College admission is a huge milestone on the road to career development. But if you think the next hurdle after passing freshman composition and surviving organic chemistry is a job search; think again!

The identification and acquisition of internships is often an important component of the university experience and career portfolio. The student should drive the process, but families and friends can offer support and guidance. Read more about how aunts and uncles can help maximize the internship search and seizure here on SavvyAuntie.com.

Guess what? Parents and teens don’t always see eye-to-eye on those college tours. That can be stressful for both parties, but there are plenty of strategies to keep tempers tamed and relationships in check. Last week I shared college tour tips for parents and students with Zinch.com. Hint: Get out of the car and leave the fanny pack at home. Read more here….

This week I had the opportunity to interview comedy legend David Brenner for my podcast Whine At 9. He was hilarious and charming, but what I hadn’t expected were the career lessons that surfaced during our chat.

There’s a reason David Brenner’s career has been shining for decades. Read more about these success strategies in my Huffington Post blog.

Yesterday, New Line Cinema announced that it had acquired the screen rights to Andrew Ferguson’s best selling book Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course In Getting His Kid Into College. Set to star as the crazed dad is Will Ferrell. Thanks to publishing deadlines for my book College Bound and Gagged, I was too swamped to read beyond the wonderful reviews of Ferguson’s book, but I am thrilled to see this great writer get a screen deal.

What’s even more exciting is that Hollywood gets it. The stress and humor of college search and seizure is slowly becoming a recognized theme in film and television. From ABC’s The Middle to NBC’s Modern Family, parent-child conflict and higher education anxiety is front and center.

Ironically, last month a friend asked me, “Who would play you in the film adaptation of your book?” After I finished laughing, I unsuccessfully struggled with an answer. Yesterday’s announcement made me think a little harder. And that’s when it hit me. It was difficult to come up with one actor to cover all of the phases I went through as a college-bound mom. Sure, Meryl could do it, but she’s still coming off of that recent Oscar sugar high. So, at the risk of going all Sybil on you, I came up with the perfect actors for each scene of my college-bound journey.

SCENE 1: Stressed and Clueless Mom—Tina Fey à la Liz Lemon.

She’s frazzled and clueless. Eventually she’ll get the bus where it needs to go, but the journey will be long and hilarious.

SCENE 2: Do It Yourself Test Prep Mom—Martha Stewart.

Okay, she’s not an actor, but her homemade flashcards would be the prettiest on the block. Shhh….I feel a line of dorm decorations coming on.

SCENE 3: Essay Completion Drill Sergeant—Madonna.

I know, her acting has been questionable, but have you seen those biceps? That woman is disciplined and no one has a better work ethic. She’s hired!

SCENE 4: Embarrassing College Tour Mom: Kristen Wiig à la SNL.

From her Target Lady accent to the one-upping Penelope, she could singlehandedly embarrass any child on the college visit.

SCENE 5: Put Other Parents in Their Place Mom: Julia Roberta à la Erin Brockovich.

Some of those bragging parents need to be verbally slapped down off the bleachers. Julia’s got the chops to stand up for the underdog in her “Big Mistake—HUGE” Pretty Woman way.

SCENE 6: Voice of Reason Mom: Meryl Streep à la It’s Complicated and Mama Mia!

I know I’m back to Meryl again, but she’s my favorite and we have the same hair. Plus it’s my book. Authors are allowed to dream you know.

The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning

This month isn’t just about basketball. That’s because at least 3 million families are scrambling to coordinate college visits and/or facilitate college admissions’ decisions for college-bound teens. From road trips to trip tix, parents are scrambling to get on the path to higher ed. This month, I covered the March Madness of college visits for GalTime.com. Read more here….

The Amazon reviews have been wonderful for College Bound and Gagged. This week, Jennifer Wagner of ConnectWithYourTeens.net weighed in on the book and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Read more here and learn about teens, technology, and parenting from a mom who has the answers.

Remember the old days, when kids applied to college and parents sat in the background without interfering? I don’t think my parents even proofread my essays.

Times have changed a lot since then. Now college is a family affair and everyone’s weighing in on the process and being weighted down by associated anxiety, confusion, and costs. And you don’t have to be a parent of a college-bound teen to feel the panic or the excitement. Aunts and uncles are important players in this milestone journey.

This week I’m thrilled to be a featured SavvyAuntie.com guest writer, sharing my tips with aunts (and uncles) everywhere on how to help their college-bound families stay grounded. Read more here….

After years of university lecturing, there’s one thing that becomes pretty clear when you’re a professor or instructor—college students are not all created equal when it comes to classroom behavior. There are the listeners and the laughers, the sleepers and the schemers, the truly inquisitive and the non-stop conversationalists (who aren’t talking academics). This week, I gave USA TODAY College some tips for students that just might get them to the head of the class. Send the link to your college student. It couldn’t hurt. Read more here.

Hey Parents!

Valentine’s Day can be guilt-producing. And if you’re the parent of a college student, there’s a good chance your ATM has run dry. There are still plenty of ways to show you care. And there are plenty of ways to be practical and thoughtful at the same time. Listen in to this week’s SmartCollegeVisit.com’s College Mom Minute. It’s not too late for a few ideas. And it’ll only take a minute. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

It seems like every week a celebrity provides parents with more than a few teaching moments. And with universities scrambling to create popular pop culture courses for students to enjoy, I decided to weigh in on a possible winner for my blog on The Huffington Post.

Miley Cyrus 101 would review all aspects of bad judgement, the hidden dangers of friends with cell phones, and the importance of choosing cakes that don’t come back to bite you (or is it the other way around? ). Read more here….