Why College Parents Might Be Interested in Student Engagement

January 3, 2022November 15, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Are you familiar with NSSE (pronounced ”Nessie”)? As a college parent, you may have looked at some NSSE results when your student was choosing a college. Or you may have heard from your college student that he has filled out a NSSE survey at his current school. More than likely, however, you may not be aware of NSSE. NSSE stands for the National Survey of Student Engagement, and as a college parent, it might be helpful to know something about it.

NSSE is an approximately ten year old, eighty-two question survey, conducted each year by researchers from Indiana University, which measures how students spend their time at college and what they gain from their college experiences. Over the life of the survey, more than 1400 colleges have participated at least once, and over 2.4 million students have been surveyed. Each year the survey is distributed to first year students and seniors at schools who choose to participate in the program. The results for 2009, released recently, come from students at more than 600 schools. The results of the NSSE survey are intended to help schools identify areas that may be improved in order to help students become more engaged in their learning.

Why You Should Encourage Your College Student to Get Involved on Campus

September 16, 2021November 8, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Most students go to college to learn. Most know, or at least soon discover, that their academic work at college will be different than the work that they did in high school. They are expected to spend more time studying and there is a higher level of thinking demanded. But the college years are also about other kinds of learning. Often much of this other learning happens outside of the classroom. College offers students opportunities to pursue old interests and to discover new interests. Unfortunately, too many college students pass up some of the opportunities that they have in college because they are too focused on either their academic life or their party life. Many worry that getting involved in activities or organizations on campus will distract them from their academic pursuits rather than enhance their academics.

Your college student is learning to find her own path during college. She will need to make her own choices. But as a college parent, you can encourage your student to take advantage of the many opportunities available on campus. Help her think about the benefits of getting involved in groups and activities that the college offers. Here are a few things to suggest that she consider.

Should My College Student Consider Withdrawing from a Class?

October 1, 2019October 25, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Your college student has received their midterm grades. They may be pleased and feeling relieved, or may have some cause for concern. Now is the time that your student needs to do some serious thinking about how they will approach the second half of the semester. If all of their grades are good then your student knows that they are on the right track. If some, or all, of their grades are weak, then it is time to think about a new approach.

Your college student may, or may not, share midterm grades with you. If your student has some low midterm grades, they may view this as a failure. You may need to help your student put these grades into perspective and make some decisions about the second half of the semester.

Withdrawing from a college class is not the same thing as dropping a class early in the term. At most institutions, students have an option in the first few days of the term of dropping a class. This is important for students who find that they are in the wrong level of a class, or that the class is inappropriate or of no interest to them. Classes that are dropped at the beginning of the term generally do not show up on the student’s permanent record. Withdrawing from a class later in the term usually results in a ”W” appearing on the student’s transcript. The ”W” has no effect on the student’s GPA (Grade Point Average).

What Are College Parental Notification Policies?

October 6, 2021October 13, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

As parents, we worry about our children when they head off to college. No matter how much we trust them, and respect them, and know in our minds that they will be fine, we are concerned about them. In some cases, we may be especially worried, or we may not completely trust them, because of a history of unwise behavior or questionable habits in high school. In either case, we worry because our children are not only away from us and on their own, possibly for the first time, but we also worry because we may not know when they are in trouble.

In 1974, Congress passed the Buckley Amendment, commonly referred to as the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which gave parents certain rights to their child’s educational records. When a student turns eighteen, those rights transfer to the student, which means that information goes directly to the student, rather than the parents. Congress revised the law in 1998 and further clarified it in 2000, to allow (but not require) institutions to notify parents if students under the age of twenty-one violate campus alcohol or drug policies.

One of the first things that you can do as a parent is to be clear about the notification policy at your student’s institution. You may ask about the policy on an admissions visit. The information may be available on the college website. You may need to call a Dean of Students or Parent Relations Office to find the answer. Be clear about the policy. Don’t assume that all is well with your student because you haven’t heard anything if you find that your student’s school has a no notification policy.

Helping Your College Student Make Sense of Midterm Grades

March 21, 2021October 11, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Once midterm exams are over, many students will receive their midterm grades. At some institutions students will receive grades, if they receive them at all, individually from instructors. At other institutions, there may be something more formal. Students may receive actual letter grades, or they may receive something to indicate satisfactory or unsatisfactory grades.

