Tips to Support Your First-Year Student

We've compiled a list of the most-often discussed topics between parents and students. Take a glance for some helpful ideas and approaches to conversations. Remind your student that no matter what they need or have questions about, there is some place or someone on campus who can help. Encourage them to utilize our various campus resources.

Now, a few things to keep in mind, ask about or discuss....

Things to Expect

More self-reliance

Yes, for the most part, students are on their own. They set their own schedules, make their own decisions and decide their own choices. College brings less structure and guidance than they are used to. But this is good, because it encourages students to gain independence and become more self-reliant adults.

Academic adjustment

College academics, for most students, prove to be very different than high school. College demands problem-solving and critical-thinking that may be more demanding. Encourage your student to stay on top of coursework so that it is not as overwhelming when deadlines or exam dates come around.

Stress

Yes, college can be stressful. That's why students should know the resources they have available to them. Remind them the faculty, their RA, roommates, fellow students and parents are all here to help them succeed.

Communicating between home and college

The first year of college is unlike any other year that follows. Usually it's the first time students are away from home, making their own decisions and handling their own schedules. It's also a time when parents usually see less communication between home and college . . . or at least in different ways. So there are adjustments on both sides to be made.

Here are a few tips that we've passed along over the years (or that have been passed on to us) that most parents find helpful.

Helping Your Student Adjust

Homesick?

Every first-year student, to some degree, will miss home. These students have a lot of adjustments to make and your support and encouragement is important. Make sure to:

Get your student involved.

Whatever their interest, there is something to get involved in, join or volunteer for. These student activities are not just fun, they can lead to improved communication, leadership skills and even personal career networks that will serve them long after graduation.

Encouraging academic success

Like most parents you will worry about your student adapting to college-levels academics. Don't. Your student will adjust, and it is an adjustment they have to make. Here are a few tips to pass along to help them succeed:

If you see a dip in grades during this first semester, it's to be expected. Students have to adjust to a new learning environment, with new expectations. Most students will work this out for themselves and be back on track in a short time. Remember, your student has an advisor and a full faculty that wants to see them succeed. Encourage your student to get to know their professors and develop mentoring-type relationships as well as to utilize the academic resources available to enhance their learning.

Where to study?

The first place you might think of is their room (whether in a dorm on off-campus housing), and that is always a great place. But sometimes students have to find more secluded areas, or a place where other students gather to discuss courses. Here are the students' top five in no particular order:

 

Contact Us

Parent Engagement

501 College Avenue
Wheaton, IL 60187

630.752.5047
parents@wheaton.edu