Is your student "College Ready?"
Now that you have committed to coming to SUU, there is so much to be done to prepare your student and yourself for the transition. Check back here as we continually update our page with helpful information and tools for you and your student.
Congrats! Your Student Has Been Enrolled At SUU! Now What?
A great thing to do is to keep a calendar with the important college dates on it such as Thunder U orientation, first day of classes, fall break, thanksgiving break, finals, etc. These important dates you can find on the Academic Calendar. You can always add to the calendar for when your student schedules a Personalized Visit (PV) with their ACE, Parent & Family Weekend, Career Fairs, etc.
Things to do:
- Keep a Calendar for important college dates. Check out the academic calendar.
- Plan a 2nd visit to the school. Personalized visits will help your student get to know their class schedule and other resources. Plan a personalized visit with us.
- Communicate openly with your student about what needs to be done, what they are excited about and what they are nervous about.
Resources:
A Summer To Remember!
This summer is all about celebrating, enjoying the time of life your student is in. This is also a good time to let them develop their independence.
Things to do:
- Celebrate them.
- Family time
- Family Vacations
- Game nights
- Give more freedoms while still checking in
- Start guiding from the sidelines.
- Give them more responsibilities
Money Talks!
Does your student know how much college is going to cost them? Have they thought about a budget? Who will be paying for their college expenses? Will they be working through the summer to save for college?
Things to do:
- Sit down with your student and create a budget.
- Highlight what you will help with and what they will need to cover on their own.
- How will they be covering their share?
- Help them find a job for the fall semester.
Resources:
Basic Life Skills Your Student Needs Before Going To College
Is your student ready to be an adult? We are hearing more and more from landlords, faculty and staff that incoming students are not prepared to be living on their own or advocating for themselves. They will definitely master these skills during their time here but they should come to college with some basic knowledge in the following areas.
Things to do:
Make sure your student has basic knowledge in the following areas:
- Basic Cleaning & Tidying Skills
- Simple Cooking Skills
- Laundry Skills
- Problem Solving Skills
- Appointment-Making / Scheduling Skills
- Prioritization & Time Management Skills
- Safety Skills / Locking Up
- Budgeting Skills
- Self-Advocacy Skills
Working Through College
Some students don’t have a choice when it comes to working their way through college. Others work so they can have some extra spending money or to save up for future plans. Either way, help your student avoid burnout by talking to them about how to handle work, school, and their social lives.
Things to do:
- Show your students how to plan their days with an online or physical calendar and remind them to stick to the schedule.
- Coach them on how to talk to their bosses and professors when things come up.
- The type of job can make all the difference. Look through our T-Bird Campus jobs. On-campus jobs may not pay as much but they are flexible with hours and reliable.
- Look for jobs that may fall within their major to give them experience.
- Help them create a resume if they don’t have one. If they need help, they can contact our Career Center.
Resources:
ACES & Personalized Visits - who are they & why are they helpful
What is an ACE? ACES serve as personal peer mentors to each first-year student at SUU. Your incoming student’s ACE is someone your student can connect with and reach out to during the summer and their first year of college as they transition. The best way to get to know them and become familiar with SUU is by scheduling a personalized visit. This is a great opportunity to see where your student's classes will be located, meet their Academic Advisor, tour all of the resources available & look for housing.
Things to do:
- Encourage your student to schedule a PV with their ACE.
- Encourage your student to reach out to their ACE with any questions/concerns they have about coming to SUU.
- Reach out to Katie Murray with any questions/concerns you as a parent might have about your student attending SUU. You can schedule a meeting to talk about concerns or just give her a call at 435-865-8752.
Resources:
Healthy T-Bird
You might be asking yourself ‘How can I help my t-bird stay healthy while they are away at college?’. Start now by helping your student develop healthy skills, like getting daily exercise, eating healthy, and being mindful of their mental health. Know what doctors are in your network before you drop them off and what pharmacy they can go to.
Things to do:
- If your student struggles with mental health, make arrangements with their current counselor to continue seeing them via telehealth or a referral to someone local.
- Teach your student about self-care and how to take care of their mental health.
- If you have health insurance, make a copy of your card to send with your student.
- If you have health insurance, look to see what providers are in your network.
- If you don’t have health insurance, look up low-cost clinics in Cedar City.
- Know what pharmacies your student can go to and where they are located.
Resources:
Low-Cost Clinics in Cedar City
Choosing a Major/Career Path
Your student may already have an idea of what major they want to declare and the career path they want to pursue. It is also very common for students to start their first semester with an undecided major and career path and that is OK! They may change their major a few times in the course of their college career and that is also OK! Things that help make these choices & transitions easier are having your student keep close contact with their advisor. Encourage them to visit with their advisor EACH semester especially if they have questions about their career path and what jobs might fall under a specific major. By doing this they will be in the know of specific classes they might want to take each semester & when. SUU also has an amazing Career Center Office where they can meet with a staff member to discuss possible careers and majors. The Strong Interest Inventory (also known as the Career and Major Assessment) is available for students to take to help them better understand their interests and how they align with majors/careers.
Things to do:
- Encourage your student to meet their advisor
- Sit down with them and write down a list of their interests and likes. Take a look at all of the degrees offered at SUU and which ones might align with their interests
- Schedule a Strong Interest Inventory with their Academic Advisor or with the Career Center
Resources:
How to Initiate Difficult Conversations
Alcohol, drugs, sex, relationships (esp roommates); revisit these conversations in the context of college life. Talk openly about your family’s values in these situations. Be aware of SUU's policies, as well as local and state laws. Discuss the consequences of drinking while driving, binge drinking, and the effects it has on academic performance and health. When talking about sex and relationships go over sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, sexual consent, sexual violence, and where they can go for help if they should need it. Know that there are campus resources to help students when they are in situations where they might need help.
Things to do:
- Discuss topics bit by bit
- Talk about your family values
- Encourage your student to have some game plans
- Review SUU’s policies
- Review local & state laws
- Go over what resources are available for your student should they need help