Why do the majority of students take 5, 6, or more years to graduate? Here are two of many reasons.

#1: Incoming freshmen think college is going to be high school away from home. It’s not.  

#2.  Because they don’t believe #1, they arrive overconfident, they get off to a bad start, and the dominoes begin falling in the wrong direction in their first semester.

Here are things you can help your student with to them get off to a strong start and avoid 7 problems that freshmen fall prey to.

• Do you know what incoming college freshmen should be doing the summer before college starts to get ready?
• If students must register for classes over the summer, what do they need to know? How do they make sure they do it right?
• They should go to all the college orientation programs. Don’t miss anything! It’s an introduction to all facets of campus life. It’s all useful and important.
• Students meet their advisor during orientation. They should start building a relationship by making an appointment for early in the semester.
• Unlike high school, college starts on Day One. No review, no slow starts. Students have to get “down to it” right away. The first two weeks of work are crucial. Students make the huge mistake of thinking the first two weeks are social and fun, using lots of time getting to know friends and going out for pizza.
• Student’s can’t “wait and see’ how hard it’s going to be before they get buckle down and get serious. Then it’s literally too late.
• The importance of self-management from the get-go. What it entails.

Students too often listen to the wrong people about college —friends’ older brothers and sisters who give them bad advice, telling them that “It’s not a big deal” and they can “blow things off.”

Parents can help students through the summer before freshman year. Get them prepared and talk about a winning mindset. It’s a very big deal.