PARENTS: Ways to Support Your College Student in Fall 2020
IT’S A NEW DAY
Know Your Student’s Resources
“Unprecedented.” “A fluid situation.” “Adapting.” You’ve heard these words constantly since March. And those words describe how Columbia College Chicago is moving forward toward the Fall semester of 2020. For our incoming students, continuing students, faculty, and staff, this is new territory for all of us. Our Columbia College community is pulling together to create a completely integrated academic experience.
Courses will take new forms, be delivered in new ways, and follow new schedules, which have been carefully crafted to provide the learning opportunities our students seek: https://columbiacollege.sharepoint.com/sites/Fall2020CourseDelivery
As parents, guardians and partners for your students you can help your student by being familiar with resources on campus: https://students.colum.edu/academic-services
Once you are familiar with the resources you can empower your student to reach out to get the support they need. You can suggest that they meet with their academic advisor, sign up for tutoring or any other services where they can get support.
- Making the transition from High School to College is a big one. If your student is feeling lost, please help them make their way to their academic advisor. They are a wonderful resource and gateway to all the opportunities on campus, both in person and virtually.
- I recommend that students embrace their routine and as family members you can support them on this journey. Whether your student is living on campus or at home, you can help them by being familiar with their schedule. Creating a schedule can help your student focus their attention and have fun too.
- Encourage your student to set up a daily, weekly and monthly routines. Class must be attended, homework must be completed. They will want to add into their schedule time to hang out with friends, attend club meetings and attend college events. Remind them to add “life maintenance tasks” such as laundry and cleaning the bathroom.
- If they are living at home, you can support them by being mindful of when they are zooming into class and when they have scheduled study time. If possible, reduce the amount of distractions around your student so they can focus on their class and homework.
- Suggest to your students that they have “study zones” in their dorm room or bedroom. If they have a desk or a comfy chair that is a preferable place to study than the bed. If they can use their bed for sleep and relaxation only it will help with a more restful sleep.
Guidance from you will support your student in optimizing their Columbia College experience, and we in Academic Services are here to help.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Lauren Targ, Academic Life Coach, ltarg@colum.edu