10 Tips for Parents of Struggling College Freshmen

Too many college freshmen see the first semester as an experiment. They treat it like high school with greater freedom. During high school managing time was not important and it was easy to earn good grades. In fact some high school students regularly studied for their examination while on their way to school. College has been a rude awakening in terms of the amount of time that a student must devote to studying. The best thing that a second semester college freshman can do is develop a success plan and follow it. A parent can sit down and ask what the students biggest frustrations where during the first semester. Often the student will say that they had no one to be accountable to and the freedom through them off track. Listen first then work on a list of changes together. Recognize that your freshman may be frustrated and feel boxed in.

Some freshmen don’t know what to do when they run into a difficult class and they do not like an instructor. All of their high school instructors supported them because they were one of the brightest students. A freshman must adjust to the unique teaching styles of their instructor and ignore their personal emotions. Talk with your freshmen about their experiences and how they differed from high school. It will help them to identify the habits that they must change. Procrastination does not work in college because there is too much information. Here are ten tips to turn around a freshman’s second semester:

1. Get a time management daily planner and increase your study time in your daily schedule.
2. Don’t procrastinate and study for examinations at the last minute. (Study 5 days before each examination)
3. Purchase books for all classes and begin reading them right away. Follow your syllabus and stay ahead.
4. Meet every professor in their office throughout the semester. Go to their office with prepared questions.
5. Get tutoring where appropriate
6. Get involved in study groups where students are earning A+ grades.
7. Focus on maintaining a positive attitude by reading motivational books or listening to recordings.
8. Organize and review your notes daily.
9. Ask your instructor questions right after class.
10. Go to the library to study and avoid friends who area distraction.

The first year in college is difficult for many freshmen. They are making a lot of adjustments on their own for the first time in their lives. There are breaks in between classes that can easily become social time. You can help your student by letting them know that you are listening versus lecturing. Some freshmen are still maturing into the person that they will become as a young adult. Get your student to follow the tips in this article watch your freshmen’s grades improve. College will be the stepping stone to your child’s future.

Dr. Stephen Jones is a college coaching and study skills expert. You can get a copy of his book the “Seven Secrets of How to Study” at http://studyskills2u.com or to obtain college coaching for your son or daughter call 610-842-3843.

The Best 2009 Ever

Are you ready to have the best 2009 ever? If you are ready for a brilliant new year now is the time to define your goals. Get ready to start on a fantastic journey where each day you are able to deposit your entire energy into improving by 1 percent. If you actually practice this habit you can improve by 365 percent in one year. There is truly no limit to what you can accomplish if you let 2009 become a year when you expect new experiences to transform your life.

Are you ready to put up a new fight to resist negative thoughts that plagued your mind last year? As Barack Obama says “your destiny will not be written for you but by you.” The New Year will present many opportunities for you to change old habits. The best way to make these changes is to believe that the past does not control your present goals. The year 2009 is time to take the beginning steps in the right direction by writing down the top five goals that you want to accomplish. Take your eyes off of the things that you did not do last year and focus on the new changes that you will make today.

What is the best way to invest your time during 2009? Why not make a greater commitment to be an example of excellence to your family and friends. Find ways to encourage others to chart a new course for their lives. Frequently reach out to young people who need your advice and support. You never know when a special niece of nephew can be steered in a better direction because you invested your time to talk to them. It is rewarding to see how thankful they are to receive a contribution of some of your wisdom. Sometimes you will only plant a seed into their life that will blossom at a later date.

Plan to make 2009 a year of new solutions. Face challenges that act like a pressure cooker in you life head on. Release all of the pressure by letting go of past thoughts that haunted you about failures in school or in a business venture. These life experiences are stepping stones on your way to becoming an inspired person. Put your talents on display by knowing that there is an answer to every problem. The answer will be a new way of thinking that is consistent with your vision for the New Year.

If you want to do more during the New Year it’s going to take a greater effort. You will need to plant more seeds by networking and meeting with new people. Join a new organization where you can give and receive new advice and develop some trustworthy relationships. Go for a goal of meeting five new people each month. Be sure to provide some benefit to them and you’ll be amazed at the new ways that you will also benefit.

The year 2009 will be a wonderful year if you make it one. Be bold in the initiatives that you start and finish. Have a vision that great things will happen each time that you start a new goal. Dwight D. Eisenhower said it best, “Never! Never! Never! Give Up.” Make the New Year a time to fight for the things that you fervently want to happen. Expect the accomplishment of your goals to be a shining example of what can be accomplished with diligent work. Have a prosperous New Year.