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Vicki Nelson
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College Parent Central Podcast
#136 Summer Reads Season 6
Searching for meaningful summer reading that might transform your relationship with your college student? Look no further than this curated collection of parent-focused book recommendations from higher education professionals Vicki Nelson and Lynn Abrahams.The hosts dive deep into six powerful books that address crucial aspects of the college parenting journey. "Sleep Deprived Teen" reveals the shocking impact of sleep deprivation on everything from academic performance to athletic abilities, with teens biologically requiring 8-10 hours of sleep yet averaging only 6-7 hours nightly. Meanwhile, "How to Raise a Citizen" fills the critical gap left by diminishing civics...
2025-06-18
41 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#125 – Encore Episode – Second Semester of College: The Transition No One Talks About
The transition to second semester of college is so important – and often hidden – that we’ve decided to share this episode again. You and your student may be taken by surprise when the start of the second semester of college seems so difficult. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn explore why some students may experience the “second semester blues” and why some parents feel they need to increase their involvement. We share strategies you can use to calm your fears and help your student make the most of this fresh start. Thank you for listening! Much mo...
2025-01-08
40 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#124 – Looking Back at 2024 and Season 5 of the College Parent Central Podcast
This is the time of year when we reflect on the year and another season of the College Parent Central podcast. It’s been a busy year for all of our cohosts, Vicki, Lynn, Elizabeth and Sarah. It’s always fun to get all of us together to share thoughts and stories, but our schedules just wouldn’t allow that to happen this year. So Vicki had a conversation with each of our cohosts and we share those conversations in this episode. We take a look at what’s happening in higher education, our favorite book/article/podcast recommendations for pare...
2024-12-11
1h 13
College Parent Central Podcast
#122 – Encore Episode - Signs of Trouble: How Do You Know If Your Student Is Struggling
Once your child steps into the world of college – even if it is in the next room – both parents and students begin experiencing a new stage in development. Students are exploring the academic and social world of college; parents are exploring the experience of stepping back and watching them do it. But, it is also part of the parenting package to worry. In this episode, Lynn and Vicki highlight some of the signs that parents can watch for that may indicate that their student is struggling. All college students will hit a few bumps in the road, and the more p...
2024-11-07
40 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#121 - College Lingo - Can You Talk the Talk? - Part 4
So many mysterious terms and acronyms to understand when your student heads off to college! You’ll understand how college works better when you understand the strange terms they use. In our fourth installment of our College Lingo series, Vicki and Lynn define and discuss more of the insider terms that colleges use that may not always be clear to parents. In this episode we cover Blue Light Phones, Articulation Agreements, Federal Work Study, Course Modifications, Independent Study, and Micro Degrees and Certificates. If you missed Parts 1-3, with 18 additional terms, check out episodes #047, #057, and #098.Thank yo...
2024-10-16
53 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#120 – Partnering with Your Student’s High School Counselor
Just about anyone who has a student in school knows there are school counselors, but many of us don’t have any idea what they do. We know they provide guidance and assistance with college and career planning, but that’s just one part of the career that also includes social and emotional counseling and addressing academic needs – and for a national average of 250-400 students per counselor! With that much to do, for that many students, counselors need all of the help they can get. Parents who understand the work of the school counselor may be better able to par...
2024-10-02
59 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#119 – Why Sleep Matters: A Conversation with Lisa Lewis, Author of The Sleep Deprived Teen
Most of us probably know that getting enough sleep makes us feel better, but there’s so much more to it than that – especially for our teens. In this episode, Vicki and Elizabeth talk with Lisa Lewis, author of the book The Sleep Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive about why our students aren’t getting enough sleep, the dramatic effect that can have on them, and how to help them get more sleep. If you sometimes feel as though your student is sleepwalking much of the time, you’ll...
2024-09-18
51 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#117 – Supporting Your Student’s Mental Health: A Conversation with Dr. Bianca Busch, The College Psychiatrist
If you want to know how to best support your college student through potential mental health or anxiety issues, who better to ask than a psychiatrist? That’s exactly what Vicki and Elizabeth did in this episode. We were joined by Dr. Bianca Busch, founder of The College Psychiatrist, a medical practice that works with college students and their families. Dr. Busch emphasized that each individual is on a unique journey at a potentially stressful time in their life. We learned so much from Dr. Busch about helping students overcome challenges, navigating school and career stressors, relationship issues and id...
