for example.

Keeping Track of How Long Things Take

Time passing is concrete, but because of the digital age kids don’t understand what time passing feels like. “It is a matter of maturity. Kids under estimate everything. It’s not their fault, they just don’t have the wisdom or experience,” notes Block. Most teens struggle with planning how long something takes.

Block suggests helping teach this skill:

* Timing activities to see how long they actually take.

* Start soon with helping them practice.

* Time map in blocks of time.

* Use what they know, like a favorite show, to make time more concrete.

* They have to own it and be part of planning it out.

Some kids will plan things out, but most won’t. It is a learned skill.

Managing School Work

Start the school year out with an organized approach. “Kids don’t understand that there is a life cycle to paper and they aren’t given authority to put things in the trash,” notes Block. Parents keep a lot of things. The need to keep things isn’t there as much because of the digital age.

Block suggests creating criterion for what to keep and creating a filing system for that. Things to possibly keep:

* Service hour logs

* Awards and recognition

* Some sample work showcasing their best

Scanning things and storing them digitally is a common system for today’s youth. Talk with your child and work paper by paper to clear the clutter and teach them a system for storing what they want and will use.

Time and Space Style Inventory

This is an assessment tool that is 84 questions online. Block explains, “I call it your flow finder. You will get a response in your results of what you are dominant in for organizing.”

Some of the areas considered are:

* Making decisions about items

* How you arrange things

* Can you tolerate disorder

It gives people who struggle with time and organizing a place to start. This is written in a way that is very appropriate for college and high school age students. Taking this online test provides access to many other tools including a Download with already marked file tabs to help keep high school work organized.

Tools and Techniques to Help with Managing Time

Block recommneds:

* Time and Space Style Inventory

* Time Timer

* It is a timer watch that shows time passing away

* Wall calendars

* Apps that go with wall calendars

* An app called “ToDoIst”

Jaison Greene gives advice on healthy and mindful living:

• Holistic health coach in New York City.
• Didn't have the best eating habits, but became interested after some immediate family was diagnosed with cancer.
• Graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, including the advanced program.
• Began consulting with clients and helping people eat better on their own terms.

Jaison Greene gives advice on healthy and mindful living:

* Holistic health coach in New York City.

* Didn’t have the best eating habits, but became interested after some immediate family was diagnosed with cancer.

* Graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, including the advanced program.

* Began consulting with clients and helping people eat better on their own terms.

Laying a Healthy Foundation

“What we learn, growing up, about food is usually what we carry with us into adulthood. It is very important to instill some best practices and get your children to be thinking about their own health, wellness, and nutrition,” says Greene.

Some habits to instill in high school:

* Help your child recognize when they become stressed and how to alleviate that stress in a healthy way.

* Greene suggests doing deep breathing exercises and discussing what their feelings are.

* Pay particular attention to food so as not to over, or under, eat.

* Each child and family is different, but it is important to have the conversation before arriving at college.

* Eat a nutritious breakfast everyday.

Avoiding the Freshmen Fifteen

Both genders are susceptible to weight gain due to stress of being in a new environment. Greene recommends that parents can at home, “Start to establish some clear best practices with your child around eating and around what happens when things don’t go their way or they are upset about something.”

Eating is how most people deal with stress. Some things to do instead of eating:

* Exercise

* Calling home to talk to a trusted friend of family member

* Write down feelings

* Listen to music

* Take a nap

Parents can talk about their own experiences with nutrition in college and how it was difficult to change their behaviors. “If you are younger it makes it easier to continue these good habits,” notes Greene.

Having Quality Meals Makes a Difference

Foods need to have nutrition to get you through the day. Breakfast is the hardest meal for most students.

A few easy food ideas are:

* Have something green at every meal

* Cereal and milk, with a piece of fruit as a snack

* Smoothies

* Yogurt and granola

* Energy bar that isn’t high in sugar

Greene gives an easy way to remember the importance of meals as, “Eat breakfast like a king or a queen, eat lunch like a prince or a princess, and eat dinner like a pauper.” Breakfast sets your body up to have the most energy for the day. If breakfast is skipped, the energy must be borrowed from other parts of the body and has a detrimental effect over time.

