College for Parents

While many teenagers are academically and emotionally prepared when it comes time to leave for college, many more are not. Many public school systems do not provide sufficient preparation for college and many parents fail to realize this. A certain combination of maturation and motivation is necessary for an 18-year-old to succeed during his first year at school. The delayed maturation of males versus that of females is a known psychological phenomenon. With the advent of time-consuming and mature-rated video games, the maturation gap between males and females has only widened. This is particularly evident when you look at the number of female college graduates compared compared with male college graduates. Women are now earning nearly 60% of all college degrees! Whether you have sons or whether you have daughters, starting college is a major lifestyle change. Failing a few college classes can put a permanent mark on an academic record; that record will haunt a young adult once they are actually prepared to pursue a degree . When preparing your teenagers for college, be sure to talk to them about the distractions they will encounter, the academic performance that will be expected of them and the effect this all has on their future.

When a student moves out of their home and into the dorms, it is a different world for them. Teenagers who once had to ask for permission now have the liberty of coming and going as they please. Everyone moves out of their parents' home at some point. While the new-found freedom is exciting and is critical in developing independence as an adult, it also comes with a great deal of responsibility. Unfortunately, new college students often dismiss the responsibility, because they are entirely too distracted. Your attempts to deter your grown children from falling victim to these distractions will surely go unheard. Rather than talking to them about what they should not do, talk to them about their newly acquired responsibility and the potential consequences of ignoring it.

In high school, kids are required to turn in their homework. Their teachers are available to answer questions and, even in a class of 35 kids, they can get special attention during class. As you may know, college professors are not always there to teach. Their primary job at a university may include research and publishing, which leaves them a bit too preoccupied to answer their students' questions. This comes as a shock to many college freshmen. The shock will results in a student seeking out answers in other places or, if the student is less mature, they will not seek answers. If the latter of those two courses of action is taken regularly, it will inevitably cause academic distress. Also, if homework is recommended and not required, many college freshman will opt out-also not a good way to achieve academic success!

If responsibility is evaded and expectations are unclear, the results can permanently scar an academic record. Too often freshmen who are just having fun end up on academic probation, suspension or even expulsion. Even under these unfortunate circumstances young adults fail to realize the true consequences of their actions. Once they decide that they are prepared to go back to school to pursue a career, their academic record is likely to haunt them. In many cases, the institution they were kicked out of may never allow them readmission. Equally as disastrous is having to expunge an entire academic record-even the classes they passed!- just to be able to gain admission to a school. I'm sure you can think of better ways to spend a few thousand dollars other than classes that no one receives credit for.With these consequences in mind, there are a few things parents can do to help their young adults make smart choices. First, don't force your kids to go college. Our society places so much importance on higher education that we often forget about the factors that ensure success. Wanting to be in school is a critical part of being successful. College is not for everyone and it's definitely not for every 18 year old. Rarely, however, is letting your 18 or 19-year-old live at home and eat your food an effective way of helping them mature. If your son or daughter opts to put college on hold, consider community college, a trade school or a full-time job that provides on-the-job training. If a university is the route they decide to take and their first semester does not go well, suggest that they take a break. This is a smart financial decision, as the last thing you want to do is waste your money or allow your son or daughter to go further into debt for classes they may not even receive credit for. While they are on break, consider the aforementioned options of trade school, full-time job etc...

Make sure you give your future college student plenty of resources. Have your young adult speak with friends and family who have been successful in college and those who were unsuccessful. Unfortunate, but true, is the fact that they are much more likely to be receptive if they are hearing the story from someone other than a parent. If you provide your son or daughter with these resources long before they have that high school diploma, the decision process will be much easier; should they choose to attend a university they will be well aware of the responsibility that accompanies their new found liberation.