This is my first day back from Thanksgiving break and I’m already overwhelmed with calls and emails from parents asking for help to get their college student over the finish line of the semester. At Indiana University, finals are only a few days away so I thought it was a good time to revisit some suggestions I often give to parents as we close in on the end of the semester.

1. Grades: If you have not been checking out your student’s grades throughout the semester, now might be a good time. If grades have tanked over the last few weeks, there may still be time to get over-due assignments turned in or get some extra credit done. It’s a good time to get into office hours and develop a plan for studying for finals. Checking grades at the end of the semester is may be a nice review of what was accomplished, but leaves your kid with no options for improvement.
2. Winter Break: It’s a great time to talk with your son or daughter about how they will spend their break. You may want to have some expectations around volunteering, work, vacationing with family or putting a limit on spending time with friends. Having these discussions now is way easier than when they’ve just returned home and are exhausted from traveling and finals.
3. Advising: Instead of waiting until Spring semester to talk with an advisor about classes or changing majors, I encourage parents and their kids to get in front of university folks before the end of the semester. Staff are often way less slammed with freaking-out students and campuses tend to get a bit more quiet as everyone is preparing for break. It’s also a good time to make sure that if your kid is transferring, everything is in place for the start of next semester. Jan and Feb can be super busy with school work – make time now to plan for next year.
4. Wellness: This is also an important time of year to check in with your kiddo regarding their health and wellness which includes mental health. If you think they may need to work with a primary care physician or a therapist, now is a good time to get them scheduled for when they get back in January. I have loads of parents contacting me in Jan when kids are first coming back to campus – problem is I’ve often been booked-out since early December. Get on the professionals’ schedules early. It’s also not a bad idea to get their dentist appointment scheduled for winter break if there are any openings.
5. Perspective: Many many students are overwhelmed, freaking out or just in denial by this point in the semester. They’ve slept too little, drank too much and just not taken great care of themselves. Make sure to help them see the bigger picture – if their grades are terrible, it’s not the end of the world. If a relationship is crumbling – just validate them that it must hurt alot. College is a time of transition and can often make us believe that what we are experiencing will always be this way. Encourage them to expand their perspective and identify what they want and need to change for next semester to feel more successful. Ultimately, take a deep breath – we can always find a way through tough times.

Hope this helps as winter closes in on us and another semester fades.