Supporting Your WOU Student on Their Academic Journey

The start of an academic year is exciting. New students come to campus, eager to enroll and begin on their educational journey. The excitement of meeting new people, freedom and the ability to make new choices, while exhilarating, can also be overwhelming for students and their families. For students and families it can be a confusing time.

Once the initial newness wears off, students can begin having doubts about their majors, struggle with time management, and realize that they are lacking study skills. What worked in high school, participation, attendance and a good faith effort, does not always work well in college. While participation, attendance and attitude are important, faculty are looking for students to make connections between the various strands they are studying.

The area that most new freshmen struggle with is studying. The rule of thumb is for every hour in class a student needs to study 2-3 hours outside of class. This includes reviewing their class notes, reading the text, making flash cards for new vocabulary or defining concepts, and writing down questions.

If a student is taking 15 credits this means that they will spend fifteen hours a week in class, plus an additional thirty hours a week studying for a total of forty five hours a week studying. This is equivalent to a full time job.

Students tend to hit their first academic roadblock during midterm exams. The lack of studying can come as a rude awakening when they get their grades back. Students can and do panic when they realize that academically they are not succeeding.

If you receive a phone call from your student and they are upset over a grade, send them to the Academic Advising and Learning Center (AALC) to meet with one of the academic advisors. We can help them identify where they are struggling and get them resources such as tutoring that can provide additional support.

While we never want students to fail, some of them do. Grades are posted electronically on the students’ online account the Wednesday after finals. Some students will show their parents while others will hide their grades. This is a good opportunity to have an open, honest discussion with your student.

If they failed some or all of their classes, do not yell at them, but help them to identify what went wrong. Then have them schedule an appointment with one of the academic advisors in the AALC.

Parents and families can help students to take ownership of their education. There are many options to help them and after meeting with the student we can offer support and services to that student based on their needs.

For parents and families it is always difficult to watch someone you love struggle. Rarely does a student ever get through their college years without hitting roadblocks along the way. It is a normal part of life and helps students to develop their decision making skills, time management, and goal setting skills. In addition, it highlights that there are resources and services available to help them through the experience.

The most important thing that families can do is support their students, even when they stumble. Encourage them to utilize the available services.

Finally, do not step in every moment and rescue them. While it is painful to watch someone you love fall, for students this can be a growth opportunity. As a parent you know your son or daughter well enough to know when they are failing and cannot help themselves and when you need to stand by and let themselves pick them up and learn from their experiences.

At the end of the day, those of us that work in the university are here because we have a deep commitment to students. We believe in them and support them. It takes a team of parents, family members, staff, faculty and friends to help each student through their academic journey. Welcome to the team!