There are some important things to remember about midterm grades — and to help your student remember in order to make sense — and productive use — of these mid-semester grades.

Why Your College Student Should Talk To Their Professor If They’re Struggling

March 10, 2022October 6, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Many college students, even the best college students, struggle at one time or another. It may be a difficult time for the student, it may be a difficult subject for the student, or there may be a teaching/learning style issue with the instructor. Whatever the reason for the difficulty, it is often hard for a parent to watch a student struggle. Parents may feel helpless and may want to step in to help. Parents can be helpful, as always, by being supportive. However, they can also be helpful by encouraging their student to address any difficulties. By encouraging your student to take some action, you are sending them the message that you believe that they can take charge of what is happening in their life.

The first and best place for the student to begin dealing with the issue of academic difficulty is to talk to their instructor. Students and their professors have the same goal: the student’s success. This involves a shared responsibility. A conversation with the instructor is a good way to explore the problem and begin to formulate a solution. Most difficulties only get worse when they are ignored or when there is no communication.

Location, Location, Location: Where’s Your College Student Studying?

January 7, 2022September 29, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

You know your college student is having many different kinds of experiences while they are at college. You want then to have experiences that will expand their world, increase their independence, and broaden their thinking. But you also know that your student will be spending a significant amount of time at college (hopefully!) just doing the work of studying. When you visualize your student diligently studying, where do you picture them? Do you visualize your student sitting in their peaceful residence hall room at their carefully organized desk? You might be surprised to find that this may be the least desirable place for your student to accomplish their work.

Reminding your student to spend enough time studying maybe one of the things that you expect to do, and your student probably expects to hear that from you. But remember, your student needs to take charge of making their own decisions about studying. If you want to take a slightly different approach that might help your student do well, suggest that they get creative in their thinking about where they are studying as well as how much they are studying. Many students find that having just the right spot to settle in and get work done makes a big difference. Recognizing that every student’s needs are different, and that every campus provides different options, of course, is important.

First Year Seminar: Your College Student’s First Step Into College

July 22, 2018September 27, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Not all colleges and universities offer a course called First-Year or Freshman Seminar. But more and more colleges are offering some kind of course specifically designed to help students make the adjustment to college life and college academics. Your college student may be registered for such a course and you may be wondering what it entails.

First Year Seminar courses are designed to enhance the success of first year students as they make the transition to college and college level work. They are usually available only to new first year students, but occasionally they are also open to transfer students. In recent years, as the result of many research studies, more and more colleges are focusing on the entire experience of first-year students. There is a growing effort to help these students adjust and succeed. The focus on the first-year experience provides a double benefit. Students succeed, and therefore the attrition rate decreases. Students stay at their college and colleges increase their retention rates. It is a good outcome for everyone.

Should My College Student Look for a Job On-Campus or Off-Campus?

March 15, 2017September 10, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Having a job while in college is a common experience for many students. This is the second of two posts examining some factors that students might consider as they seek college employment. In the first post, we looked at some general, but important, questions your student might think about. In this post, we look more carefully at some of the differences between on-campus and off-campus jobs.

Once your student has decided that he needs a job and has time to commit to a job, the next decision will be whether to look for an on-campus or off-campus job. This is a complex question. There are advantages and disadvantages to both situations. You can help your student explore which type of job may be best for her by considering some of the following factors:

Should My College Student Get a Job At School?

August 30, 2022September 8, 2009 by Vicki Nelson

Having a job while in college is a common experience for many students. This is the first of two posts examining some factors that students might consider as they seek college employment. In this post, we look at some general, but important, questions your student might think about. In our next post, we’ll look more carefully at some of the differences between on-campus and off-campus jobs.

Many college students today have a job while they are in college. As we all know, the costs of attending college are high. In addition to tuition and room and board, there are extra fees, expensive textbooks, and living expenses. Many students head off to college knowing that, in addition to their academic work – and possibly their sports or other activities – they will need to have a job. As college parents, we can help our students think through some factors to consider as they decide what kind of job they may want – and a major question of whether to work on campus or off campus.