Jane McClure

Developing a New Kind of Relationship with Your College-Bound Teen

Posted on Thu, 12/20/2012 - 09:37

Educational psychologist Jane McClure joins us this month to recommend a book that will arm you with advice about getting the best possible results when communicating with your college-bound teenager. Think of it this way: We all want to continueto be part of our children's lives and the problem-solving that continues through college and beyond. Read on to find out more about how to make sure that happens and what to do when it does…

A few years ago, I read a wonderful book titled, Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money, by Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller. It is filled with so much wisdom and useful advice, I find myself re-reading sections from time to time, whenever thorny issues between students and parents arise and I’m trying to figure out how to advise them. I highly recommend it to any parent whose son or daughter is about to go off to college. You will love the humorous anecdotes which will make you laugh but at the same time teach you a new style of communication that will be incredibly helpful as you form a new kind of relationship. Here are a few of the key concepts presented in the book.

Parents: How to best help your teen navigate the college application process

Posted on Tue, 11/20/2012 - 16:17

Educational psychologist Jane McClure joins us this month to discuss how parents can help college-bound teens through the application process. Read on to find out how to become an advisor and advocate for your son or daughter, and avoid becoming a "nagging taskmaster."

Parents often ask me how they can help their son or daughter during the application process. I am pleased to get this question because it indicates parents recognize there are some methods that are appropriate and helpful and others are not. While each student is unique, here are some typical issues that parents should consider as they attempt to provide assistance.

It is important that students see their parents as advocates rather than as nagging task masters. After all, this may be the last time that students live full-time at home, and you don’t want it to be fraught with fighting, nagging, slamming doors, ……well, you get the picture.

Collegiate Buyer's Remorse

Posted on Thu, 10/25/2012 - 18:47

Today’s guest post is by educational psychologist and consultant Jane McClure. We are thrilled to have her expertise here on the site and happy to announce that she will be contributing monthly. Look for future posts on the challenges faced by students with Asperger’s syndrome as they consider college, communications techniques for students and parents and a series on the transition from high school to college. Join her here to learn about how to handle a student’s second thoughts on starting college – what McClure calls “Collegiate Buyer’s Remorse.”

It happens almost every year, usually during the months of October and November: calls from two or three students who fear they have chosen the wrong college. Sometimes, they are calling just to see if I agree with them. Other times, they are convinced that they have made a bad decision and want to know when they should apply to transfer.

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