College Experiences That Lead to Well-Being After Graduation (Part 3): Making the Most of a Mentor

October 4, 2022July 21, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

This is the third in a series of articles about experiences in college that can affect graduates’ engagement and well-being after college. Read the first in the series here, and the second here.

A recent poll of nearly 30,000 college graduates conducted jointly by Purdue University and Gallup, Inc. looked at the relationship between college experiences and college graduates’ lives post-graduation. The study examined workplace engagement and graduates’ sense of well-being as well as factors influencing students’ life while in college.

According to the results of this study, six factors emerged as important influences on graduates’ engagement and well-being. Over the next six weeks, our series, College Experiences That Lead to Well-Being After Graduation will examine each of these factors and how students can take control of their college experiences to make sure that they participate in the activities in college which will help them in the future. We hope parents will share these ideas with their college students to help them work to pursue these important experiences.

Parenting College Students: Reading List #4

March 17, 2017July 17, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

This post includes a list of twelve books of interest to parents of college students. We’ve previously published a list of fourteen titles, another list of twelve additional titles, and still another list of fourteen titles which you might want to check out. There are certainly even more resources available, but these lists should give parents a good start on more than enough material to support them through the college years. All of the books have different styles and approaches, so it is important to find the books which resonate for you.

We are not necessarily endorsing these books, but we’d like to help you find material available. You won’t want to read them all, but you might look for some titles and approaches that intrigue you.

Over the next few months, we will continue to review some of these books to provide a bit more guidance about their content and perspective. Check our ”Reviews” category to see what we’ve reviewed so far. Happy reading!

College Experiences That Lead to Well-Being After Graduation (Part 2): Having Someone Care

February 21, 2021July 14, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

This is the second in a series of articles about experiences in college that can affect graduates’ engagement and well-being after college. Read the first in the series here.

My professors at college cared about me as a person.

Less than a third of graduates in this study, 27%, strongly agreed with the above statement. Obviously, this means that the large majority of students who attend college do not feel that they make a strong enough connection with their faculty members for the professor to care about them as a person.

Is Your Student Getting Cold Feet About Going to College?

July 19, 2018July 10, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Your student has been planning to attend college. Your student was excited about the prospect of attending college. Perhaps your student has already been accepted to college. Perhaps, it’s only a few weeks until your student leaves for college. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it can happen anytime during the college process. Your student is suddenly struck with second thoughts and decides she doesn’t want to go.

If your student has just announced that she doesn’t want to attend college after all, you may be dumbfounded. It was such a long hard process to apply and be accepted to college. What happened? What changed her mind? What do you do now?

Perhaps the first thing that you should do as a parent is to stop and take a breath — even before you say anything. Don’t panic. Postponing the college experiences may be a very good thing for your student — or it may not. Here are some things for you and your student to consider and discuss that might help both of you decide what to do next.

College Experiences That Lead to Well-Being After Graduation (Part 1): Getting Excited About Learning

March 18, 2017July 7, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Taking Control of Your College Experiences Now Can Increase Your Well-Being After College

July 1, 2014June 30, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Did you know that there are some things that college students can do while in college that can help them enjoy workplace engagement and a meaningful life after college? We’d like to talk about that over the next six weeks.

According to the results of this study, six factors emerged as important influences on graduates’ engagement and well-being. Graduates who responded positively to the following six statements had a greater chance of experiencing strong workplace engagement and well-being after college.

Are You Sending a Shy Student to College?

May 18, 2021June 23, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

As parents, we’re all at least a little nervous as we send our student off to college for the first time. And students are nervous, too, even if they don’t admit it. But if the student we’re about to send off is shy, we may have more than the usual concerns. Will my student make friends? Will my student participate in class? Will my student communicate with her professors? Will my student get involved?

If you have a shy student, chances are that these are not new concerns. You’ve lived with these issues before, but they are magnified as you contemplate sending your student off to be on their own at college. You’re not going to change your student’s personality, and you’re not going to be there to help directly, but you might help them think about feelings and suggest a few things that might help.

Shy or introvert?

One place to start may be for you and your student to think about the difference between being shy and being introverted. Many people consider these the same thing, and they are often related, but they are not the same.

Is Your College Student Preparing Now for a Meaningful Life After College?

September 27, 2021June 9, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

College is really just a stop along the path to the rest of your life. With all of the anxiety about college admission, getting into the ”right” college, and succeeding in school, we sometimes forget that these four years simply lead students to the next phase of their lives. But what happens in college certainly affects that next phase. Surprising new information indicates that it is the experiences that the student has — many of which are in his control — that may matter more than where the student attends school

A research study, conducted jointly by Purdue University and Gallup, Inc. attempted to look at the relationship between college experiences and college graduates’ lives post-graduation. The study was conducted early in 2014 and surveyed nearly 30,000 U.S. adults who had completed at least a bachelor’s degree.

The Gallup-Purdue study attempted to examine workplace engagement and current well-being of college graduates. Workplace engagement was defined as being” deeply involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work” and well-being/thriving was defined as ”strong, consistent, and progressing in all areas of their well-being.” Isn’t this what we want for our children as they become adults?

Three Steps to Take If Your College Student Is Forced to Change Major

March 7, 2020June 5, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

Statistics tell us that as many as 75% of college students will change their major during college. Some 10% of students may change their major as many as four times. That is a lot of shifting. However, when we think about students changing their major, we usually think about students changing their mind, discovering a new passion, finding a new field or career interest. What the statistics do not tell us is how many students may change their major — not through their choice: they are not opting out, the choice is being made for them.

Some majors at some colleges and universities have entrance requirements. Other majors have minimum GPA requirements in order to remain in that major. A student who has not done well in one or more courses required for a particular major may be blocked from the major, denied admission to the major, or dismissed from the major. Many departments institute these requirements because they know, from years of experience, that students who fall below these standards will ultimately not succeed. From the college’s viewpoint this makes sense for your student. However, you, and your student, wonder — what happens now? It can be a heartbreaking, and perhaps frightening, situation.

Managing Time, Managing Self: College Freshman Challenge — Part 2

November 26, 2021June 2, 2014 by Vicki Nelson

This post is a continuation of our previous post, which focused on time management as an important college skill. We continue the discussion here by focusing on how students can manage their behavior as well as their time.

College students are told over and over again that one of the secrets to success in school is a good system of time management. And with only 24 hours a day and 168 hours a week, managing time is important. In the case of outstanding students, the old principle often holds true — ”If you want something done, ask the busiest person around.” Some students just seem to be in control of their lives and their success.

Time management is important, but even more important may be the ability for self-management or priority management. The difficulty is not always in getting organized and coming up with a plan to get everything done, it is in making sure that you stick to the plan. Students often fall prey to the three big enemies of self-management — procrastination, interruptions, and distractions.