College Academics and Success

Game Changers for Your Student’s College Success

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In our last post, we shared some of the information gathered by Complete College America about college completion rates.  In their report The Four-Year Myth CCA shared some sobering information about the length of time that most students in this country need to complete their degrees.  We think it is important for parents to understand the environment in which their students are entering higher education.

As college parents, we also want to do all that we can to ensure, or at least increase the chances, that our student will be one of the growing minority of students who will complete their degree ”on-time.”  So we wonder what we, and what our students, can do to maximize their success.

What are Complete College America’s Game Changers?

Complete College America is an organization designed to work with higher education from the state point of view.  Their recommendations are intended for institutions and for the states.  Parents can begin by understanding what states and schools can and should be doing.  But then parents and their students can think about how they might implement some of these Game Changers personally.

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What is “On Time” Graduation? Four Years is Becoming a Myth

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You send your student off to college and assume that four years later he will graduate with a degree.  You plan on four years — and you work hard to budget for four years.  And then you realize that it may take your student longer than four years to graduate.  Why is your student the exception — not graduating on time?

It turns out that your student who may need five — or even six — years to graduate is not the exception, but the norm.  A recent report, Four —Year Myth, released by the organization Complete College America points to this new direction in higher education.  The information is sobering, and important for college parents to understand.

Whose report is this?

Complete College America is a national nonprofit organization established in 2009 with the mission of working with the states to ”significantly increase the number of Americans with college degrees and to close the attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.”

According to this organization, between 1970 and 2009, undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. more than doubled, while the completion rate has remained unchanged.  Clearly, more students are gaining access to college, but not completing their degrees.

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When Disappointment Comes for Your Student

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Your student will experience disappointment. It is inevitable. There are the little disappointments that occur all through childhood, of course, but then there are bigger disappointments.  It may be failure to make the team or get the part in the play, a grade that is less than desired, loss of a scholarship, college rejection or deferral, or low GPA.  It might happen in high school or it might happen during college.

However, the important question is not whether your student will experience disappointment (they will) or even when, but what will you and your student do when the inevitable happens?

Your student may look to you, even without realizing that they are doing so, to model how they should handle this disappointment.  Whether it is an admission rejection or academic probation, it is important to see this as an opportunity to model your attitude and behavior for your student.  How you respond may affect how they react to the situation.  Remember when your student was little and fell down?  Often, the first thing they did was look to you. If you smiled and laughed, they often got up and were fine.  If you were alarmed and fearful, tears came.

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Beyond Admissions: Preparing Your High School Senior for College

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As the parent of a high school senior (or junior) you may be doing everything that you can to help your student make decisions and get into the college of their choice.  This is an important time and there certainly are a lot of things to do.  As your student works on the college admissions process, you may be drawn into the whirlwind along with your student.

This is a good time to stop and think about how the college admissions process has involved you either directly or indirectly.

Your student is

  • preparing for PSAT, SAT and/or ACT exams,
  • making sure that extracurricular activities and community service are documented,
  • keeping grades strong,
  • cleaning up social media accounts,
  • attending college information workshops,
  • completing financial aid applications,
  • compiling lists of schools,
  • attending college fairs,
  • working with guidance counselors,
  • making college visits,
  • getting all paperwork organized,
  • writing essays,
  • sending out applications,
  • and finally — waiting impatiently for admissions decisions.

It’s no wonder students — and parents — feel overwhelmed.  Just thinking about the process can be exhausting.  And once those applications are in the mail, you may feel as though the real work of senior year is done.  Now you just wait — at least until letters arrive and new, and final, decisions need to be made.

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How Can Parents Help College Students as the Semester Ends?

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The end of the semester is almost here and your college student may be feeling stressed.  You wish you could help.  Or perhaps it’s nearing the end of the semester and your college student is just a bit too relaxed about the urgency of the work that still needs to be done.  You wish you could light a little fire under them.

In either of these cases, as a college parent, you may wonder what you can do to help your student cope with all that the end of a semester involves.  The truth is that you are limited in what you can do to help — but that doesn’t mean that you can’t help in several important ways.