2024-08-21
1h 00
College Parent Central Podcast
#116 – Encore Episode - Transitioning from Summer to College: The Importance of the First Six Weeks
This subject is so important we decided to share it again. In this final part of our summer college preparation series, Lynn and Vicki discuss how to support your student on Move-In Day and throughout their first six weeks on campus. Parents and students who are prepared for the emotional peaks and valleys of transitioning into the world of college, are better able to feel in control of their experiences. In this episode we offer suggestions for how to support your student on this exciting new journey.Thank you for listening! Much more information...
2024-08-07
44 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#115 – Zooming Out on the College Experience: Taking the Long (and Wide) View
Preparing for and transitioning into the first year of college involves so many, many details, and it’s easy to get caught up in just getting through what needs to be done. Then the college experience can be taken over by the day-to-day details of classes, assignments, GPA, activities, friends, schedules, career planning and just surviving. While we all know it’s good advice to live in the moment, sometimes it can also help to take a breath, zoom out a bit, and look at the bigger picture. In this episode, Lynn and Vicki suggest why it’s important for yo...
2024-07-17
35 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#114 Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable: A Conversation with Author Harlan Cohen
Vicki and Elizabeth had a wide-ranging conversation with Harlan Cohen, college transition expert and author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College. Harlan shared why the transition to college can be so difficult and why finding your People, your Places, and having Patience can make a difference. Harlan encourages parents – and students – to understand that the first year of college, or at least the first semester, may be a terrible mess. Although that may not sound very positive, you’ll want to hear Harlan explain how that knowledge can be freeing and help studen...
2024-07-03
58 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#113 – Talking About Tutoring: Who, When, and Why It Matters
Talking about tutoring is a new topic for our podcast, but we are finding that college parenting begins earlier and earlier, and parents are making many early decisions with future college potential in mind. In this episode, Vicki was pleased to be able to have a conversation with Celine Bewsher, Owner/Manager of Club Z! Tutoring in Cambridge, MA. Celine shared her insights about how tutoring can help students succeed, not just by helping with a specific subject at a specific time, but by helping students master the skills that they’ll need in the future. Celine helped us un...
2024-06-19
44 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#111 – What’s Next? No Longer “Almost” a College Student: the Job Starts Now!
Once your student makes their final college decision and puts down that important deposit, they enter a new leg of the college journey. Sure, you know there will be lots of preparation work ahead – summer decisions, shopping, good-byes, packing – but your student may be thinking they’ll really become a college student at Move-in Day in the fall. Your student may still be a high school student, but the college knows there’s work to be done now. In this episode, Sarah and Vicki talk about your student’s strange mental place with one foot in each world and why it’s i...
2024-05-15
52 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#110 – A Guide to Your College Student’s Health: A Conversation with Dr. Jill Grimes the “College Doc”
When our student heads off to college, we worry about a lot of things, and one of the primary concerns is our student’s health and well-being. We first interviewed Dr. Jill Grimes, often dubbed the “College Doc” because of her focus on the health of college aged students, back in Episode #024 in 2020, at the height of the Covid Pandemic. It was time to invite her back to hear what’s changed in the last 4 years and also to hear about what’s new in the 3rd edition of her book The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook: Your Guide for Everyt...
2024-05-01
55 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#109 – Encore Episode -The College Decision Dilemma: What Happens Once Those Admission Letters Arrive?
Here’s an encore of an earlier podcast episode that we think is so important it deserves to be released again. If your student is making their decision right now, you may need to hear this. The college admission process begins earlier and earlier and sometimes seems to go on forever. When those highly anticipated acceptance letters begin to arrive, the process enters a new phase. The ball is now in your student’s court to make a decision. What is your role as a parent at this stage? In this episode Vicki and Lynn unpack some of the emot...
2024-04-17
38 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#107 - Waiting to Fail: Holding on to Hope
We recently received an email from a parent with a question. This mom was concerned that in spite of a number of supports, her son was struggling and not doing well. She could see far enough down the road to be fairly certain he was going to fail and she wondered whether failing was the only way he would realize that he needs to use his supports more fully. This mom wants to hold on to the hope that her son will come through - and she asks for some strategies to guide him. In this episode Vicki and...
2024-03-20
39 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#106 – Academic Advising Matters: What You Need to Know
Vicki and Sarah spent some time recently at the Region 1 conference of NACADA - the National Advising Association. There's a lot to learn about how staff and faculty advisors work to guide your student throughout their college career. In this episode, Vicki and Sarah compare notes and share some of the themes that bubbled up at the conference. It may help you understand a little more about your student as you hear what some of the people who work with students every day had to say. The more you understand about how college academic advising works, the better you'll...
