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Legal Documents Every College Student Needs 2022

Legal Documents

By Alice BrownPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
Legal Documents Every College Student Needs 2022
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

I am sure you are thinking – This is great! What are the next steps to 5 Legal Documents That Every College Student Needs in 2022? Let me add it to the long list of things that need to be done. Isn't there a way we can take it slow? Didn't graduation just feel like yesterday?

The months between High School graduation and the start of college the next fall can seem to fly by. There is barely even time enough to crack open the baby albums to reminisce about where all the time has gone, let alone take your “Young Adults” to their favorite childhood restaurants, squeeze in a movie or two, and maybe take that summer trip to the beach or mountains. If you have a college student, here are some things they'll need:

Here's a list of things you'll need for your dorm or apartment:

- bedding (sheets, blanket, pillows)

- towels

- soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.

- toiletries kit (toiletry bag and items like tweezers and cotton balls)

- first aid kit

A list of essential documents they will need while traveling. – resumes, social security cards, driver’s licenses, high school transcripts, AAA cards,

A list of books and supplies that you'll need for college: – calculators, textbooks, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, and more;

This is a list of things you need to teach or show your children. – How can I check my tire pressure, Here's everything you need to know about campus safety, how to find the financial aid office, how they do laundry on-campus, and creating and following a budget.

There are now legal documents available specifically for college students.

WHY does College NEED THEM?

Great question! Our kids become legal adults when they turn 18 at 12:00 am on that magical day. From the day we celebrated their 18th birthday, our relationship with them was never the same. After they turned 18, our relationship with them changed dramatically. They are now considered adults, and we can no longer make decisions for them or communicate with others on their behalf. While we may still support them in different ways, they are now in charge of their own lives. We no longer have access to medical records or financial records without the patient's approval and consent. We cannot speak to their doctor about their cold or ask their bank what happened to the money we just deposited without a go-between. While this is good in many ways, everyone needs a safety net. We tell our estate planning clients that there will be times in the future when they won't be able to make decisions for themselves, so it's important to have people you trust who can help. Below are the five legal documents your college student needs for the academic year of 2022, as well as a short explanation of why each document is necessary.

5 LEGAL DOCUMENTS EVERY COLLEGE STUDENT NEEDS

1. POWER OF ATTORNEY

The Power of Attorney is an incredibly versatile tool that most estate planners rely on heavily. A power of attorney is used to give another person the legal authority to act on your behalf. Third parties that do not comply with state laws, such as Florida's, can face legal penalties. Not only is it useful for parents to help manage bank accounts and College representatives, but it can assist with talking to your rental office and disputes with third parties.

2. HEALTHCARE SURROGATE

A Healthcare Surrogate (otherwise known as a Healthcare Power of Attorney or Healthcare Proxy) is a legal document where your college student would appoint one or more people to make emergency healthcare decisions for them if they are unable. The form will allow the patient's designated surrogate(s) to have unrestricted medical-staff interactions. There's always the potential for an accident or medical emergency, so it's important to be prepared. This document will set you up for success in college. Student-athletes need to be extra careful, as they are more prone to injuries. Choose one to two people (usually the parents) who you trust implicitly and who have no qualms about making medical choices on your behalf when you can't. For some people, their life may depend on this decision.

3. LIVING WILL

A Living Will (not to be confused with a regular will) is used to make healthcare decisions in advance, should the individual fall into a vegetative state or require end-of-life care. This document allows patients to choose whether they want various life-sustaining procedures, such as ventilators, dialysis and tube feeding, or organ donation and other end-of-life care.

4. HIPAA RELEASE

As per HIPAA, medical professionals are not allowed to share a person’s medical records with anyone other than the patient. A HIPAA RELEASE permits your Healthcare Surrogate to have access to your medical records. This document will allow your college student’s medical professionals to release designated information from their medical records.

HIPAA releases authorized by you give your doctors and physicians the ability to lawfully share information with specific people, like parents!

5. FERPA CONSENT

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law. This law is in place to protect the privacy of student records. Parents have the rights to their children's educational records until they reach adulthood at 18 years old. When our children turn 18, the rights to their information transfer to them. They are considered "eligible students." The FERPA Consent form allows your student to specify which people they want to have access to their records. The legal document is useful for situations when parents need to talk to, or get information from, a College’s financial aid office, student housing, the registrar. Try not to overstep on this one and talk with a professor as well.

How Legal Document Management Software help Students to keep Document Safe?

  • You can save an unlimited number of files in our storage, including documents, images, audio, and video. Your files are automatically backed up, and you can bulk upload and download entire folders of documents.
  • Document management software can make it easy to find the right document, fast. You can search for files based on terms in the title, text, or metadata. Plus, you can filter and sort your results by custom categories, folders, authors, or dates. So whether you're looking for that one important file or just want to get an overview of all your documents, document management software is a great solution. Find and preview files from complex matter and contact folders on your desktop.
  • With our e-signature capability, you can quickly review, prepare and send documents out for signature via email. Seamlessly remove the need to download, print, or scan documents by automatically and securely saving them.
  • With this program, you can access any legal help firm document from your mobile phone or laptop and make changes as needed. Stop wasting time creating mountains of paperwork—and start using that time to build a strong argument.

Conclusion:

In a world where data breaches and cyber attacks are becoming more common, it's important to take whatever steps you can to protect your information. For students, that means using legal document management software to keep their confidential documents safe and secure. Not only does this provide peace of mind, but it also helps ensure that files are properly organized and easily accessible when they're needed. Do you use legal document management software? If so, how has it helped you in your studies?

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About the Creator

Alice Brown

Hello, I am the Content Manager at Itsguru with 5 years of experience. I love writing blogs and stories in my spare time. It's a great way to relax and escape from the everyday grind.

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