What is Add/Drop or Course Shopping Period?

January 22, 2019January 10, 2011 by Vicki Nelson

If your college student tells you that she is ”course shopping”, you may wonder just what she is doing. If your student lets you know that he is dropping a course, you may worry that he won’t be taking enough credits. If your student tells you that she is making an enrollment change, you might wonder what kind of change she is indicating. If all of this happens in the first two or three weeks of a new semester, it is part of the normal movement that often happens in courses as a new term begins. It may be helpful, as a college parent, for you to understand the Add/Drop or Enrollment Change period.

Most colleges have a period at the beginning of each semester during which students can drop courses from their schedule and/or add new courses to their schedule (if space is available) without penalty. There is no financial cost, and courses dropped will not appear on the student’s transcript; they simply go away. The length of this period will depend on the policies of the institution, but generally may be anywhere from one to three weeks. Sometimes students may have a slightly longer period to drop courses than to add courses. Again, depending on the procedures of the institution, courses may be added or dropped online, or students may need to obtain signatures of instructors and/or their advisor to make a change.

What Do Employers Want From Your College Student? A Liberal Education

March 18, 2017December 30, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

There are many opinions proposed, many surveys taken, much research done regarding what employers want and expect from college graduates. The answers may vary over the years, and may vary depending on profession or field of study. Some skills may be very specific and others more broad.

College students often do not consider the actual skills that employers want. Students may be thinking in terms of all-college requirements, requirements in their major, and possibly a minor, and what they need to do to graduate. They often miss the connections between what they are doing in college and what they will need to do once they graduate — especially regarding those courses outside of their major.

As a college parent, you may want to talk with your student about what he is learning. Ask him about the skills he is gaining in his classes. Ask him about internships and real world application of his learning. Help him explore connections between his learning and his goals. Help him explore the meaning of a Liberal Education. The more that your student, and you, understand and consider the meaning of his college education, the more easily he will be able to apply his learning to his life.

Talking to Your College Student About Grades

December 13, 2019December 23, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Obviously, grades are a big part of the college experience. Students attend college for many reasons, but classroom experiences, and the grades that go along with those experiences, are an important measure of college outcomes. Some students seem to care more than others about their grades, but all college students know that they matter. Families, too, differ in how they view college grades. Some parents are anxious to hear about every test or paper; others may not be interested in grades as long as they are passable.

Starting a conversation with your son or daughter about grades may be completely natural for some parents and more awkward for others. But talking to your student about their grades is important. Don’t take them for granted or assume that all is well if you don’t hear anything. Remember that in college, grades go to the student rather than parents. Your student has ultimate responsibility for their grades, but it is reasonable for you to ask to talk about them. This is especially important if your college student is a new college student in their first or second semester. Help your student consider what their grades may mean and what they can learn from them.

Colleges Are Working to Keep Your Student Enrolled

March 18, 2017November 26, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

Retention is not a new topic, but it is an important topic for colleges. Your student’s college wants him to stay enrolled. It is good for your student, and obviously, it is good for the college. Many students transfer to a different college — often after a semester, a year, or two years. Roughly 55% of students who start college finish school in six years at the same school. There are hundreds of reasons why a student may transfer, some of which are better than others.

If your student talks about transferring, it is important that you help her think about her reasons. Talk to her about whether things will be different in a different place, or whether she might make some changes in her approach in her current school. Many students consider a transfer at some point during their first or second year, but many choose to remain where they are. As you and your student think about the transfer question, keep in mind that most colleges are working hard to help your student succeed and find satisfaction. Your student chose this college initially, and the college selected your student. The college wants this to work. Your student might think about whether she is taking advantage of all of the opportunities provided.

Reasons Why Your College Student May Need to Come Home for a Weekend

June 23, 2012November 12, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

There are many important reasons why you should encourage your student to stay on campus on the weekends and not come home every weekend. Research indicates that those students who are engaged and involved on campus not only do better in school, but also experience higher satisfaction with the college experience. It is important to help your student understand why she should not return home most weekends if that is an option.

