Help Your Student be Successful

College is a time of transition for students and parents. Help your student be successful by encouraging them, supporting them, and letting them find their own path.

Tips to help your student succeed

  1. Don't call to tell them how much you miss them.
  2. Keep conversations positive and upbeat.
  3. Ask about campus activities, classes, extra-curricular involvement and new friends.
  4. Encourage your son or daughter to become involved in activities and events.
  5. Encourage your son or daughter to stay on campus at the beginning of the semester. Often times, that's when students take the time to relax and connect with new people.
  6. Send photos, cookies, newspaper clippings, just any little thing from home. Everybody likes to get mail. Even the heaviest emailers!
  7. A subscription to your hometown paper might help your student feel connected to home.
  8. Encourage your student to seek assistance with tutoring, study skills, nurse practitioner, counselors, advisor, and residence hall staff, among others.
  9. Remind your son or daughter that remaining in contact with friends at home is important, but so is making new friends and connections at college.
  10. Talk with your student about your plans for their room at home. Don't surprise them. Assure them that they will always have somewhere to "come home" to.
  11. Be aware that the family dynamics will change with one sibling out of the house.
  12. If there has been a crisis at home or in your hometown, before you call your student with the news, give our staff a call. We can help your student deal with the crisis and determine whether to go home.
  13. Refrain from discussing family financial issues with your son or daughter. Using money to "guilt them" into studying or making better grades rarely works.
  14. Always call our professional staff with any concerns (660-248-6223.) But remember, we deal with students when resolving an issue, not parents.

Encourage Success

  1. Encourage your student to attend all classes.
  2. Major distractions for students come from Facebook, friends and the Internet. Talk with them about self-discipline in these areas.
  3. Encourage your student to participate in study communities, or form their own study group. These mix social interaction with learning, resulting in better retention.
  4. Ask about assignments and exams. Ask how they are preparing or how they are doing. Don't assume that the comment, "I flunked that test" means they got an "F." It's a common expression that means "I didn't do as well as I wanted to."
  5. Time management is key to succeeding in college. Make sure your son or daughter has and planner (or digital device that has a calendar feature) and they use it.
  6. Remind your son or daughter that asking for help does not show weakness. It shows maturity and a desire to succeed.
  7. Talking with professors is one of the best strategies. They are the best resource when learning a particular concept is a struggle.
  8. Talk with your son or daughter about future plans. Help them to "see" themselves in a career. What is their purpose in life?