How to Support Your Student Who May Be Taking a Break from College

July 31, 2019January 11, 2013 by Vicki Nelson

Fewer students than ever are taking the direct path from high school into college with graduation in four years from the same institution. Students defer enrollment, take a gap year before starting, take a gap year during college, transfer, stop out, or simply do not finish. Some college officials refer to this process of student movement as ”swirling.”

Although the majority of students still enter college and remain until they graduate in four or five years, some students decide to take a break from school at some point. For some students, this is a thoughtful decision. Other students may not have a choice as they do not succeed and are dismissed, or have health, financial, or family issues that force them to stop out for a while.

If your student is one of those who may be taking some time away from school, you may have questions and concerns. You and your student will need to discuss these concerns, as well as your student’s reasons and plans for using this time away.

Academically Dismissed from College? Time for a Reset

December 27, 2022January 3, 2013 by Vicki Nelson

Your student headed off to college with a bit of trepidation, but with high hopes. You were excited and had visions of Commencement down the road. Neither of you anticipated your student struggling and ultimately being dismissed. But it happens. It happens more often than most parents imagine. Our most popular post is our earlier What to Do If Your Student Is Academically Dismissed from College. This post has also received more comments than any other post on College Parent Central. That means academic dismissal is on the minds and hearts of a lot of parents and students.

This is the first of two additional posts about academic dismissal. We recommend our earlier post as well. In this post we’ll address some of the causes and concerns that students and parents have around dismissal. In our next post, we suggest some things to consider as you and your student move forward.

Feeling Lost

There is a common theme to comments on our earlier dismissal post. Students and their parents feel lost, helpless, and overwhelmed. One student said, ”This whole thing has been giving me nightmares.” Still another desperately said, ”Would someone please help me?” Students and parents may or may not have seen this coming, but the final word feels like a virtual punch in the stomach.

What is a “Satisfactory Academic Progress” Policy for Financial Aid?

June 4, 2021December 8, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

Have you heard the term ”Satisfactory Academic Progress” or SAP? SAP pertains to financial aid eligibility and discussions of the policy are a result of federal regulations incorporated into the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, which require students to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to continue to receive federal financial aid. This federal aid includes all Direct Student Loans, Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans and Parent PLUS Loans.

Changes to this regulation are designed to prevent students from indefinitely continuing to receive federal aid and to ensure “program integrity.” Essentially, it is intended to prevent a school from allowing your student to continue to accumulate debt while not making adequate progress toward the finish line.

The primary change to this law is a no tolerance policy which no longer allows for an automatic warning period with continuation of aid. In other words, at many institutions in the past, students who failed to meet SAP policy standards were granted an automatic grace period during which time they could work towards returning to good standing while still receiving aid. New regulations require that students who fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress automatically lose their aid immediately.

Should My College Student Withdraw From College?

November 11, 2021October 25, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

Your college student headed off to college with high hopes and aspirations. They may have given it their best effort and something interfered, or they may not have understood what was going to be required. Or it is possible that something totally unexpected has interrupted your student’s momentum. Whatever the reason, it is possible that your student is now struggling and wondering what to do next.

Your student may be considering withdrawing from college — not at the end of a semester, but now, part way into a term. You may be wondering whether they have options, and whether the choice to withdraw is the best decision. It is not an easy question to answer. You and your student should have some frank talk about their reasons and about the implications of their decisions. We’d like to give you some food for thought — and for discussion. You and your student will need to consider your student’s reasons for wanting to withdraw (or your reasons for wanting them to withdraw), some pros and some cons, and finally, some important things you’ll need to investigate and consider.

Mid-semester: Time For Your College Student to Re-evaluate

October 13, 2022October 20, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

Mid-Semester. It’s a time of stress for college students. It is also a time when your student can both look backward and look forward. A lot has happened in the first half of the semester, but there is also an entire second half to either build on the successes of the first half or turn things around.

As a college parent, you may or may not know exactly what your student’s situation is. They may or may not share their midterm grades, concerns, or behaviors with you. This is a good time to ask some important questions and to do a lot of listening — not just to the words, but to the messages between the lines. All of your communication skills will come in handy.