2024-03-06
43 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#104 Meet the Team: Student Support Roles
In this episode we’re “meeting the team” in two different ways. We introduce you to our new College Parent Central podcasting team as we are joined by new cohosts Elizabeth Hamblet and Sarah Shane, and we also reintroduce Vicki Nelson and Lynn Abrahams for new listeners. But we’re also talking about the team of people at most colleges who are there to support your student. With so many different support roles it’s easy to wonder who does what. We discuss the differences between academic advisors, success coordinators, tutors, disability services and learning disabilities developmental programs. We also break...
2024-02-07
55 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#103 – Encore Episode – Second Semester of College: The Transition No One Talks About
The transition to second semester of college is so important – and often hidden – that we’ve decided to share this episode again. You and your student may be taken by surprise when the start of the second semester of college seems so difficult. In this episode, Vicki and Lynn explore why some students may experience the “second semester blues” and why some parents feel they need to increase their involvement. We share strategies you can use to calm your fears and help your student make the most of this fresh start. Thank you for listening! Much mo...
2024-01-17
40 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#102 – Helping Students Develop Relationships with Professors Beyond the Classroom
As a follow-up to our earlier episode on communicating with professors (#83), Lynn and Vicki explore some of the benefits of relationships with professors, what those relationships might look like, and how students might approach and work with faculty members outside of the classroom. We often assume many of these social skills are second nature and common sense, but post Covid, students may need help in developing these skills. Parents may be one of their student’s most valuable coaches.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our we...
2024-01-03
37 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#101 – What’s Ahead for College Parent Central?
In this episode Vicki and Lynn take a look ahead to Season 5 of the podcast and describe some of the exciting changes we’re planning. We introduce two new co-hosts who will be joining the College Parent Central Podcast Team. Elizabeth Hamblet and Sarah Share will be adding their voices to the season ahead. We’re excited about exploring new topics and perspectives while continuing to provide the support for parents we’ve shared in the past four seasons. We also reviewed a few of the themes we may be talking about as we move forward. Thank yo...
2023-12-06
26 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#100 – Celebrating our 100th Episode: Reflecting on Four Seasons of the College Parent Central Podcast
We’re 100 episodes in! Lynn and Vicki take some time to look back at some of our most popular episodes, some of our favorites, some trends and themes we’ve noticed, and what we’ve loved about getting together to create this podcast. We also take a look at some of the themes we think might surface for college students and parents in the future – and there’s more to come about that in our next episode. Stay tuned!Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, C...
2023-11-15
44 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#099 – Navigating College Financial Decisions: An Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Ron Lieber
Vicki and Lynn spent this episode in conversation with Ron Lieber author of The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make. Ron helped us unpack how complicated the financial aid system is and how crucial it is to understand how it works. The Price You Pay for College examines how our feelings and our ideas about success affect the choices we make about what we are willing to pay for college. Ron also shared information about his new course for families that helps them understand and...
2023-11-01
42 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#098 – College Lingo – Can You Talk the Talk? – Part 3
So many mysterious terms and acronyms to understand when your student heads off to college! In this third College Lingo installment Vicki and Lynn define and discuss several of the insider terms that colleges use that may not be clear to parents. We cover topics from Disability Services and Priority Registration to Satisfactory Academic Progress, Minors, the College Catalog, and the Clery Act. We’re only scratching the surface of this new language, but it should get you started being able to understand and Talk the Talk. (Hear the first and second College Lingo in episodes #047 and #057.)...
2023-10-18
44 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#097 – Why Do Students Have Trouble Asking for the Help They Need?
It’s natural for students to struggle with college work. The problem we see isn’t the struggle or challenge, it is that students don’t always ask for the help they need. Colleges work hard to make sure students know about the resources available, so why don’t more students make use of them? In this episode, Lynn and Vicki explore some of the reasons students may be reluctant to get help and how parents can encourage their student to recognize and advocate for what they need.Thank you for listening! Much more informat...
2023-10-04
41 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#096 - Parenting Through the College Calendar
In this episode Lynn and Vicki took a tour through the college calendar. We focused on several of the touchpoints students experience throughout the year. We highlighted conversations to have with your student at the important milestones in each semester. Understanding what is happening for your student will help parents provide the support needed at just the right time.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter at @CollParCentral Find us on Bluesky at @CollParCentral.bsky.social Sign up...
2023-09-20
52 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#094 – What to Do When (If) Your College Student Is Homesick
It isn’t inevitable that your college student will experience homesickness, but if they do, knowing why it happens and what to do will help you be prepared. In this episode, Lynn and Vicki discuss the factors that can cause college student homesickness, how to prevent it, and some strategies for how parents can help their student cope. Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter at @CollParCentral Find us on Bluesky at @CollParCentral.bsky.social Sign up for our...
