Family Resources

Here are a few suggestions for how to support your student during their time at Drexel:

• Family Weekend: If possible, attend Family Weekend. Parent and family support are key in the academic success of college students.
• Academics: It can be important for families to discuss and reinforce the importance of attending class regularly, reading before class, taking thorough notes, completing all class assignments, and participating in study groups.
• Resources: Encourage your student to ask for help and seek resources available on campus. The University has many free resources to support students, such as tutoring and academic coaching. A centralized list can be found through the Academic Resource Center.
• Support: Talk about how your student's approach might have to change from class to class and quarter to quarter. For example, students might work with a writing tutor when they are required to write papers and perhaps seek out a peer tutor or attend TA review sessions when grades are based on exams.
• Time Management: Stress the importance of effective time management. You may want to encourage your student to use a planner or calendar (either electronic or on paper), put together to-do lists, and keep track of due dates for assignments and tasks that need to be accomplished.
• Balance: Discuss the importance of creating a balance between school work, employment, and social activities. As a student, their first priority should be school work, but it is important to build in social time, as well as time to relax and decompress. Moderation is key.
• Weekends: Your student may not be able to come home every weekend if they are living on campus. Even if it is only 5 or 10 miles away from home, they may not have the same amount of time to devote to family responsibilities as they did before. It is important to have a conversation about this early to set expectations.
• Patience: Be patient with yourselves and one another, especially since this is a learning experience for everyone (both you and your student). You will all be learning about this transition process together.
• FERPA: Students rights are protected through FERPA. Unlike high school, information about your student's progress is not shared.
• Calendars: Academic Calendars are available online so you can see important dates like when classes begin and end, Commencement, and other University holidays.