Should My College Student Consider a ”Learning Community”?

Does your student have the opportunity to sign up for a Learning Community at college?  Perhaps you’re confused.  Isn’t college just one big learning community?  The answer is yes — and no.  Of course, in one sense when you go to college you join one big learning community.  College is about learning, after all.  But a ”Learning Community” as your student’s college is using the term, is more specialized.

What is a Learning Community?

Not all colleges or universities have Learning Communities.  And Learning Communities may look very different at different institutions.  Essentially, a Learning Community often refers to a situation in which the same students are registered for two or more courses that are, in some way, linked.  This linkage may be very loose, with little or no coordination between instructors, or it may be quite extended, with instructors teaching parallel units or even occasionally changing or swapping classes.  Sometimes, linked courses may deliberately be scheduled back-to-back to facilitate extended assignments.

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Should My College Student Live Off Campus?

For many college parents, the moment when your college student comes to you and says that he wants to move off campus is a nervous moment.  For other college parents, the moment comes as a natural next step.  For still others, the move off campus may actually be a relief.  The decision of whether or not to live off campus rather than in a campus residence hall is a big decision, and a very individual one.

The time when your college student decides to live off campus, whether that moment comes in the first year of college or in senior year, is another moment when you, as a parent, are confronted with, and reminded of, your student’s growing independence. You may feel that the decision is the right one for your student, or you may feel that your student is not yet ready for the increased responsibility.  Your job as a parent is to help your student think through the realities and consequences of this decision, and to ask the right questions.  Help your student explore the advantages and disadvantages of this move.

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Ten Wise Decisions Your College Student Can Make to Improve Their GPA

If your college student is struggling academically, they (and you) may be wondering how to improve the situation.  You are probably encouraging your student to do everything they can to do better.  Most students who are in difficulty — perhaps even on academic warning or academic probationwant to do better, but many do not know what to do. They say they’ll work harder, but they don’t necessarily know how to work smarter.  Other students simply make the wrong decisions in an attempt to improve their situation.

Talk to your student about their difficulty.  Help them try to analyze what has caused the problem. (This may not be an easy process.)  As your student thinks about how to address their situation, encourage them to avoid many common mistakes by considering some of the following wise decisions to improve their GPA.

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Should My College Student Consider Retaking a Course?

If your college student has failed a course, or has done poorly in a course, they may have a question about whether or not they should retake the course.  This is an individual decision and will depend on your student’s circumstances as well as their institution’s policies. Some schools may not allow a student to retake a course, some may only allow a student to retake a course in which they have received an F, and some schools may allow a student to retake any course to improve the grade. The best thing would be for your student to discuss the option with their academic advisor.

However, there are some general things that your student might think about before they meet with their advisor.  There are some compelling reasons to retake a course, and there are a few reasons why it may not be the best decision for your student.

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College Acceptance – or Rejection – Letters: Ten Ways Parents Can Help Students Cope

The wait is over.  The envelope may be fat, or thin, or the news may have come via e-mail.  However it has arrived, your high school student has received word from his chosen colleges about whether he has been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected.  It is a defining moment for most students.

This may also be a defining moment for you as a parent as well.  You will need to think about how you react to any news, and how you support your student no matter what that news may be.  Your responses will help set the tone for your student.  Your reactions will send important messages to your student.  If the news is good, you’ll want to celebrate with him.  If the news is not what he had hoped for, you’ll need to help your student deal with his disappointment.

Giving thought in advance to how you will respond may help you to be prepared for any eventuality.  Here are ten suggestions of things to consider as you, as a parent, confront the college acceptance — or rejection letters.

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Book Review: I’ll Miss You Too

From time to time, we like to review some of the books available for parents of college students.  There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years.  We’ve created lists of recommended reading, and there is something for everyone. Check out our Resources and Tools page for suggestions.

In this review, we’ll take a look at I’ll Miss You Too: An Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students
by Margo E. Bane Woodacre and Steffany Bane.  This mother-daughter pair has teamed up to write a book that is useful for both parents and their students.  It is a good book to read together — and hopefully have it prompt some conversations.

The most unique feature about this book is its personal nature.  Neither author is a college expert, but both have lived the college experience — as parent and student.  Both mother and daughter describe how each saw, felt, and learned from the various experiences of the college transition period.  The two points of view represent both sides of the transition.  The book starts with the senior year of high school and continues through the senior year in college, focusing a chapter on each phase along the way.  Stories in the book draw on the personal journeys of both mother and daughter, as well as a few experiences shared by other families and college counselors.

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Parents Can Help High School — and College — Students Deal with Disappointment

Events like the Olympic Games are a marvel.  Once every few years we are able to watch the best in the world doing what they do.  They put everything on the line, give everything that they have — and they do it publicly.  When they succeed, there is nothing like the thrill of that moment.  When they do not, to say that they are disappointed is completely inadequate.

As parents, most of us love nothing better than to see our children succeed at whatever they attempt.  Sometimes, however, they will not.  It is easy to celebrate with your child when they are successful.  It is heart wrenching to support your child through disappointment.  As parents, we can make the difference in how our students face and deal with their disappointment.  Our children have dealt with disappointments all of their lives, but as they face college acceptances or rejections, or perhaps their first semester college grades, the stakes seem somehow higher.  They will get in to their choice of college — or not.  They may receive adequate financial aid (perhaps merit aid) — or not.  They may get into the classes they want, or the major they want — or not.  They may make the team, or the play, or the assistantship — or not.

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Your Role as a College Parent: Information to Get You Started

If the college acceptance letters have just begun to come in, congratulations!  You are now officially a college parent.  You are excited for your student, and possibly a bit overwhelmed for yourself.  You’re not sure what you should be thinking about, or doing, or how to help your student prepare for the next phase.

Here at College Parent Central we believe that the more information you have, the better you will be able to support your college student as he navigates his new experiences.  But the problem with lots of information is that it can feel overwhelming.  Here are a few posts that we think might be a good starting point.  You’ll want to read more specific information later, but if you’re a new college parent, these posts should help you think about your new role and help you get started on your journey.   Congratulations!

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Making Sense of Your Student’s College Financial Aid Package

High school seniors wait anxiously for that all important college acceptance letter.  Parents of those high school seniors wait just as anxiously for that all important financial aid letter.  Everyone agrees that college is expensive these days, and most of us need financial help to be able to afford it.  The financial aid letter which your student receives from his college may include several different types of aid.  Although understanding the finer points of these different types of aid and loans may at times seem like a full time job, it is important to have a general understanding of the different types of help your student’s school may offer.

How do schools determine aid?

Most schools use the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form to determine your financial need.  The FAFSA is filled out and filed with the federal government and the information is sent to the schools that you request.  The FAFSA is available in January of each year and can be completed on-line.  The federal government is working to make the FAFSA a bit simpler each year.

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Parents and College Admissions: What to Ask During Your Campus Visit

This is the second of two articles about parent participation in admissions visits to colleges.  The college visit is an important part of the college admission process, but parents may not be sure how best to participate in and maximize that visit.  Our first article suggested some things parents should think about as they prepare for and make the college visit.  This article offers some specific suggestions for productive questions to ask during a visit.

Some possible questions regarding student concerns:

Here are some questions your student might want to ask — or you might want to ask if your student won’t. (Remember, there are no right or wrong answers — just information to be gathered.)

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