2023-08-16
39 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#093 – Move-in Day Is Finally Here!
After a summer of ups and downs, tension and excitement, the time has arrived to deliver your student to school. In this episode Vicki and Lynn share some of their memories of Move-in Days with their sons and daughters. Along the way they share some of the lessons they learned and some suggestions for how to make this emotional day go more smoothly. Patience is the operative word. You and your student will get through this, and they will be off on their new adventure.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college...
2023-08-02
30 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#092 – Can College Pressure Convince Teens to Lie? A Conversation with Young Adult Novelist Tracy Badua
Tracy Badua, lawyer by day and novelist by night, joined Lynn and Vicki to talk about her new novel This Is Not a Personal Statement. The story follows a graduating high school senior who goes to some great lengths to attend the college of her dreams. Both students and parents will find in the book messages about the pressure of trying to be perfect and about discovering internal motivation and authentic identity. Tracy writes from her Filipino American background and infuses her characters with this rich cultural heritage. This Is Not a Personal Statement is a page-turner...
2023-07-19
34 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#091 – Parent Transitions: The Empty Nest
We’ve spent a lot of time helping parents understand the college experience and talking about how to support their student’s transition to college. It’s time to turn the tables and focus on how parents can take care of themselves as they make their own transition as well. In this episode Lynn and Vicki discuss the Empty (or emptier) Nest Syndrome. Why does this happen? What is going on? And what can parents do as they experience the potential roller coaster of emotions? This can be a time of growth for parents as well as students.T...
2023-07-05
37 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#090 – Making the Most of College Visits: A Conversation with Moira McCullough of College Scoops
Moira McCullough joined Lynn and Vicki in this episode to talk about how to reduce the time, money and stress that can go into planning college visits with your student. Moira’s advice about how to communicate with your student will help them discover what matters to them as they begin the college choice process. She shared ideas about how to help your student get beyond the official college message to find the information they need to help them with their admissions decisions. Moira established College Scoops to provide information through podcasts, blog posts and interactive guides for both fa...
2023-06-21
53 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#089 – Summer Reading Suggestions for College Parents
In our annual collection of book suggestions for parents, Vicki and Lynn share some of what we’ve been reading this year. This year’s books cover a wide variety of topics that will help parents broaden their understanding of students’ academic and emotional worlds, why they might struggle and how to help empower students to face their challenges.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter at @CollParCentral Find us on Bluesky at @CollParCentral.bsky.social Sign up for ou...
2023-06-07
46 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#088 – How Parents’ Fear of Failure Can Influence Students
As parents, it’s in our DNA to worry about our kids. In addition, the messaging about success and failure is all around us and reinforces our worst fears. In this episode, Lynn and Vicki discuss some of the reasons we worry, the effect parental fears can have on our students and how we can address these fears so that our students will own their experiences and believe they are capable.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter at...
2023-05-17
36 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#086 – Highlights from Jeff Selingo’s Book There Is Life After College
Jeff Selingo’s book There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow is a hidden gem. Whether you have a student in high school, in college, or a recent graduate, this is a wonderful resource to share with your student. We think higher education professionals will also find this book eye opening and motivating. In this episode Vicki and Lynn touch on some of the key themes and how they have seen these reflected in today’s students. Understanding some of the issues facing students as they...
2023-04-19
42 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#084 – Join Us for Our First Read-Along Book Group!
We’re trying something new and we invite you to join us! If you’re a regular listener you know we love to talk about books that help us in our role as college parents and help us support our students. We’ve picked the book There is Life After College: What Parents and Student Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow by Jeffrey Selingo to read over the next several weeks and we invite you to read along with us. We hope you’ll share some of your thoughts, questions and reactions with us. In t...
2023-03-15
23 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#083 – Why Are Students Reluctant to Connect with Professors?
In our post-pandemic teaching we’ve noticed that many students seem nervous about reaching out to their professors and are unsure about how to connect. We know that this relationship is critical to student success. In this episode Lynn and Vicki explore some of the strategies parents can share with their students to coach them in their interactions with professors. These conversations can help students feel more comfortable talking with professors and making their meetings productive. Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Cen...
2023-03-01
35 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#082 – Mindfulness for College Students: An Interview with Dr. Eric Loucks
Lynn and Vicki were joined in this episode by Dr. Eric Loucks author of The Mindful College Student: How to Succeed, Boost Well-Being and Build the Life You Want at University and Beyond to talk about the impact that mindfulness can have on student success. Dr. Loucks helped us understand what mindfulness is and how it can help students deal with stress, attention and focus, self-awareness, emotional-regulation and even career choice. This information is not only helpful for college students but for parents as well. Thank you for listening! Much more information for college p...