College Meal Plans

Colleges are providing more choices with their meal plan to be more competitive and it is something to consider when choosing a college. Visit the dining hall in person and ask questions about the meals. Greene stresses, “If you include something green at every meal, cooked or from the salad bar, you are giving yourself a better shot at being successful overall.”

Also giving permission for a cheat meal one day a week allows some freedom and flexibility.

Greene recommends, when communicating with your child about what they plan to eat in college, “It is more important to have an open mind and have an open dialogue so it isn’t just your law as the parent.”

Quick Nutritional and Wellness Tips

Some final nutrition and wellness advice from Greene:

* Have a cheat day in mind where students plan to eat the healthier foods and salad during the week, but have the freedom to eat unrestricted at a scheduled meal once a day or once a week.

* Drink water and bring a water bottle with you everywhere.

* Set up a sleep routine to ensure a better night’s sleep.

LNKS AND RESOURCES

Dr. Ryan Gray, host of Medical School HQ Podcast, shares how to best prepare for and succeed in medical school:

• Initially wanted to become a physical therapist.
• Been a practicing physician in the Air Force for over 5 years.
• Created a website and podcast to give accurate information to students.
• Covers a range of topics on the path to becoming a physician.

Dr. Ryan Gray, host of Medical School HQ Podcast, shares how to best prepare for and succeed in medical school:

* Initially wanted to become a physical therapist.

* Been a practicing physician in the Air Force for over 5 years.

* Created a website and podcast to give accurate information to students.

* Covers a range of topics on the path to becoming a physician.

Where to Start On the Path to Medical School

“People need to experience what being a physician is like,” states Dr. Gray. Being a physician is not the same as being a patient.

Some steps Dr. Gray suggests are:

* Find a physician to shadow. Usually the best is your own physician.

* Be aware of the HIPPA law.

* You can take an online course for HIPPA training to protect yourself.

* As a high school student, you will want to build relationships with physicians.

* Spend as much time as you can doing as much as you can such as clinic hours, shadowing in the operating room, volunteering at a hospital, etc.

Make yourself available as much as possible. “The more you can get that exposure the better. An afternoon isn’t going to cut it,” notes Dr. Gray.

Deciding to Become a Physician

Once you know where you are at, figure out how to get to medical school. There is no way to look at a student now and decide they won’t be able to handle medical school.

“Pre-Med” is only a major at a handful of undergraduate schools. “It doesn’t really matter what you major in, there are a core set of classes that are required by most medical schools. Besides that, major in whatever you want to major in or whatever you will like,” Dr. Gray stresses.

Every medical school is a little bit different in what they require. Some typical pre-requisites of medical school are:

* English classes

* Basic Chemistry

* Basic Biology

* Physics

* Organic Chemistry

* Bio Chemistry

* MCAT exam

* This has changed for the first time in 20 years. They have added Psychology and Sociology.

These requirements might be changing and you should keep up to date of what is required. Extracurriculars, such as a pre-med club or leadership opportunities, are also heavily looked at in addition to volunteer hours shadowing physicians. Plan ahead and take courses to prepare for the MCAT which is usually taken at the end of the junior year of college.

Choosing an Undergraduate or Medical School

Dr. Gray emphasizes, “There isn’t one undergraduate institution that you need to send your kid to. You don’t need to go to a great school; you need to go to a school that will make you great.” Look at all the other factors at a school that will be important, such as sports or location, and choose that way.

The acceptance rate for medical school is 44%. That includes people without extracurricular activities or who have very low test scores/GPA. Without those people, the acceptance rate jumps up to about 60%. “The admissions process is brutal, so you should be very prepared. It is an open book test,” says Dr. Gray. Some things that are common for applications are:

* Personal statement

* Transcripts

* Extracurricular activities

* Letters of recommendation

Submit your application within the first month that it becomes available. It can cost several thousand dollars to go through the interview and application process.

Paying for Medical School

Majority of students use loans to go through medical school. 80-90% of students will graduate with upwards of $200,000 in loans. The stages of medical school are usually:

* 4 years of undergraduate study

* 4 years of medical school

* 3-7 years of residency

* 1-3 years of fellowship