In another life, I worked in new student programs at a private college here in Indiana introducing students and parents to the college campus, sending new students off on campus tours, getting them started on various student portals, and plugging them into student organizations and clubs for connection, reviewing financial aid and loan packages and providing academic success advice from graduating seniors and current academic professors.
You can imagine what sessions peaked students' attention and guess which ones parents had a keen ear for....
College is a challenging, distraction-packed environment where first-year students have to figure out their own routines by themselves, likely for the first time. Some students have the willpower to say, no, when they are tempted to spend their free time socializing instead of studying, while others too easily give up when they get a poor grade. And for many students with a job, balancing school and work can prove to be much more difficult than it may have been in high school .
Take all of the challenges of college and mix in maintaining personal relationships, finances, and physical health and what do you get? Stress, anxiety, depression,... all things that none of us want to see for our kiddos!
Parents don't have to stand on the sidelines while your kiddo struggles!
Instead, support your kiddo by providing the following advice:
1. Develop a Relationship With Your Professor
Whether your child is at a Big 10 institution or a smaller private institution, students THRIVE when a professor gets to know them. Students should reach out during office hours to introduce themselves, discuss any questions or concerns, or to simply say, "Hi!" Professors are happy to review material, give guidance on how to tackle a project, make connections with other students or tutors that have been successful in their course, and truly get to know their pupil.
Making an effort to develop a relationship with a professor will show your child's willingness to take ownership of their collegiate experience that class which would lead to a professor being more open to help when their student is struggling or needs more time.
2. Talk to an Academic Advisor
An Academic Advisor provides different support than a professor. A professor is an expert in a certain area of study while an academic advisor is an expert on how to succeed holistically in academia. Is your student not doing well in the major they were SURE they were going to graduate with? An Academic Advisor can provide evaluations and tools to see what other professional areas your students strengths would THRIVE in. Believe it or not, the most common academic challenge is the self-preceived notion that students HAVE to keep the major they started with or that being "undecided" is a bad thing. Academic Advisors also can decifer what classes could count towards multiple majors if your student doesn't know what path they want to take but would like to explore different careers.
3. Seek Help At The Tutoring Center/Writing Center
Campuses know that students will require academic support. Tutoring or Writing Centers (as they are most commonly named) are free for students to use. You child can make appointments with a peer or professional tutor to receive help on a specific course or have their essays reviewed for errors or revision. It is also common for there to be on-off workshops to help with time management and study approaches which could be great for a student that didn't have to study in high school and doesn't know how to get a successful study flow yet.
