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Parent
E-mail—January 29, 2008
—Research Opportunities
—Parents of Seniors
—Billing
—Education Tax Benefits
—Miscellaneous
The weather during the past few days gave students a false impression
that spring might be around the corner. Bicycles and sneakers
were back, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I saw students
skipping, hand-in-hand, on Sunday afternoon in Dinkytown. Unfortunately,
today's temperatures (minus 20 degree wind chill at 2 p.m. with
a promise of worse to come) are a bitter reminder that there are
good reasons for soup, hot chocolate, and comfort foods. The University's
Gopher Way, a series of tunnels and skyways, is a welcome option
for getting around campus in this weather. Maps for the Gopher
Way are posted at the bottom of this Web page: www1.umn.edu/pts/walking.htm.
—Research Opportunities
One of the benefits of attending a research university is learning
from professors who are doing groundbreaking research on topics
that excite them. Another benefit is the opportunity for students
to participate in that research or even propose their own research
projects. It doesn't just happen, though. Students need to be
proactive in contacting a mentor or developing an idea. A Web
page on undergraduate research provides information
on the process and gives examples of projects students have worked
on.
—Parents of Seniors
We've been receiving a number of questions from parents whose
students are graduating this year. There's a concern from some
parents that their seniors have not yet lined up a post-graduation
job and that the students are ignoring such looming issues as
college loan repayments and health insurance coverage. We wanted
to make a few points on this topic:
First, while there are some professions where hiring is done months
before a student graduates (notably some jobs in engineering and
business, where companies know that they will have openings and
can confirm a hire well ahead of the graduate's availability),
that is not the case for most careers. That's not to say students
shouldn't be thinking about the job search—it's just that they
may not have a job lined up until some time after they complete
their college education. Right now, the appropriate steps are
to polish the resume, check it with a career adviser, and practice
interviewing skills. All these tasks can be done at their college
career office.
Seniors have a lot going on right now. If they're involved in
student organizations, they may be planning the group's major
events of the year, or they might be working with younger students
to prepare them for leadership for next year. Many have senior
projects that need attention. Those who are doing internships
are hoping the position turns into a job offer or provides a lead
for a next step. Right now, though, everyone is asking seniors, "Do
you have a job yet?" or "What will you do after you
graduate?" When they don't have a good answer, the questions
get to be highly irritating. You can usually get a better response
by asking, "Do you plan to stay in the Twin Cities after
graduating?" or "What's the job market going to be like
this year for graduates with your major?" With those less
direct questions, if they have a job lined up, they'll be happy
to tell you. If they don't, they'll be able to talk about the
situation a little less directly.
At the same time, though, parents are right to be concerned about
their student's college loans and about health and auto insurance
coverage after graduation. Students with loans will probably have
to start repaying them within a specified time after leaving school,
depending on the type of loans the student has. They can talk
with a counselor in the OneStop office about repayment requirements,
and there is information online at http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Financial_Aid/loans/usefullinks.html.
Regarding health insurance, it is still the case in some states
that a child's health insurance coverage is dropped from the parents'
policy after the student leaves college. In the State of Minnesota,
a new law took effect this year that allows unmarried dependents
to remain on their parents' health insurance until the age of
25. This provision does not apply to self-insured plans, however,
so Minnesota parents are urged to check with their policy holder.
It also does not apply to young adults who are financially independent,
nor to families outside Minnesota. (Note: Students enrolled in
the University's Student Health Benefit Plan for spring semester
2008 are covered by the plan until August 17, 2008, at no additional
charge.)
—Billing
The first billing statement for spring semester was processed
Saturday, January 26, and the first payment is due February 20.
Students should have received an e-mail over the weekend with
their statement. They can forward that e-mail to parents, and
they can authorize parents to view and pay bills at http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Tuition_Billing/UM_Pay.html.
Upcoming billing
dates for the semester.
Although it can be frustrating for parents to be unable to see
bills unless their student grants permission, federal data privacy
restrictions stipulate that university records belong to the student.
Students must grant approval for someone else (including parents)
to have access to their records. For more information on data
privacy, please see "The
Parent Connection: Understanding Student Records Privacy," (PDF).
There is also a video on data privacy, "Data
Privacy: Sharing Information," featuring the University's
General Counsel Mark Rotenberg, at www.parent.umn.edu/mental_health.php.
—Education Tax Benefits
The University is required to send a 1098-T form to any student
who was enrolled and had qualified tuition billed during 2007.
All 1098-T forms will be mailed by January 31. The forms are sent
to the student's home/permanent address as listed in the student's
records. Information on the educational tax benefits and frequently
asked questions are posted online here: http://tax.umn.edu/Education%20Benefits.html.
(The University does not provide personal tax advice and encourages
parents to refer questions to a qualified tax professional.)
—Miscellaneous
The University is looking for 400 current students to serve as
Welcome Week leaders for the 5,000 freshmen starting at the U
next fall. Welcome Week is a new program that will bring entering
freshmen to campus the Wednesday before classes begin to introduce
them to the academic, social, and community life of the University
of Minnesota. Welcome Week volunteers will gain valuable leadership
experience, presentation skills, and organizational abilities
as they work in pairs to lead freshmen throughout Welcome Week.
The priority deadline for Welcome Week leaders is Friday, February
1. More information is available at www.welcomeweek.umn.edu/leadership/index.html.
Please check out the Parent Question of the Month at www.parent.umn.edu.
Sincerely,
Marjorie Savage
Parent Program Director
University of Minnesota
www.parent.umn.edu |
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