Information for the parents of college students

If your college student is struggling academically, she (and you) may be wondering how to improve her situation.  You are probably encouraging her to do everything that she can to do better.  Most students who are in difficulty – perhaps even on academic warning or academic probation – want to do better, but many do not know what to do. They say they’ll work harder, but they don’t necessarily know how to work smarter.  Other students simply make the wrong decisions in an attempt to improve their situation.

Talk to your student about her difficulty.  Help her try to honestly analyze what has caused the problem. (This may not be an easy process.)  As she begins to think about how to address her situation, encourage her to avoid many common mistakes by considering some of the following ten wise decisions to improve her GPA.

[Continue Reading →]

If your college student has failed a course, or has done poorly in a course, he may have a question about whether or not he should retake the course.  This is an individual decision and will depend on your student’s circumstances as well as his institution’s policies. Some schools may not allow a student to retake a course, some may only allow a student to retake a course in which he has received an F, and some schools may allow a student to retake any course to improve the grade. The best thing would be for your student to discuss the option with his academic advisor.

However, there are some general things that your student might think about before he meets with his advisor.  There are some compelling reasons to retake a course, and there are a few reasons why it may not be the best decision for your student.

[Continue Reading →]

The wait is over.  The envelope may be fat, or thin, or the news may have come via e-mail.  However it has arrived, your high school student has received word from his chosen colleges about whether he has been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.  It is a defining moment for most students.

This may also be a defining moment for you as a parent as well.  You will need to think about how you react to any news, and how you support your student no matter what that news may be.  Your responses will help set the tone for your student.  Your reactions will send important messages to your student.  If the news is good, you’ll want to celebrate with him.  If the news is not what he had hoped for, you’ll need to help your student deal with his disappointment.  (Read our previous post on helping your student deal with disappointment.)

Giving thought in advance to how you will respond may help you to be prepared for any eventuality.  Here are ten suggestions of things to consider as you, as a parent, confront the college acceptance – or rejection letters.

[Continue Reading →]

March truly marks a turning point in the college year.  Not only is it the time for midterm exams and for the legendary spring break, it is also the point at which the end of the school year seems almost within reach.  Students know they are coming into the “home stretch” of their academic year.  This provides both relief and its own stress.  There’s still so much to be done.  Some students may realize that they are not going to turn around a difficult academic start and need to make plans.  Students may be worrying about summer jobs or summer school.  Students need to be thinking and making plans for the next year – housing choices, roommates, fall schedules, majors, internships.  Seniors face the ultimate stress of finding a job or getting into graduate school.

March brings its own unique experiences.  Here are a few posts that may be particularly helpful to parents to this particular time of the school year.

[Continue Reading →]

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.  There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years.  We’ve offered some lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. (Check out our lists of sources here and here.)

In this review, we’ll take a look at I’ll Miss You Too: An Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students
by Margo E. Bane Woodacre and Steffany Bane.  This mother-daughter pair has teamed up to write a book that is useful for both parents and their students.  It is a good book to read together – and hopefully have it prompt some conversations.

The most unique feature about this book is its personal nature.  Neither author is a college expert, but both have lived the college experience – as parent and student.  Both mother and daughter describe how each saw, felt, and learned from the various experiences of the college transition period.  The two points of view represent both sides of the transition.  The book starts with the senior year of high school and continues through the senior year in college, focusing a chapter on each phase along the way.  Stories in the book draw on the personal journeys of both mother and daughter, as well as a few experiences shared by other families and college counselors. [Continue Reading →]

The Olympic Games are a marvel.  Once every few years we are able to watch the best in the world doing what they do.  They put everything on the line, give everything that they have – and they do it publicly.  When they succeed, there is nothing like the thrill of that moment.  When they do not, to say that they are disappointed is completely inadequate.

As parents, most of us love nothing better than to see our children succeed at whatever they attempt.  Sometimes, however, they will not.  It is easy to celebrate with your child when he is successful.  It is heart wrenching to support your child through her disappointment.  As parents, we can make the difference in how our students face and deal with their disappointment.  Our children have dealt with disappointments all of their lives, but as they face college acceptances or rejections, and some of the potential disappointments facing them in college, the stakes seem somehow higher.  They will get in to their choice of college – or not.  They may receive adequate financial aid (perhaps merit aid) – or not.  They may get into the classes they want, or the major they want – or not.  They may make the team, or the play, or the assistantship – or not. [Continue Reading →]

If the college acceptance letters have just begun to come in, congratulations!  You are now officially a college parent.  You are excited for your student, and possibly a bit overwhelmed for yourself.  You’re not sure what you should be thinking about, or doing, or how to help your student prepare for the next phase.

Here at College Parent Central we believe that the more information you have, the better you will be able to support your college student as he navigates his new experiences.  But the problem with lots of information is that it can feel overwhelming.  Here are a few posts that we think might be a good starting point.  You’ll want to read more specific information later, but if you’re a new college parent, these posts should help you think about your new role and help you get started on your journey.   Congratulations!

[Continue Reading →]

High school seniors wait anxiously for that all important college acceptance letter.  Parents of those high school seniors wait just as anxiously for that all important financial aid letter.  Everyone agrees that college is expensive these days, and most of us need financial help to be able to afford it.  The financial aid letter which your student receives from his college may include several different types of aid.  Although understanding the finer points of these different types of aid and loans may at times seem like a full time job, it is important to have a general understanding of the different types of help your student’s school may offer.

How do schools determine aid?

Most schools use the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form to determine your financial need.  The FAFSA is filled out and filed with the federal government and the information is sent to the schools that you request.  The FAFSA is available in January of each year and can be completed on-line.  The federal government is working to make the FAFSA a bit simpler each year.

[Continue Reading →]

This is the second of two posts about parent participation in admissions visits to colleges.  The college visit is an important part of the college admissions process, but parents may not be sure how best to participate in and maximize that visit.  Our first post suggested some things parents should think about as they prepare for and make the college visit.  This post offers some specific suggestions for getting both parents and students started thinking about productive questions to ask during a visit.

Some possible questions regarding student concerns:

Here are some suggestions of questions your student might want to ask – or you might want to ask if your student won’t. (Remember, there are no right or wrong answers – just information to be gathered.)

[Continue Reading →]

This is the first of two posts about parent participation in admissions visits to colleges.  The college visit is an important part of the college admissions process, but parents may not be sure how best to participate in and maximize that visit.  This first post suggests some things parents should think about as they prepare for and make the college visit.  Our next post offers some specific suggestions to get both parents and students started thinking about productive questions to ask during a visit.

One of the most important steps in the college admissions process is the campus visit.  Your student will need to see and get a feeling for a campus before making a final decision about whether a school is right for him.  Although the decision ultimately belongs to the student, as a parent, you also need to feel comfortable about the school.  Asking questions during the admissions visit is a great way to gather some of the information that you need to feel comfortable.  However, as with so many other considerations in the college process, parents walk a find line between being helpful and becoming intrusive.

Remember that the admissions process really does belong to your student.  It is important that you have a certain level of involvement, and provide a great deal of support, but it is crucial that you keep reminding yourself that it is not your process.  This is equally true of the campus visit.  While it is important that you go along if possible, your student is the person who needs to make the final decision.  What seems like the absolutely ideal environment to you may just not feel right to your student.  There is a reality to the chemistry that happens when a certain campus just plain “feels right”.  However, even though you may be peripheral to this visit, there are some important ways in which you can be involved.

[Continue Reading →]