New Magazine Targets Parents Of College-Bound Students
Posted on April 11, 2003
College Magazine, a new national magazine aimed at the parents of college-bound teenagers, has been launched by two women with longtime ties to academia. The new magazine will cover the high school-to-college transition from the parental perspective, according to co-founders Susan Trebach and Linda Weimer, both veterans of higher education communications.
"Our magazine offers well-written, timely information and useful advice about both navigating the college admissions process and sending your teen off to college," said Trebach, the magazine's editor-in-chief. "As far as we know, ours is the first magazine dedicated to supporting parents through this sometimes daunting enterprise," she said.
College Magazine earned industry recognition when it was featured in February's Folio Magazine as the upcoming launch of the month. The new bimonthly magazine is primarily a paid subscription-based publication that is also be available on major newsstands nationwide.
"We've listened to parents share their anxieties and frustrations about trying to help their sons and daughters complete high school, find the right college, gain admittance and leave home," said Weimer, College Magazine's publisher. "Our magazine is designed to give them the insights and tools they need to make these transitions successfully and to feel comfortable once their children go off to college," she said.
The cover story for the premier issue delves into parent-teen communication pertaining to college admissions. Trebach said the topic was inspired by the obstacles she faced in communicating with her teenage son while he was in high school.
"Our son was pulling back, asserting his independence, keeping his own counsel regarding his college aspirations," she recalled. "At the same time, I was growing increasingly desperate to talk with him about his goals and plans. At one point, I resorted to sending him e-mail, and later making appointments to talk with him about where he intended to apply and what progress he'd made in filling out applications. It was excruciating! We want to give our readers who are currently engaged in that sort of psychological struggle the best possible advice on the subject."
Content in the magazine's premier March/April issue includes:
- How students, parents, colleges and test-prep companies are gearing up for major changes in the SATs and ACTs
- Advice on how to respond when your high school senior's first-choice college "says no or maybe"
- A look at the emotional changes experienced by college freshman
- How to tour college campuses without leaving home
- Advice to parents and students from Smith College's new president
- Timely college tuition-related tax breaks
- How the federal privacy law affects parents' access to college students' grades.
- John Roach, an award-winning screenwriter, television producer and columnist offers an amusing perspective on visiting college campuses with his own teens.
- Brenda Melton, president of the American School Counselor Association, shares some professional observations on the college search process.
John Weishar, the magazine's general manager, has been in the publishing business for decades, most recently serving as chief operating officer of the publishing division of the Royle Communications Group. He is the current president of the Professional Football Publications Association.
The magazine's management team includes Chicago-based ad sales representative Tim Derr, former Western State College President Harry Peterson and former UW-Madison Graduate School associate dean Mareda Weiss.
"College Magazine will become an extremely useful resource for parents," Weimer said. "We expect they will remain readers as they send their students off to college," she said. "We also anticipate that guidance counselors and other service professionals will want to share our magazine with their clients."