College Archives - Ohio Family Law Blog

Blast From The Past: Thanksgiving: What Happens When College Students Return Home For The Holidays?

PUBLISHERS UPDATE: Here is one of my favorites posts about college students returning home for the holidays from back on November 21st, 2015! The advice rings as true now as it did then! We have a ton of interesting articles in our archives of the Ohio Family Law Blog. Use our Search tool and enjoy a few oldie but goodies!

Parents and College Students Can Find Ways to Peacefully Coexist During Thanksgiving and the Holidays!

Call it a clash of cultures. Thousands of college students will soon travel home for Thanksgiving, in their minds, returning as independent adults, but still children in the eyes of their parents, says Scott Hall, a family studies professor at Ball State.

“When college students return home for their first Thanksgiving after having been away at school, they might feel like they are caught between two worlds: echoes of childhood dependency, and nearby adult-like independence,” Hall says. “It is easy to feel the tugs of long-established patterns of home life once stepping back into the family system only recently left behind. Such patterns (to the college students) suddenly feel threatening to the ‘new me’ that has been emerging at school.”

He says parents might … Read More... “Blast From The Past: Thanksgiving: What Happens When College Students Return Home For The Holidays?”

Do People Who Dated in College and Then Marry, Divorce at the Usual Rate?

Can College Relationships Lead to Happy Marriages? Studies Prove Revealing Data

Going off to college is an exciting time for a young person. Although academic success is the goal for most students, just as important to a student’s college experience, is joining the dating world. It brings a sense of belonging as well as physical and emotional satisfaction. Many relationships made during the college years fall apart quickly, although many remain strong during college and after graduation. It is interesting to study the research and statistics to see why some relationships last, yet others quickly crumble. I saw an interesting article on this topic written by Natalie Maximents on March 21, 2022. She is a certified life transformation coach and her post started me as a divorce lawyer looking into this question in a bit more depth.

Generally speaking the college years are a time for experimenting. It is a time when an individual with develop their attitude and outlook towards social relationships, and form their life values. It is a time for learning how to interact with others in a variety of circumstances. When a student starts college they are usually around 18 or 19, which is considered … Read More... “Do People Who Dated in College and Then Marry, Divorce at the Usual Rate?”

Tips on Applying for Student Loans if Your Parents are Divorced

fafsa application custodial parent college

The FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Publishers Note: On June 8, 2013, we published “College Expenses: The Impact of Student Loan Debt On Your Child”. College loans are problematic. This seemed like an excellent time to update and address applying for school aid for kids whose parents are divorced. Click here to read the original blog article.

Applying for College? How to complete the FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) if your parents are divorced or unmarried

Selecting and applying to a college or university can be really tough and daunting. After doing that, unfortunately, you are likely not finished. Next ahead is completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application. This can be complicated especially if your parents are divorced (or your parents are unmarried).

Custodial Parent Determination:

The “custodial parent” designated in your parents divorce paperwork does not control for FAFSA consideration purposes. If your parents are not married but living in the same household, you must include the information for both parents. If, on the other hand, your parents are not married and do not live together, then you fill out the application for the parent whom you live with … Read More... “Tips on Applying for Student Loans if Your Parents are Divorced”

Ohio’s 529 Educational Savings Plan – A Primer and Latest Updates

The 529 plan Is An Excellent Estate Planning And College Planning Tool

A 529 plan allows a parent, grandparent, other family member, friend or any other person to establishment a savings account for the benefit of any other person of any age who plans to attend elementary, secondary school and/or college regardless of the donor’s income. The federal gift tax exclusion allows an individual to gift up to $15,000 per year ($30,000 per year for a married couple) with no gift tax consequences. A donor can also give up to 5 years of gifts in one year. However, if the donor dies during the 5 year period, the amount allocated to years after the decedent’s death will be included in the donor’s gross estate. The earnings in the account accumulate tax free and the withdrawals are federal income tax free as long as they are used at an eligible educational institute for qualified educational expenses.

These expenses include tuition, books, required school supplies, room and board and computers and related expenses such as internet and educational software. The account can be used for thousands of educational institutions across the country-anywhere federal financial aid is accepted. The account is similar to … Read More... “Ohio’s 529 Educational Savings Plan – A Primer and Latest Updates”

Thanksgiving: What Happens When College Students Return Home For The Holidays?

Parents and College Students Can Find Ways to Peacefully Coexist During Thanksgiving and the Holidays!

thanksgiving college students Call it a clash of cultures. Thousands of college students will soon travel home for Thanksgiving, in their minds, returning as independent adults, but still children in the eyes of their parents, says Scott Hall, a family studies professor at Ball State.

He says parents might similarly feel stuck between two worlds: the long-established guardian role versus the recently evolving, remote support staff.

It is tempting to expect what they have always expected or demanded of their child when he or she is back at home. But this may not sit well with the emerging adult who perceives a lessening ‘need’ for parents, Hall says.

Divorce: College Costs – A Ticking Time Bomb?

Parents Facing A Divorce Grapple With College Costs For Their Child

divorce college ohio On September 5th, we posted a blog article about the necessity to be clear and precise in your divorce or dissolution documents if you chose to include a college expense provision. Truthfully, since my two sons have already graduated from college, I have not paid close attention to these escalating costs.

I recently saw a very interesting article in the online version of the Dayton Daily News addressing the increasing cost of a college education throughout Ohio and particularly the increasing costs of the room and board portion. That article also referred to a very interesting chart from the U.S. Department of Education (which I have a link to below) showing a breakdown of the present room, board and tuition costs at most Ohio college and universities. Those costs are staggering! Nearly every college or university in Ohio saw an increase in room and board rates of nearly 30% between 2002 and 2015.

Having handled divorce cases for over 34 years, I see parents fighting over some petty and nominal costs yet agreeing to divide future college educational expenses with very little consideration. Did you know that the total … Read More... “Divorce: College Costs – A Ticking Time Bomb?”

College Expenses And Divorce

Child’s College Expenses Problematic Upon Divorce. Why it’s Important To Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say

college expenses divorce With the importance of higher education becoming more apparent every day, it is not uncommon for divorcing couples to decide to provide for their children’s college expenses. In Ohio, like many other states, domestic relations courts cannot ordera parent to pay these costs because the duty of support generally ends once a child reaches the age of 18 (or in some situations at 19) . Nevertheless, the parties can negotiate a division of the college expenses and incorporate it into a separation agreement.

Generally speaking, a separation agreement is a contract and is therefore, binding on the parties involved. So, if you decide to agree to be on the hook for your children’s college expenses upon divorce, it is extremely important that the language within your agreement clearly expresses your intent.

In many cases, the children of these divorcing couples have yet to reach the age of 18. Therefore, these provisions providing for college expenses are quite often a future occurrence not set to happen for years after the divorce is final. This can obviously produce many problems.… Read More... “College Expenses And Divorce”

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