We have a master google doc and a universal college email account for college stuff only. Every time an application was completed my son updated the spreadsheet and sometimes asked me to set up the login whatever since he’s so busy with school and activities. It’s no brainer stuff so I didn’t mind doing it. He’s fairly independent so it wasn’t a big deal.
Sometimes I will see an email notification that there’s a change in his portal but I tell him and he then checks it. I may log in and check his portals to read something or see if something is available or just to show the school there’s activity or check for other documents. In one case I happened to notice something obscure about uploading second semester grades that neither he nor a few of his friends applying to the same school had noticed. If I hadn’t, the grades would never have shown received. It just is what it is and not a big deal.
Once they get to college, I don’t as for their password nor do I check up on them or their emails, etc. That’s on them. They made if through 4 years of high school with no one reading their school emails they’ll manage through college. One school gives us access to the bursar account and emails us when there is a new bill but that’s it, the other school we can set up a parent account to check accounts receivable and some other info but they don’t email bills as that onus is on the kid to forward to the parent. I’m sure many kids don’t forward to the parents.
Every family handles these things differently and do what’s best for them. If their agreement is that they can check grades and emails because they’re paying for college, that’s their right. If they have a kid who’s an absentminded professor type and they want to make sure nothing slips through the cracks, that’s their business. Eventually the kid will learn or not, because they will have a job and have to figure it out. Some parents handle it ok some don’t. It just is what it is.