The right college experience can shape everything that comes after.
You don’t have to do it all on your own.
What I wish parents knew before sending their kid to college.
Just because your kid thrived in high school, does not mean they will thrive in college. Let’s compare.
High School
- Built-in friend groups
- Teachers and parents keep students on track
- Tutors, coaches, & advisors know your student and you
College
- Friends reset
- Teachers don’t know your student and will not help them manage their workload
- Parents are kept out of the loop (see FERPA)
- There still are tutors, coaches, and advisors. But your student needs to seek them out.
- Higher education professionals are overworked, so meetings can feel transactional instead of transformative. For example: Advising caseloads can range from 300 (recommended) to 600+ students (all too common).
- Academic relationships are hard to build. A professor may only teach your student once, and only a few students work with a faculty mentor. Most students don’t know how to build that relationship.
Students can feel overwhelmed, procrastinate, and fail.
Here’s how to avoid it.
Find your people.
Decade of research shows that students who are involved in their education and feel supported by their campus community, do better in college. So what does this look like?
Go to new student orientation, involvement fairs, and attend resident hall meetings. Ask questions. At these events you have access to experts. Take advantage of it.
Get involved. Whatever you were involved with in high school, seek out the similar opportunities in college. Join student clubs to meet new people.
These are the people who can help you navigate college*:
Orientation leaders: They are trained on campus resources. If they don’t know the answer, they will find it for you.
Resident assistant (RA): They help you get adjusted to living away from home for the first time.
Academic advisor: They will help you customize your education. Ask about study abroad, honors programs, internships, and mentorships.
Career advisor: Ask about internship and job fairs. Seek out a mentor and internships. Start planning your future career now.
Dean of Student’s (DOS) Office: Most universities house their student clubs and organizations within this office.
Tutoring Center: Tutoring not only improves your grades, but it is a built in support system of people you can turn to for help. It makes attending a new school seem less isolating.
*Think of this as a jumping off point, not an exhaustive list.
Ask better questions from the beginning.
After working hundreds of recruitment events, here are the most common questions:
- How many of your students have jobs by graduation?
- How hard is it to be accepted to a major?
- Tell me about the classes I’ll be taking.
- How will my AP, IB, or dual credit transfer?
Just because a student has a job at graduation, doesn’t tell you how many students didn’t make it to graduation. Just because you were accepted into a major, does not mean that it will be a good fit.
Instead, ask these questions*:
What resources are in place to help my student transition to college their freshmen year? Ask about specific programs and people charged with helping your student succeed.
Ask your student’s academic advisor, “In what ways do you support my student during college?” A good advisor will know the ins and outs of the major. A great advisor will customize your student’s experience. Holistic development results in success long after college. Caution: Great advisors are hard to find.
What resources are available for parents? How can I support my student’s success during their freshmen year? Think: parent and guest services, online communities, emergency alert information, and events geared towards parents and families.
Ask a career advisor, “What does my student’s career journey look like over the next 4 years?” Do they have a career readiness roadmap? What mentorship and networking opportunities are there?
College employees specialize in their niche.
We specialize in your student. Here’s how:
College Success Course
Each fall small cohorts of incoming college freshmen come together for small group mentoring. With the guidance of an university professional, each student builds their own support system connecting with professionals, faculty, resources, and peers at their university.
We keep parents in the loop. Each student picks a support person, giving them access to the student’s success plan. Just because your student is away from home, doesn’t mean you have to be kept in the dark.
Who this is for: If you are excited about college but nervous that you won’t know who to turn to for help or even what questions to ask, this class is for you.
What you’ll gain:
Mentorship & Community: We teach your student where to go for help, and work with them to develop a network of university professionals, faculty, and peers invested in your student’s success.
Mastering Campus Resources: Everything on a college campus is new. And many students don’t know where to start. With the guidance of their teacher, each student develops a personalized network of campus resources geared towards their individual needs.
Goal Setting: Students learn to set measurable academic and personal goals for the semester and beyond.
Academic & Study Skills: Students are often surprised by how little academic support is given in college level courses. So we provide them with the academic tools to be successful like: time management, note taking tips, and test taking strategies.
Time Commitment: 1 semester with 8 synchronous meetings and online self-paced modules.
1:1 Mentorship
This is our premier service.
Who this is for: If you had private tutors, a college admissions consultant, small group or one on one SAT prep tutoring, or want a professional to build a personalized college plan for you, then 1:1 mentorship is a good fit.
What you can expect:
This is our white glove service.
Where 1 academic advisor at a university can have 300 – 600 students on their caseloads, our mentors never have more than 30 students.**
Small caseloads give our mentors the freedom to get to know your student and build a customized plan based on the student’s goals and dreams.
Bespoke Plans
We work with your student to identify opportunities that set them apart from their peers. This could mean getting a faculty mentor, pursuing an honors program, seeking out leadership opportunities, studying abroad, and so much more.
Student Example:
Alyssa’s dream was always to study abroad. But being a double major, it was difficult to find a program that wouldn’t delay her graduation. We helped her find a fully funded semester that wove together her love of French and her major coursework. That experience opened doors leading to an internship the following summer, and building her fluency in French led to her dream job offer by February of her senior year.
We care deeply about your student’s success. That’s why we look beyond the classroom, offering holistic personal development. We nurture the best of what each student has to offer and help them grow into a young adult ready to take charge after college.
**Our mentors hold master’s or doctoral degrees in higher education and many teach college success courses professionally. But they never take on more than 30 students for 1:1 mentorship, so every student gets real attention.
Time Commitment: 1 academic year with 15 sessions lasting up to 45 minutes each.
Support Offered: 1:1 mentorship, online learning modules tailored to the student, and parent updates on each student’s progress. In addition to scheduled mentoring sessions, students can take advantage of one emergency session per semester, as well as email and phone support for quick questions.
Because of the investment for both students and mentors, we want to make sure this is a good fit for both parties. Therefore, all students interested in 1:1 mentorship must apply.
