Don’t Send Your Kids to College Without These Things

Parents: After spending 18 years raising your kids to be the best they can be, you may LOL at some of the questions they ask you in their first few months at college.

There are some phone calls no parent wants to get, though. The vast amount of freedom students have at college coupled with the often unprecedented responsibility leaves them vulnerable to poor financial decisions, faltering academics and relationship challenges.

Here are some ways you can help them before they leave:

1) Set expectations and practice empathy. Parenting and education expert Gail Gross suggests weekly talks with your child throughout the summer about their thoughts about this major life transition. This also is an opportunity for you to share how you manage your time and what responsibilities they need to balance.

"Even though your child may not be living at home full-time, they should know that you are still their parent and you still have expectations that you would like them to meet," Gross writes in HuffPost. "Do they have to maintain a certain grade point average to stay in school or keep scholarships? Do you expect to hear from them via phone at least once a week or twice a week?"

2) Give them one sentimental gift. Writer Randye Hoder splurged on a comforter for her daughter "to make her feel cozy, comfortable and at home. It was my way of tucking her in from afar," she wrote in Time.

3) Give them the tools to manage their money well. SIS has two great options for college student. SecurLOCK Equip is an app that allows debit card holders to control how, when and where their payments are used. According to the bank's website, you can:

• Prevent fraud if your card is lost or stolen
• Control spending by setting limits on withdrawals or transactions
• Customize spending ability by online, mobile or in-store purchase
• Block international or out-of-area transactions

SIS's Ultimate Checking includes free ATMs everywhere, which is really convenient for college students. It essentially means SIS covers the ATM fees for you.

Ready to get started with SIS? Here's a direct link to open an account online.