As parents we should recognize that college is difficult, not everyone who goes off to college graduates in four years. Nevertheless, your children have the background and experience to succeed – with your support.
Your child may be the student who made perfect grades in high school, everything came easy and you may have a hard time remembering when you last saw them crack a book. In college for the first time they may enter a class full of other students who are just as bright, maybe brighter. The competition is more intense and the expectations of professors are high. Our children can find for the first time they have to study …hard.
Or maybe your child has always worked hard for the grades they made, very disciplined and hard working. You might be (as I know they are) worried about their chances of success.
- Go to every class, take notes and review them that evening
- Take time to talk with your teachers
- Know what your professor expects, look at the syllabus, and plan your semester around the expectations and requirements listed in the syllabus
- Study hard (two hours of study for every hour in class – you can always back off later if needed. AND it is always easier to keep up a good GPA than it is to bring up a bad one)
- Be realistic in the expectation that college studies are demanding – you are going to have to work hard for A’s and B’s but you can do it!
- Make time for studies first and then work in the other stuff. There are 168 hours in a week. With 17 hours of class time, 34 hours of study, 56 hours of sleep, and 21 hours of meal time there are still 40 hours of time for some work and recreation – but you have to balance it carefully.
Knowing what to expect in the classroom can go a long way in developing skills and organizing time – and ensuring success. Remind your student they have the ability and your support. They can accomplish whatever they set their sites on if they are willing to spend whatever time is necessary in preparation - and some students must spend more time studying than others. But nobody ever asks how much time you took in preparing for the ‘A’ that shows up on the transcript. Help them recognize college is an opportunity and their need to stay focused on the important stuff. Send them off with this advice;
Your students need to hit the ground running and plan on working hard. But remind them to take time out for sleep, staying healthy and just relaxing when the work is done. AND! If they need help THEY should ask for it (don’t do it for them), preferably early in the semester – not the day before final exams!
They can do it.