2023-02-15
45 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#079 – Pandemic Fallout: What We’re Seeing in Our Post-Pandemic Students
In this, our first episode of Season 4, we begin a 3-part series about what we’re seeing in our students who spent their final high school years during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vicki and Lynn share student survey information and observations of their first-year students both in and outside of the classroom. Not only are students experiencing rising depression and anxiety, we also see students with academic learning gaps, engagement and social challenges, difficulty following through on work, and greater reliance on parents. We’ll continue examining Pandemic Fallout in our next episode when we consider what has caused these issues...
2023-01-04
35 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#078 – Reflections on Season 3 of the College Parent Central Podcast
As we close out the third season of the College Parent Central Podcast, Lynn and Vicki look back at their favorite episodes of this past year. It’s been another year with some wonderful, informative interviews and a host of topics that can help you parent your college (or almost college) student. We also consider some of the trends we’re seeing in our students and in the field of higher education and invite you to join us for whatever Season 4 may bring.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be f...
2022-12-07
40 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#076 – Answering Parent Questions and Concerns
In this episode Vicki and Lynn answer some of the questions they have heard from parents. Topics include transferring colleges, readmission and appeal, timing of internships, and how to figure out how things are really going for your student. We don’t have all of the answers, but we share our observation based on our professional and personal experience.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter at @CollParCentral Find us on Bluesky at @CollParCentral.bsky.social Sign up fo...
2022-11-02
39 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#075 – Understanding More About Your College Student’s Brain
The concept of Executive Functioning is a popular way of looking at some of the skills that college students need to succeed. Understanding how your student’s brain develops during the college years will help you support your student as they practice managing their lives. In this episode Vicki interviews Lynn to learn more about the challenges that college students often face as they struggle to master planning, organizing, prioritizing, and problem solving. Lynn shares strategies that help students grow their abilities – and some of the success stories she’s seen.Thank you for listening! Mu...
2022-10-19
38 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#073 – Sleep Matters: Why Don’t College Students Get Enough - and Why They Should
We see sleepy students every day in our classes. Why? They aren’t getting enough sleep. In this episode Vicki and Lynn explore the connections between sleep and learning, the reasons students don’t get enough sleep and what happens when they are sleep deprived. We also share some suggestions to help students make their sleep hygiene a priority. Talking with your student about sleep can help highlight this important issue– and it might even improve everyone’s shuteye!Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website...
2022-09-21
41 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#072 – What’s Special About Commuter Students?
Once your student has made the decision to commute to college, they’ll need to think about how to make the most of their experiences. Parents also need to think about how to best support their commuting student. In this episode Lynn and Vicki share some ideas about questions to ask during the admission process, shifting dynamics at home, and what both students and parents can do to make the college transition smooth and fulfilling.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Fi...
2022-09-07
37 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#071 – College Cooking 101: An Inteview with Sarah Long, Author of a Cookbook for College Students
Although most students on campus have a meal plan, many students either don’t have the time to hit the dining hall or they don’t like the food. When Sarah Long’s oldest daughter went to college, she needed some recipes she could prepare in in her dorm room. After texting many recipes, her mom decided to put them together in a cookbook. In this episode Vicki and Lynn talk to Sarah about her book, and her suggestions for using everything from a microwave and blender to an electric skillet and slow cooker to prepare healthy meals – and a few tr...
2022-08-17
30 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#070 – Increasing Your Student’s Readiness for College
In episode #068 we talked about how to tell if your student is ready for college. In this episode Vicki and Lynn discuss strategies, conversations and actions that will help your student increase their readiness. We talk about academic readiness, time and self-management, life skills, relationships and emotional readiness. If any of these areas present particular challenges for your student these suggestions will help you better support and prepare them for college.Thank you for listening! Much more information for college parents can be found on our website, College Parent Central Find us on Twitter...
2022-08-03
52 min
College Parent Central Podcast
#069 – Getting the Most Out of College: An Interview with Author Elliot Felix
Wouldn’t it be great if your student could create a successful college experience where they feel connected and supported instead of simply navigating their way through. In this episode Vicki and Lynn talk with Elliot Felix, author of How to Get the Most Out of College: 127 Ways to Make Connections, Make It Work for You, and Make a Difference. Elliot brings his background in college consulting and design to his practical, action-oriented tips that cover everything from knowing options to mastering technology, building relationships, and finding your community on campus. So much to share with your student!...
2022-07-20
46 min