This is often a time of decisions for students. How do I build on what I’ve learned? How can I change direction? Should I move on or take a break?

Eight Campus Resources Your College Student Should Know

March 9, 2021May 18, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

Many students heading off to college are thrilled by the prospect of their new-found independence. Although they may be nervous about heading away from home, they are excited about being on their own. However, with this new independence comes the pressure to succeed on their own as well. One important message that parents can give their student heading off to campus is the understanding that asking for help from appropriate sources does not mean that the student is no longer independent, and it does not mean failure.

Many college students hesitate or delay asking for help for many different reasons. Some may feel the need to prove themselves — either to themselves or to family and friends. Some students feel that needing help admits failure. Some do not recognize that they need help. Some do not know how to advocate for themselves or to go about asking for the help that they need. Still others, however, may not be aware of the all of the help and support that is usually available on campus.

As college parents, you can help. One of the first things that parents can do is to help students recognize when they need help. This may mean asking the right questions and probing if you sense that something might be wrong. The second thing parents must do, however, is to help students understand that, while parents are important for emotional support, they may not be the best source of specific help for college issues. Your job, as a college parent, may simply be (although it is often never simple) to direct your student to find the appropriate sources of help on campus.

Five Steps to Help Your College Student Turn Around a Poor Semester

October 13, 2019March 12, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

Perhaps your student has received their midterm grades and is worried. Or perhaps your student has talked with their professors and has been warned that things aren’t going well. Or perhaps your student simply knows that they haven’t done what they needed to do so far this semester and things look bleak.

However your student determines that the first half of the semester has gone poorly, they may be wondering whether it is too late to turn things around. Your student may share their situation with you or may worry about how you will react. Encourage your student to share their situation honestly with you. Help them understand that you want to do whatever you can to help them have a successful experience.

A Five Step Plan to Help Your College Student to Salvage a Poor Semester

November 26, 2021November 7, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

As many college students pass the mid-point in their semester, they begin to realize that the final results this term may not be what they had hoped for. This is a point in the term when some students give up. They may decide to withdraw from a class or drop out of college entirely; or they may simply drift through the rest of the term and wait for the inevitable failure or dismissal. Some students, however, wonder whether they can salvage something from the term to build on later.

If your student is struggling at this point, and is willing to share their situation with you, you want to be able to help them value their mistakes and think about what to do — both immediately and more long term.

First, it will be important that your student decide whether or not they want to salvage anything. Your student may not, and that may prompt a different conversation. But if they want to try, you may need to help them think about whether it is possible and if so, what to do. Many students in this situation feel that they have lost control of what is happening in their lives. The following plan may help them begin to take control once again.

Time for Your College Student to Take Stock, Look Back, and Move Forward — 31 Helpful Posts for November

March 17, 2017November 3, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

As November arrives and we enter the season of holidays, your college student is well past the mid-point of the semester. If your student was a new, first-year student this fall, she is probably feeling that she is past the transition period. If your student is not a new college student, the mid-point of another semester is one more step closer to graduation.

Now that the end of the semester may be in sight, the hard work of the semester also settles heavily on students’ shoulders. Students may also be facing the consequences of some of the choices that they made earlier in the semester, and may need to make some decisions now about the future. This is a good time to take stock, look back, and move forward.

When Your College Student Has a Problem with a Professor

September 21, 2021October 31, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Hopefully, your college student has a good working relationship with their class professors. The relationship between a college student and their professors, in addition to the formal teaching done in the classroom, is often an important mentoring opportunity. Of course, having a good relationship doesn’t necessarily mean that each professor will be on your student’s list of favorite people, but hopefully, they have at least found how to make each course work.

But what does your student do if things go wrong with their professor? What if they have a serious problem that seems to be getting in the way of success in a course? What do they do then? Perhaps they pick up the phone and call home. This would be a good time to provide that important listening ear, and perhaps some sympathy, but it is definitely not the time for you to pick up the phone and call anyone at school. This is an important time to help your student think through the situation, consider alternatives, and create a plan of action.