Now that your student has graduated from high school, it’s time to help him/her focus forward on college. Here’s a few strategies to consider to help your student ready for college success:

1). Investigate Summer Bridge, Freshmen Experience & Other on-campus opportunities

College coursework and the time management challenges are common among college freshmen – even those who earned good grades in high school.
If your student is planning to stay close to home for college, this is the perfect time to encourage your student to investigate and take advantage of the free and affordable summer learning opportunities on the college or university campus where he/she will attend this fall. These programs are designed to help freshmen prepare for and adjust to college life. Most include strategies for studying, time management and other tips to make the first semester transition as easy as possible.

2). Enroll in a study skills workshop

Local community colleges, adult schools, public libraries and even city-run summer continuing education programs may offer college readiness and study skills workshops. These short-term workshops are designed to prepare students to tackle the high volume of reading in college and retain the material. Most also include notetaking and study-skill strategies. Best of all, many times these workshops are priced affordably to make the content available to more incoming freshmen. Encourage your student to explore opportunities in your community that will ready him/her for college success.

3). Secure a summer job to help pay for college expenses

College is a big investment of not only time but also considerable resources for students and their families. Even in states that offer College Promise programs, which waive tuition and mandatory fees, there are other costs not covered by these programs including books, laboratory class fees and materials for science courses, transportation, and incidentals that must be paid when the fall semester begins. Do you want your student to financially contribute to his/her college education? If so, what is your expectation, and have you communicated it to your student? If you have not yet had the conversation, do so very soon. Employers are hiring summertime help now. Encourage your student to look for opportunities close to home. Summer job opportunities may be available with non-profit organizations, churches and service and retail businesses. Even babysitting can be lucrative and help to pay for college expenses. Your student may also want to explore seasonal work opportunities like lifeguarding at the community pool or pet sitting while neighbors’ vacation.

4). Help them practice time management

Many parents want their students to relax, have fun and enjoy their friends/family the summer before college. And, there’s nothing wrong with that. But, for students who have not been working over the summer and have not taken summer workshops or courses, time management can be even more of an issue when the fall term begins. Why? Because they have spent months without a defined schedule leading into their first semester. There’s something to be said for keeping a schedule and healthy routines. Helping your student practice self and time management will enable s/he to ease successfully into college life and begin to take responsibility for his/her time management and time commitments.

Parent Education Partners creates customized, proactive parent-family education and engagement programs to support student success, retention and completion. This blog is an example of the type of content that the firm creates to help campus leaders cultivate parents/families as educational partners.