Affirming ”Helicopter Parents”: Redefining the Title

This is the first of three posts that consider the concept of college helicopter parents.  The concept is certainly not new, but it warrants continual examination – and sometimes redefinition.  In this post, we look at the definition of helicopter parents, as well as some of the motivation behind parental hovering.  In our next post, we will examine who helicopter parents are and how they operate, and in our final post, we will consider the consequences of helicoptering and suggest some possible ways in which parents might hover productively.

 Helicopter parents have a poor reputation.  Actually, that is probably a polite way of putting it.  In most of the higher education world, when the term “helicopter parents” is used, it is not used kindly.  Even parents who engage in “helicoptering” don’t like to identify themselves as such, “I don’t want to be a helicopter parent, but . . . ”  The truth is that many parents do hover, but some do it better than others.  The concept itself isn’t necessarily bad, but the extremists have given it a bad name.  Perhaps what needs to happen is that more parents need to redefine what it means to be a helicopter parent and learn to do their hovering productively.

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What Parents Can Do To Support Their College Student Studying Abroad

This is the third of a series of three posts about college students and studying abroad.  In the first post we looked at some of the reasons why a study abroad program might make sense for your college student.  In the second post, we considered how to help your student prepare to go abroad, and in this final post we look at what to do while he is away.

Your college student has headed off confidently (or perhaps with a bit of trepidation) on her study abroad experience.  You are proud of her, excited for her, and perhaps, a bit concerned for her.  You know that the experience is important and wonderful for her, but you are a parent and you worry.  Here are a few suggestions of things that you can do to help ease the transition – for her – and for you.

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Helping Your College Student Prepare To Study Abroad

This is the second of a series of three posts about college students and studying abroad.  In the first post we looked at some of the reasons why a study abroad program might make sense for your college student.  In this post, we consider how to help your student prepare to go abroad, and in the final post we’ll look at what to do while he is away.

Now that your student has decided to study abroad and has chosen an appropriate program, the real preparation begins.  There is much to do to get ready for this new and exciting experience.  As the college parent, your role will be largely supportive, but your involvement will be crucial.  Working with your student to ensure the best experience possible can be rewarding for both of you.  Remember, though, that your student needs to be in charge of preparations.  This is good practice for the independence that he will need while he is away.

Here are some suggestions of ways in which you might be helpful.

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Understanding Why Your Son Or Daughter Wants to Study Abroad

This is the first of a series of three posts about college students and studying abroad.  In this post we’ll look at some of the reasons that a study abroad program might make sense for your college student.  In the following two posts, we’ll consider how to help your student prepare to go abroad, and what to do while he is away.

We live today in a global society.  Worldwide knowledge and experiences are becoming expected in the workplace.  Many students consider studying abroad and look forward to the opportunity to spend some time in a foreign country during their college years.  This experience may take the form of a summer program, an organized college trip, or a semester or year abroad.  For many college parents, understanding their student’s desire to spend a year far away in another country seems obvious, while for others it make take some work.

As a parent, you may understand completely why your student wants to study abroad – in fact you may be envious of the experience.  Your student may have talked about and planned for this experience even prior to attending college.  On the other hand, perhaps you hadn’t considered this, and you may be wondering why your student, who worked so hard to transition to college and settle in, would want to uproot, even for a semester, to do it all again.  The more that you work to understand your student’s motivation for studying abroad, the more you will be able to discuss his options with him.

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The Path To Graduation: The Fast Track

In our last post, we discussed students who may need to take longer than the traditional four years to complete their college degree.  In this post, we look at students who choose to accelerate their college experience to finish early.

In addition to those students who may take longer than the traditional four years to complete their degree, there are a growing number of students who may decide to attempt to complete their college education in less than four years.  Students who finish in three or three and a half years may save on tuition fees.  They have the opportunity to get started working in their chosen field earlier.  However, these students may also need to give up some of the traditional college experiences in order to be able to complete their degree early.

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The Path To Graduation: What’s Your Student’s Timeline?

Your student has graduated from high school and is headed off to college, and you are picturing that next commencement ceremony in another four years.  Or perhaps your student has been in college for a year or two and you see that commencement just around the corner.  When your student walks across that stage it will be a big moment, and you are anxious for the celebration – and the last tuition bill.

But there is a possibility that your student’s college commencement may not be exactly four years after high school graduation.

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College Parents Can Help Freshmen Understand the Differences Between High School and College

Both you and your almost college freshman have been looking forward to the start of college for a long time.  Both you and he are excited, emotional, and most likely a bit nervous.  One of the concerns that many students and their parents share is wondering whether the student will be able to succeed in his schoolwork at the college level.  You know that he is capable, he’s done well in high school, he’s anxious to do well, but you still have some concerns.  The world of college is a new arena – with new approaches, new expectations, and new standards.

You can help your college student make a good start in college by helping him to consider some of the differences between high school and college.  College will not simply be “more of the same thing” as high school.  One of the secrets to success in college for some of the best students is that they make the adjustment to the differences.  Here are some of the things that you and your college freshman might think about as she prepares for her first semester.

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How College Parents Can Help Their College Student Avoid Sophomore Slump

This is the second of two posts on the phenomenon of sophomore slump, the difficulty that many students experience during their second year of college.  In the first post we examined some of the reasons that students may encounter a slump.  In this post, we look specifically at some things that parents can do to help their students during this time.

Once our college students complete that tumultuous first year of college, they face their sophomore year and the changes that it brings.  As college parents, we can help our sophomore students by realizing that, for many students, the concept of sophomore slump really does exist.  Our sophomore students may need just as much support from home, even though that need may be less obvious.

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Will My College Student Experience A Sophomore Slump?

This is the first of two posts on the phenomenon of sophomore slump, the difficulty that many students experience during their second year of college.  In this post we will examine some of the reasons that students may encounter a slump.  In our next post, we’ll look specifically at some things that parents can do to help their students during this time.

College administrators and faculty, and college parents, place a lot of emphasis on the transition to college and the first-year experience.  We all know that these new college students, and their parents, will be undergoing a tremendous transition as they enter the world of college.  Colleges run orientation programs, offer special classes and seminars for first-year students, communicate directly with these new students with encouragement and reminders, and often have a “let it go” attitude when new students make mistakes or miss deadlines.

Once our college students complete that tumultuous first year of college, they face their sophomore year and the changes that it brings.  As college parents, we can help our sophomore students by realizing that the concept of sophomore slump really does exist.  Our sophomore students may need just as much support from home, even though that need may be less obvious.

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Why You Should Encourage Your College Student to Use Their College E-Mail

girl holding cell phone

Our college students are members of the internet generation.  They live with social media, and they use the internet for their source of music and entertainment.  However, many of today’s college students do not turn to e-mail as a source of communication.  Most students do have an e-mail account, but many don’t check it often.  If they want to reach their friends, they text, or tweet, or post on Facebook or some other social media site.  In spite of this, most colleges assign students an official e-mail account, and use that account to communicate important information to the student.  Encouraging your student to begin to check their college e-mail account frequently will ensure that they don’t miss important information.

Here are some important reminders about why it is important for your student to use their college e-mail account.

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