Getting ready: deadlines, Bright Futures, FAFSA, Prepaid and residency
The paperwork that decides what college costs: FAFSA, the Florida Financial Aid Application for Bright Futures, Florida Prepaid, residency for tuition, and orientation.
Read →A Launchpad Digital publication
Liftoff: A guide for families and young adults
A guide for Florida parents and young adults just starting out: college, work, faith, relationships and the skills of a well-rounded life.
This is a guide. It includes advice and opinion from our editors, labeled as guidance. Every fact is cited and linked to its source. Informational, not legal, financial or medical advice.
Preparing for College
Deadlines, aid, packing and the first steps.
What to bring to a Florida dorm, and what to leave home
A practical dorm packing checklist, plus the items Florida universities ban, pulled from UF, UNF and FSU housing rules.
Read →In College
Working & Studying
Jobs, classes, campus help and daily life.
Who to talk to in college: the offices that can help
Academic advisors, financial aid, disability services, counseling and your RA: what each one does and when to go.
Read →Settling into college life
Practical, sourced tips for the first weeks on campus.
Read →The truth about the "freshman 15"
What the research actually says about first-year weight gain.
Read →Working while in college: Federal Work-Study, Florida's $15 minimum wage and what the numbers say
How Federal Work-Study jobs work under federal rules, what Florida's new minimum wage means for a student paycheck, and how many students work.
By Kelsey Hart
Read →Money Basics
Budgets, banking, credit and paying for school.
Money Basics
Coming soon.
Healthy Habits, Fitness & Emotional Health
Sleep, food, exercise and daily routines, plus emotional health: managing stress, anxiety and loneliness, building resilience, and when and how to ask for help, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988).
Healthy Habits, Fitness & Emotional Health
Coming soon.
Breaking Bad Habits
How habits form and how to change them.
Breaking Bad Habits
Coming soon.
Alcohol & Drugs: The Real Impact
What the science says, including the risks of a single use.
Alcohol & Drugs: The Real Impact
Coming soon.
Mental Resilience
Stress, setbacks and where to find help.
Mental Resilience
Coming soon.
Faith as a Young Adult
Facing Temptation · Finding Your Faith · Sharing It with Others
Living out faith on your own for the first time.
Faith as a Young Adult
Coming soon.
Defining Your Moral Code
With the Bible and Jesus as the guide
Building convictions you live by, guided by scripture.
Defining Your Moral Code
Coming soon.
Character
Habits, integrity and doing the right thing.
Character
Coming soon.
Peer Pressure
Saying no, choosing friends and owning your choices.
Peer Pressure
Coming soon.
Relationships
Friends, family, roommates and dating.
Relationships
Coming soon.
Networking
Meeting people who can open doors.
Networking
Coming soon.
Resume Prep
Putting your experience on one page.
Resume Prep
Coming soon.
Interview Prep
Getting ready for the conversation.
Interview Prep
Coming soon.
Standing Up for Your Rights
Your rights under the U.S. and Florida Constitutions, the ADA, Title IX and campus rules.
Standing Up for Your Rights
Coming soon.
Civic Life
Voting, jury duty and how government works.
Civic Life
Coming soon.
Practical Life Skills
Cooking, cars, leases and everyday know-how.
Practical Life Skills
Coming soon.
Failing Is Just Practice
Setbacks, second tries and what to do next.
Failing Is Just Practice
Coming soon.
Spotted an error? Request a correction.
Get clear answers in your inbox.
Subscribe to Launchpad Digital updates. It's free.