Month: May 2013

Why Studying the Arts Can Help Your Student Succeed in College

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Has your student studied music, dance, art, or some other art form throughout her school career?  Is she considering continuing to study in college – perhaps not as a major, but just for pleasure?  As they enter college, many students, and their families, are focused on academic subjects, choosing a major, and aiming for a career.  It is a good thing to be focused, but your student should also keep in mind that college is a time of exploration and expanding horizons.  While it is important that your student have goals and keep her eye on those goals, it is also important that she balance her life with the things that she enjoys.

The importance of studying the arts, however, goes well beyond the simple enjoyment and fulfillment that your student may gain.  There are some very specific benefits that your student will gain from studying the arts.  If he has already spent years studying some form of the arts, your student has already gained some of these benefits.  Encourage him to continue, if he is interested, and the benefits can only be greater.

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Seven Conversations to Have With Your College Sophomore – Part 2

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This is the second of two posts about working with your sophomore student.  Be sure to see our previous post with the first three conversations with your college sophomore.

As parents, we worry about our high school senior’s transition to college.  We know that there is work to be done during the summer before that freshman year.  We’ve suggested some important conversations – and then even more conversations – for you to have with your student during that summer before college.

As your student moves past the first, transitional year, it may be important to talk with him about what to expect during that potential sophomore slump.  Knowing that the second year of college may be significantly different and preparing for some changes will arm your student and possibly prevent some difficult times.  This is a good time to have some specific conversations with your student now that he has some perspective on college life and studies.  We’d like to suggest seven possible topics.  Of course, not all topics are appropriate for everyone.  Our last post considered three topics you and your student might discuss.  Here are four more.

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Seven Conversations to Have With Your College Sophomore – Part 1

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As parents, we worry about our high school senior’s transition to college.  We know that this is a big step and we hope that our student is prepared.  We know that there is work to be done during the summer before that freshman year.  We’ve written earlier posts about some important conversations – and then even more conversations – for you to have with your student during that summer before college.

But even after your student has made those important first transitions to college, there are more changes ahead.  Each year of college brings its own phase of development, and the phenomenon of the “sophomore slump” is very real for many students.  Parents may be less comfortable with knowing what conversations they should be having with their student who may be moving on to the second year of college, but the work isn’t done.

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Book Review: Don’t Bite Your Tongue – How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children

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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 and beyond.  We’ve offered some lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. Check out our Resources and Tools page for suggestions.

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.

In this review, we’ll take a look at Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with your Adult Children by Dr. Ruth Nemzoff.

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