Parents & family

Top Five Ways to Support Your College Student

1. Check in.

But not every day. Daily phone calls or frequent texts might be overwhelming for your child as they adjust to the rigors of college life. New challenges, faces, and demands are waiting around every corner, and the transition is going to take up a lot of their bandwidth for some time. Don’t pile on! At the same time, just knowing you’re there thinking of and supporting them will be immensely reassuring. Weekly check-ins are a great place to start.

2. Empathize.

Your child will probably deal with stuff that seems inconsequential, easily remedied, or just plain unfamiliar to you. And that's okay! Stresses can pile up quickly for college students, who are dealing with a lot of "real-world" issues on their own for the first time. Don't dismiss their concerns, or try to solve all their problems for them, or tell them to wake up and smell the roses because these are the best days of their lives. Just acknowledge their feelings and be their biggest cheerleader.

3. Send care packages.

A care package can turn a tough week around just like that. They don't have to be a regular thing, but having that extra-special reminder that you're thinking of them and want to send a few small comforts from home can go a long way.

4. Expect change.

College will challenge children in many ways. It may change how they think, what they think, and the ways in which they express themselves. Some of it may be exploratory and short lived; some of it may be more lasting. Choose your battles, and remember: that's still the kid you raised in there.

5. Help them apply for financial aid.

The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, opens every year in October, with a priority deadline in February. There's only so much financial aid to go around, so the sooner you apply, the better. It can be a long, multistep process, one your child can't do alone, as they need your income and tax information. Help where you can, provide info in a timely manner, and check in with them to make sure they've followed through on the verification steps that often come after submitting the application. When they receive their financial aid award package, learn about and talk through their options with them so they can make an informed decision.

Advising

Depending on their major, every UWL student is assigned to a faculty or academic advisor who is able to help students specifically within their field and/or department, with specialized knowledge related to degree paths, course selection, and potential career options. As an SSS participant, your student gets the added benefit of a supplemental advisor who provides comprehensive, holistic advising in the areas of academics, finances, career preparation, and personal issues. We like to say that our advisors "know a little about a lot," and even when they don't have all of the answers, they definitely know who does!

Academic Support

SSS is home to a team of professional and peer tutors who provide personalized, one-on-one academic support in math, science, and writing. Students can make appointments or drop-in, online or in person, as often as they need. Additionally, if a student needs help in a course or subject not already covered by a tutor on staff, we will hire an individual tutor to meet their needs.

Career Readiness

SSS collaborates with partner offices around campus to provide career-readiness programming that provides students with opportunities to network with prospective employers, find internship and job shadowing prospects, learn the ins and outs of resumé-building, interviewing, and much more.

Financial Literacy

SSS teams up with UWL's financial literacy program, It Make$ Cents!, to provide a broad range of events, trainings, and advising related to financial topics like budgeting, debt management, insurance, investing, scholarships... the list goes on! In addition, SSS participants are eligible to apply for a unique financial aid opportunity known as Grant Aid, a supplemental Pell Grant offered twice yearly that is available only to SSS students!

Community & Wellness

SSS believes in serving the whole student, which means meeting them where they're at. Some days, your student will need to be able to blow off steam, talk with friends, get something good to eat--that's why we offer social and de-stressing events throughout the year. Some days, they'll need someone on their level who knows exactly what they're going through--that's what our Peer Mentoring program is for! And some days, they'll need a place that they can just be--that's what our resource room, quite study areas, and our whole environment where we foster a safe, welcoming space, are for!

Infographic: Tips, definitions, and clarifications for completing SSS application