Meet Cady Milam! She is involved in CRU and International Culture Team (ICT). Her hobbies include painting, sketching, and reading comics. Cady’s most memorable U of A experience was the R.O.C.K Camp float trip!
A student’s grades slipping can be a very stressful, scary thing, but it happens fairly often. A new environment means new friends, new responsibilities, and new decisions to be made. During your Razorback’s first semester at the University of Arkansas, he or she will be adjusting to these changes. The stress of adjusting to life outside of school can affect your student negatively, so it’s good to keep an open mind about it and support your student on this new journey.
When students are simply struggling with the difficulty of university classes, they can contact their professors or seek out campus resources. There are many options available including CLASS+, the writing center, and SI group tutoring. Sometimes a professor will, with a good enough reason, extend a deadline for a student or help a student catch up from absences. If your student feels insecure about receiving help with grades, reassure him or her that it’s completely normal. It’s better to catch up in the first semester than to worry about being behind in the following semesters.
Students becoming depressed or anxious is not uncommon. Transitioning from high school to college is difficult enough without adding a new town, extracurricular activities, social events, and new friends to the mix. Your student may be uncomfortable discussing these things with family or friends, so you might try directing him or her to counseling services. The Pat Walker Counseling and Psychological Services offers some great options for students, and more information can be found at health.uark.edu.
The honors college and many scholarships have a grace period for students whose grades are slipping. Summer classes are also a good way to bring a student’s G.P.A. back up. If your student is concerned about the status of or ways to recover one of these, he or she can speak with an advisor, the honors college, the financial aid office, or the group that awarded the scholarship.
It’s understandable that parents become stressed about their students’ grades. After all, college is a large commitment and carries a large price tag. The best thing that parents can do for their students is to support them. Sometimes, your student is just as frustrated as you are with his or her faults, so patience and support are key.