However, if your student attends school at a distance that makes coming home for a weekend a possibility, there are some reasons why an occasional visit home for a weekend may make sense.

College Parenting With the College Calendar

September 10, 2021October 16, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

As a college parent, or pre-college parent, you probably used the calendar diligently to watch the deadlines for college fairs and open houses, college applications, financial aid forms, deposit deadlines, and housing deadlines. Now that your student is actually in college, you may be thinking largely in terms of first and last days and breaks when your student will be home.

Hopefully, your college student is paying attention to important dates on the college calendar, and on his class syllabi, to keep track of his own important deadlines. For parents, however, keeping an eye on the college calendar will help gather a sense of the rhythm of the college semester and year. Taking note of important dates will help spark important conversations with your college student and give you a snapshot of some of his activities.

Your student’s college may send a copy of the year’s calendar home, but it is also almost always posted on the college’s website. Many colleges update the online calendar frequently and include all of the activities happening on campus. Try to make it a habit to check the calendar, and to use the information there to help you understand your student’s world. Here are a few suggestions of things to watch for and think about.

Thinking About Your College Student’s Finances

June 15, 2021September 26, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

College is expensive. We all know it. Parents and students alike think a lot about college finances. Some parents and students need to work harder than others on making a college education possible. There is a lot of thought given to, and a lot written about, how to finance a college education. Parents and students work to understand the right choice of college, financial aid packages, scholarships, FAFSA forms, work-study jobs, grants, and loans. But beyond these big financial concerns come the smaller day-to-day decisions that students make to help make ends meet as they navigate their way through college.

Your College Student’s Worldview — The Beloit Mindset List

March 16, 2017September 12, 2010 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. These are taken from the last four Mindset lists. So if your student was born between 1989 and 1992, consider some of the following. (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.

Helping Your College Student Increase Their Chances of Success

September 14, 2021September 9, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

As a college parent, we want nothing more than for our college student to be successful in college. Although that success may look different to different parents and families, important measures of success for most of us are certainly competence, grades, happiness, and a job after college.

Students are responsible for their own behavior in college. As parents, we have raised them and prepared them for their college journey. We continue to be involved and to support our student, but they must make their own decisions and take responsibility for their actions. Our role, as a parent, changes. However, as the coach on the sidelines, we can do much to suggest options to our student which will help guide them toward success. Some students may need more reminding and guiding than others, and students will make choices which will determine their path.

We’d like to suggest some choices and actions that you can encourage in your college student to help them increase their chances of a successful college experience. Of course, there is no magic bullet, and sometimes even those students who make all of the right choices may hit rough patches, but these suggestions may help to guide your student toward success and increased confidence. Encourage your student to consider some of the following.

Understanding Your College Student’s Class Schedule

August 12, 2019September 6, 2010 by Vicki Nelson

College is different from high school in many ways. Both students and parents expect there to be differences, but they may be unsure of exactly what those differences are.

One of the major academic differences between students’ high school lives and their college lives has to do with the student’s schedule of classes. Students will spend less time in class. Typically, high school students spend approximately six or seven hours a day in class — that’s approximately 30 – 35 hours per week. College students may spend between twelve and fifteen hours per week in class. Because college students spend so much less time in class, they are expected to do the bulk of their academic work outside of class. College students who are clear about the difference have a much better chance of academic success in college.

A second major change regarding a college student’s schedule is that the student has much more control over, and therefore responsibility for, their own schedule. One very important task that each college student faces each semester is choosing their classes for the following semester. It is exciting for students to consider the wide array of classes from which they may choose, but also intimidating to consider the implications of making the appropriate — or inappropriate choices.

Students usually plan their schedule in consultation with their Academic Advisor, but students then may make last minute changes. Unfortunately, some students may make changes that are not in their best interest in the long run.

As parents of college students, we may feel that we should have some input. Discussing your college student’s class choices is always a good thing. Having a conversation with your college student about their schedule may be enlightening for both of you. It will help you to understand your student’s interests and goals, and it may help your student clarify their thinking as you talk about decisions.