The second semester has just begun, and no matter what year your student is in school, the semester can seem neverending. After being home for break, your student might have a hard time readjusting back to campus life.
Of course, there are plenty of activities and outlets for students to get involved in at their own pace. But we like to help you, the family or support member, know how you can support your student in their academic efforts.
Our Advisement Center and Housing staff have some helpful ways you can support your student:
- Encourage your student to schedule a meeting with their academic adviser if they’re having trouble with their class schedule. Asking for help shows bravery, not weakness.
- Remind them about our free tutoring services.
- Every residence hall has an Academic Resource Coordinator – a fellow student, whose job is to connect students in that dorm with resources across campus. They’re very knowledgeable, and your student won’t even need to leave their dorm to talk to them.
- Encourage new first-year students to read the “Monday Minute” email, sent every Monday by their first-year adviser. Keeping up on their email every day keeps the messages from piling up and potentially missing an important one.
- Help your student identify their strengths. When a class goes well, what habits or tools are they using that they could implement in other classes?
- Problem-solving is a passive skill all college students learn. Ask your student how they have already tried to solve an issue, how they could look at it differently and who they think they could ask for help.
- Setting academic goals can be rewarding. Help your student set a semester grade goal that is reasonable for them.
- Find out who their favorite professors are every semester. When they are feeling frustrated or confused about something, suggest reaching out to that professor for help, even if it’s not about specific course guidance.
