If a student is planning on attending college this fall, a lot of decisions had to have been made and a lot of details had to be taken care of up to this point. Applying for admission, completing the financial aid process, housing contracts, etc.
Regardless of where a student is planning on attending college, one of the last things that a student must do before attending classes in the fall is to attend a summer orientation. Each college runs the orientation a little bit differently; sometimes the orientation may go on for several days, sometimes it might be a one day event. One thing that most orientations have in common is that the students will enroll for the classes they will take in the fall. Some of you students may have already attended an orientation this summer, however, if you haven’t, here are a few tips to prepare both students and parents. If you are currently in high school, or are a parent of a high school student, you might also pick up some “food for thought” as you plan for the coming years.
During this last week, I had the opportunity to speak with an academic advisor who works at a university here in Iowa. One of her responsibilities is to assist incoming students, both incoming freshman and students transferring from another college or university, in registering for classes.
Here are some of the insights that I learned from our conversations:
The most important point is that students should have all transcripts sent to the college BEFORE attending orientation! This includes high school transcripts and transcripts from any and all colleges that a student obtained college credit from. This is VERY important! If you do not do this, it is very difficult for the advisor to have you take the correct classes you need for your major. This might result in taking classes you do not need.
Keep in mind that college credit earned while in high school is still college credit. If a student has completed a lot of college credit courses while in high school, they may come in as a sophomore or even a junior their first year. Example: recently, the advisor had a student who just graduated from high school with over 60 college credits. The student was shocked to learn that they would be considered a junior in college and, given her career goals, would be applying for graduate school within the next 2 years. She would be in classes this next fall with 20 and 21-year-old students. This made the recent high school graduate a little nervous and it was obvious that the student had not thought of this while taking classes in high school.
Another insight is that parents should allow their sons and daughters to make decisions on their own. This will give them self-confidence as they start out on their own and also allow them to become more independent. Colleges encourage students to become more independent by separating students and parents at orientations. Parents, this is not a bad thing, the college staff will take good care of your child! Summer can be a good time to begin the separation process…it can be difficult for both parents and students when a student leaves home and goes off to college (another blog topic!!). Be supportive, try not to smother the child. Let them know that know that you will be there for support, however, it is time for them to learn to be on their own and learn from their mistakes.
Once the student signs up for their classes, that is when they should make arrangements to buy text books. Some students try to attend classes in the fall without purchasing the text books, that is not a good idea! And, if you wait too long, some books may be difficult to find at a reasonable price.
Some final insights from the academic advisor…..plan to stay for the entire scheduled orientation. This is a very important beginning to the next step in the student’s life and you don’t want to miss out on important details because you have to leave early for a dinner for a dinner reservation, for example.
Be prepared for orientation with your questions…and…bring a pencil or pen!
Enjoy your summer!!
John - ICAN Hiawatha and Waterloo Centers