Once again — brush up those listening skills

There are many important points in our students’ lives when our listening skills may be the most important tool that we have in our toolkit.  The end of the semester may be one of them.  You may hear more from your student at this point, especially if they are feeling stressed.  Then again, you may not hear as much from your student — either because they are too busy to talk or write or because they are stressed and don’t want or know how to share those feelings.

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Ten More Student Skills for Parents

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This is Part 2 our list of student skills that may be helpful for parents, too. Be sure to read our post about the first ten helpful skills.

We’ve written many posts about important skills for college students. We’ve suggested that, as college parents, we talk about these skills with our students because we know that mastering these skills, or at least working on them, will help our students do well.

However, several of the skills that we’ve suggested for students might also be helpful for parents — or for any of us — to develop. Turning the tables and adopting the skills you discuss with your student might be an interesting experiment.

Might you learn along with your student? Could you adapt some of these skills for your own benefit?

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Going With the Flow: Why College Students’ Ability to Adapt Matters

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While many of us are willing to take risks and move out of our comfort zone, the truth is that most of us don’t enjoy change — unless we are the person initiating it. Some people seem to respond positively to change, using the changes in our lives as opportunities for growth, but as human beings we thrive on routine and predictability. College students are no different.

A few weeks into the semester, many first year students begin to settle into a routine and develop habits as the novelty of their new lives wears off. This is a good thing and gives many students the peace of mind of being able to rely on some constancy in their lives. But this is also a good time for students to examine their routines to determine whether they are serving them well. Students who understand — and embrace — the qualities of flexibility and adaptability may be in a better position to grow and make the most of their experiences.

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Sweet Dreams! Is Your College Student Getting Enough of Them?

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News flash! College students don’t get enough sleep!

Well, actually, this may not be a news flash for anyone. Americans overall are getting less sleep, and many of us recognize that we need more than we are getting. But college students are the group most deprived of the sleep that they need. One study reported that up to 60% of college students reported poor quality sleep, and college students today get approximately two hours less sleep a night than students in the 1980’s.

Sleep is vital to our well-being, and not getting enough can affect students’ health, moods, safety, and GPA. Many students, who may be in charge of their sleep habits for the first time in their lives (Mom isn’t telling them it’s time for bed), underestimate their need for sleep and may not realize the extent of the harmful effects of lack of sleep. As they try to balance classes, jobs, new independence and social lives, students often develop unhealthy patterns and habits.

As a college parent, you ultimately have no control over how much sleep your college student gets, and that’s appropriate. Part of the college experience is learning how to regulate your life. But just as you might talk to your student about their time management or financial budget, have a conversation with your student about sleep habits. This may be especially important if your student feels chronically tired, irritable, sleeps excessively on the weekends, or is struggling academically. Help your student understand the importance of sleep, and help them think about how to get more.

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You Can Influence Your College Student’s Classroom Success

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Success in college means many things to many people. For some, it means a 4.0 GPA, for others it means landing the perfect job at graduation or being accepted to graduate school, for still others it may mean opportunities such as studying abroad and completing internships, and for still others, success may mean having a good time or finding a husband or wife.

However broadly you and your student define college success, it almost always includes at least some amount of success in the classroom. In spite of the importance of networking, social life, athletics, leadership, broad experiences, friendships, or job opportunities, the college experience centers around the classroom. And success in the classroom is important.

As a college parent, you hope for academic success, but there is little you can do to influence it. Your student’s success will depend on many factors, but they are, and should be, generally out of your control. In your role as sideline coach, you can cheer your student on — and occasionally give some advice — but the task of learning how to learn belongs to your student.

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Is An Online Class Right for Your College Student?

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Online classes are becoming more and more prevalent in every corner of higher education. Some colleges offer entire programs online and have no ”bricks and mortar” campus. Well established traditional colleges and universities are offering more options for online courses or programs. There is a good chance that at some point in your student’s college career he will have the opportunity to take an online class. The question is, should he?

There are many appeals to online classes. Convenience may be one of the strongest of these appeals. Students can complete their entire class without having to go to a classroom or sit through a lecture, and very often, students can complete the work at their own pace and at whatever time of the day or night is convenient.

However, online classes may not be for everyone. If your student has the option of taking an online class, and is considering registering for one, here are a few questions you might ask him to consider before he makes his decision.

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