Class of 2013
Supporting Your Student's Transition to College Academics... From a Distance
Of course parents want their students to do well in College. Gentle reminders from parents about managing their time well, getting to know their professors, and taking advantage of academic resources can be an important support for first year students. Further suggestions for supporting your student in his or her transition to college academics include...
Ask them about the content of their work and encourage them to talk about what they’re learning: What do you think about that novel you’re reading for English 101? How did you choose that topic for your GRW essay? Why, do you think, is it important to speak only Spanish in your Spanish class? What’s the most interesting work you’ve done in biology lab so far? What issues are you covering in your political science class and what’s your take on them so far? A Washington College education is not just about learning content, it’s also about analyzing, interpreting, debating, and evaluating the information and ideas covered in class. Talking with you about their work helps students develop these skills.
Encourage them to get to know their professors outside of class: Professors really want to hear from students about how their work in the course is going; they’re happy to help students having difficulty with the material or assignments and are eager to hear about students’ other interests. And professors know about opportunities for students, such as interesting work-study jobs, the chance to work with a professor on his or her research, internships, and programs for study off campus or abroad.
Encourage them to get involved in co-curricular activities related to their academic interests: From the Student Events Board to the Lit House to Habitat for Humanity, participating in these activities can reinforce what students learn in the classroom and help them connect it to “the real world.” These activities are also a chance to learn marketable skills, such as project management, budgeting, event planning, membership recruitment and marketing.
Encourage them to use the College’s academic resources, which help ALL students become BETTER students: These include:
The Office of Academic Skills
- Offers Academic Success Workshops all semester and individual and small group tutoring with trained student tutors
The Writing Center
- Trained student tutors work with students on developing ideas for essays and papers, organizing and presenting ideas in writing, and polishing written work.
The Math Center
- Trained student tutors students work with students individually and in small groups on material from any course with quantitative content.
Course Mentors
- Trained student tutors assigned to specific courses, such as General Psychology, General Biology, and Basics of Computing, who run review sessions and workshops designed specifically for those courses.