Tips for Helping Your Freshman Succeed - Know about our campus resources at UWM and encourage your student to use them. Please see the Parents' 1-Stop Guide to UWM.
- Ask your student specific questions related to academics such as:
- What have you been doing in your English class?
- When is your first exam in biology?
- Where do you usually study?
Questions like these will encourage your student to be more reflective about how things are going. If concerns do arise, encourage your student to see his/her adviser.
- Talk to your student about nonacademic issues. Some students have a difficult time adjusting to the university outside of the classroom. If your student holds a job, ask how he/she is balancing work and school. Find out if your student is meeting people on campus and making new friends. If not, encourage him/her to get involved in some of the student organizations and activities on campus. Issues outside of the classroom can interfere with a student's academic success.
- Try to hold back from asking the question most freshmen hate: "What major have you chosen?" Freshmen struggle with this question because most of them don't know what they want to do yet, but feel they should know what their specialization will be. Those students who think they know what they want to do often end up changing their major. The message that students need to hear is that it is O.K. to be undecided, and it is pretty normal to change your goals as you experience new fields in college.
- All freshmen are sent midterm grades after the eighth week of classes. These reports provide first-year students with feedback about their academic progress. Grades are sent only to students at the addresses they have on file with the University. Under the guidelines of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, grade information cannot be released to anyone, even parents, without the written authorization of the student. Be aware, though, that your student will be sent midterm grades in early November — you may want to check in with your student at that time.
- Encourage your student to communicate with his/her instructors and adviser. Often when students are in difficulty they do not seek help. This is especially true of freshmen. Some students deny they are having problems; others are afraid they will appear "stupid" to the instructor or adviser. We try very hard to communicate to students that we are here to help them. But we can only help those students who are willing to seek and accept our assistance.