Don't pick your student's courses. Many parents feel the need to help their student select their classes. Please refrain, when possible. An important part of getting settled into college is finding the courses that best suit the student's interests and best satisfy the college requirements. Let the academic adviser do his or her job. Enourage your student to engage their advisor in open communication regarding their scheduling needs and preferences.
Help your student develop their passion. The single most important thing in college is that your student develop a true interest that he or she can enjoy throughout life. Let tem grow into their own passion. Do not pressure them into a major too early or to pick a field solely for its job prospects. Allow them to spend the first two years of college exploring many possibilities, without undue direction from you.
Encourage the student to go see the professor. One of the hidden resources at every college is the professor's office hours. A required part of every professor's job, the three or four office hours each week are the time that professors are available for one-on-one conferences to help students with their papers and tests. Encourage your student to avail themself of this free service as often as appropriate. You've paid for it, why not use it?
Never call the professor, department chair, or dean. There are no parent-teacher conferences in college. Professors want to hear from their students. Your is pursuing their own future. Enourage them but, don't get in the way.
Protect the last month of the semester. In many college courses, up to 70 percent of the course grade is awarded in the last month of the semester. Do not distract your student with winter vacation plans, worries about finances or what to major in, family events and celebrations, or other activities during the crucial November-December and April-May periods. These are "make or break" times for them. Please respect this time.
Talk about the realities of excessive drinking, drugs, and partying. Many college students experiment with campus drinking, recreational drugs, and all too much partying. First-year students can quickly get in over their heads and wind up causing all sorts of danger—both to themselves and to others. Educate your student about the importance of acting responsibly—even when their college-mates are acting unfavorably.
Be an anchor and stay in touch. Send care packages to let your student know you’re thinking of them. Keep them informed about changes at home. College students want their parents to accept all the changes they are making but want everything at home to stay the same. So it's important to keep them informed about changes at home, whether it's moving a younger sibling into their room, or, on a more serious note, about illness in the family or the death of a pet. They need this from you in order to feel secure and maintain a sense of trust.
Be a coach. Help your student try to solve their own problems without trying to solve them yourself. Students often call their parents to discuss issues that they are having or when things aren’t going well. Encourage them to use the appropriate campus resources such as, study halls, counseling, career services, tutoring services or faculty and staff for assistance resolving issues. Read over all of the information available on the Parent and Support Member Resources page to become an informed coach for your student