Your College Student: The New Beloit Mindset List — Class of 2016

March 16, 2017September 17, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

As parents of traditional college age children, we know that our children live in a different world. Intellectually, we know that the world changes — ever faster — and that our children have grown up with many different experiences than we’ve had. Sometimes, however, we forget — or just plain don’t realize — how different that world truly is.

Each year Beloit College releases The Beloit College Mindset List. Since the list was first published in 1998, in addition to providing college professors a chuckle, it has also proved to be an eye-opening look at ”the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college” that year. The list was originated by Beloit professor Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief as a reminder to faculty members that many references used in class might be outdated, but it has become a much more comprehensive look at the worldview of current college students.

We include here, for your consideration, amusement and possible consternation, a few of the items that are true for current college students in the class of 2016, most of whom were born in 1994. (You may view the entire lists, by year, at www.beloit.edu/mindset.) If you sometimes wonder why you feel as though you don’t know your college-age student, read on.

A Picture of College Parenting

March 14, 2022August 13, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

For many of us, the expression that ”a picture is worth a thousand words” is very true. An image often sticks with us and helps us to understand an idea more clearly. Poets understand this as they use metaphors to give impact and emotion to their work.

We’d like to suggest four metaphors, or images, that we think represent some of the important principles of college parenting. See if they have meaning or strike a chord for you as you think about your relationship with your college student and your role as a parent in the college experience.

13 Active Ways to Be a Better Roommate

July 22, 2019July 12, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

The roommate issue looms large for most entering college students. Students and their parents worry about who their roommate will be, whether they will like each other, whether they will get along. Most students heading off to college have never shared a bedroom with someone else. When that bedroom is also your living room, kitchen, den and recreation room, the prospect of sharing that small space with someone else causes many students concern.

Much has been written to help students get along with roommates. We’ve written earlier posts on how roommates are matched, helping your student prepare for living with a roommate, and even the value of some conflict with a roommate. Much of what is written, however, focuses on what to expect from a roommate and how to react to potential problems.

We’d like to suggest a more proactive approach. Rather than focusing on how to deal with a roommate, we’d like to suggest 13 things your student can do to make sure that they are being the best possible roommate. Rather than thinking about what to expect from a roommate, help your student think about how their behavior might be perceived. Discussing some of these things with your student before they head to college may help them know how to take action to make their living situation better.

Twelve Reasons Why Your College Student May Want to Stay On Campus for the Summer

March 21, 2022June 7, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

You’ve been waiting anxiously for your college student’s semester to end so that he can return home for the summer. It has been a long year, and although you know that his return home may come with some issues, you’re looking forward to spending more time with him. But he calls, or writes, or shares during a visit home that he plans to stay at college for the summer. Why, you wonder, would your student rather spend his summer away at college instead of returning home?

There are varying reasons why some students choose to stay at school over one summer — or several summers. It may be important that you help your student explore her reasons to be sure that she is making a wise decision — and so that you will be able to understand her reasoning.

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.

How Is Your College Student’s Work/School Balance? Four Factors You and Your Student Should Consider

January 7, 2022February 13, 2012 by Vicki Nelson

This article was updated in January 2022.

The increasing cost of college suggests that it may be necessary for more full-time students to work — and that more students who work are working more. College students may feel that they need to work more, and parents may wonder whether or not their college student should get a job while in college. But before you and your student make any decisions about whether or not to work while at school, and how much to work, have some conversations about the realities, the benefits, and the challenges of working while attending college full time.

One of the first things to consider is whether or not the perception is accurate that more students are working more. According to a study by the Bureau of Economic Research, the average weekly hours spent working by full time undergraduates decreased in the early 2000’s . This may seem odd during these days of higher and higher tuition costs. According to this study, between the 1970’s and the year 2000, the number of hours spent working at paid employment by full time college students rose steadily then leveled off between 2000 and 2008 at about 11 hours per week. From 2009 to 2013, the number decreased to about 8 hours per week and has now risen again. (These averages include students who do not work at all, so the number of hours worked by students who do work are actually somewhat higher.)

Ten New Year’s Connections for Your College Student

March 17, 2017December 26, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

In our next two posts, we have some thoughts about New Year’s Resolutions for college parents and for college students. This post offers something for college parents to share with their college students. Our next post offers some resolution thinking for college parents.

This is the time of year for reflection. It is often a hopeful time of year. As the calendar year ends, many of us spend some time thinking about the past year and making some plans and resolutions for the new year. The start of a new calendar year is often also a doubly new start for college students who will start a new semester. This is an excellent time for parents and students together to think about how to make this next semester, and next year, even better than the past one.

Helping Your Student Stay on Track to Graduate in Four Years

March 18, 2017November 14, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

In our last post, we suggested that one question that your student should ask every semester is ”Am I on track to graduate in four years?” If your student is not definitively able to answer this question for himself, he should find someone who can help him find the information that he needs to be able to evaluate whether he is on track. As a college parent, it is important that you encourage your student to ask the question and find the answer, but it is not your job to answer the question. With your encouragement, or perhaps insistence, your student needs to take ownership of his college career.

Asking the question, ”Am I on track . . .” at least once each semester will help your student know how he is progressing. He’ll need to consider his progress in accomplishing required credits, completing all college requirements, completing requirements for his major, maintaining a satisfactory GPA, and completing any additional curricular or extracurricular college requirements.

How to Make Your Parents’ Weekend Visit a Success

March 25, 2017September 20, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

Parents’ Weekend at your student’s college may be just around the corner. This may be your first opportunity to visit your freshman at his college. He may or may not have been home for a visit already, but whether he’s been home or not, your first visit to his new home away from home can feel like a momentous occasion.

Parents’ Weekend is a wonderful opportunity for you and your student to spend some time together. Each school organizes the event a bit differently, but the overall purpose and format are often similar. Read an overview of Parents’ Weekend to understand better what to expect.

Helicopter Parents Are Big Topic

March 25, 2017September 17, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

As college students headed back to school this fall, Merriam Webster announced that “helicopter parent” was now an entry in their dictionary. Helicopter Parents are an important topic. Those same parents may now be dealing with the Empty Nest Syndrome.

I was privileged to be a guest this fall on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Joy Cardin show as together we explored the topics of helicopter parents and empty nests. For those of us sending our students off to college, there’s lots of food for thought during this interview.

Listen to the Wisconsin Public Radio interview and then let us know your thoughts. Have you just sent someone off to college? Do you consider yourself a helicopter parent? How are you coping with your empty nest?