S01Ep03: Academic Reality and Support [part 1]

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This podcast is produced by members of the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council and reflects the personal views, experiences, and opinions of the hosts and guests. These views are independent and do not represent, reflect, or speak on behalf of the University of Alabama, its administration, faculty, staff, or affiliated organizations. The content shared is for general informational and conversational purposes only. It is not intended to provide academic, medical, legal, financial, or institutional advice. While we aim to share thoughtful and helpful perspectives, we make no guarantees regarding accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Listeners are encouraged to verify information independently and rely on official University of Alabama communications for policies, decisions, and guidance. Listening to this podcast is voluntary and any actions taken based on the content are done at your own discretion and risk. Welcome to Parent Perspectives. Navigating the University of Alabama experience as a parent can be exciting, overwhelming, and full of questions. And you don't have to do it alone. Parent Perspectives is a podcast by parents, for parents and with parents created to share real conversations, trusted insights, and firsthand experiences from those who've been there. Whether your student is Bama bound, settling into freshman year or finding their stride on campus, this is your go to source for all things BAMA student related. From academics to in campus life, to traditions and the moments that matter most, we cover what parents want to know honestly and thoughtfully. Tune in and feel confident knowing you're part of a supportive BAMA parent community. [00:01:51] Speaker B: Hi again, this episode focuses on the academic transition to college. We'll talk about advising, course registration and what parents should realistically expect during the first year of college at the University of Alabama. Let's begin with the process. Families, what do you see during Bama Bound? How do you do this? How do you register? There's so many questions and so many answers we have for all of you. Michelle, let's begin with you and helping parents and really giving them some great advice. [00:02:23] Speaker A: So the reason why your student is here at the University of Alabama is to register for classes and attend classes. So the second day a BAMA Bound, that's exactly what they'll do. And it's separate from the parents. So it's their first step into independence. Registering for classes. So depending on their college, each college is different. They'll have either group advising or they'll meet with an individual advisor and they'll get to pick their classes. So I highly suggest as a parent, maybe you sit down with your student and look at classes that they would like to take within their major. And then also if you have a laptop, if your students have a laptop, I recommend that they bring their laptop. If you don't have one. There will be computers available for them to register. However, if you have a laptop, it's just great to have because you can log on from a laptop and register for classes there. [00:03:18] Speaker B: Brian, we're talking about advising course registration work during and even before Bama bound. So give us your perspective. [00:03:26] Speaker C: Well, I think Michelle covered it really well. I would certainly want to advise families that they prepare for advising, that they looked ahead to what the curriculum might look like, what they're going to have to take, and kind of have some idea about how that's going to work. But I also think it's good for them to know that for parents to know that if they went to college, the advising model that they probably use doesn't exist anymore. That most college students all across the country are typically being advised by professional advisors. So students aren't going to come in and meet that necessarily. They're not going to come in and meet that English professor, and that's their advisor for the their entire four years. They'll typically start off with a professional advisor and then move into their department advising later on. [00:04:14] Speaker B: Okay. So once schedules are set, students begin adjusting to a new academic environment. Of course they will. This is college. You're making a huge transition. So what are the academic expectations of freshman year? Lynn Ann, I would like to start with you because you have two daughters, and so from your perspective, this is a lot. You have not one, but two. [00:04:35] Speaker D: Thank you, Roseanne. I think what I saw was the need to understand how to balance the difference between classes and studying and then social life. Social life exists in a lot of different ways. Organizations that they belong to, responsibilities that they learn to take while they're there at the university. Also really understanding studying looks different than it probably did in high school. There's different ways that they're going to have to study for different types of classes, and it looks different. But learning how to balance all of that is going to be super, super important. [00:05:12] Speaker B: Brian, now you have a son from your perspective. We always say that girls and boys are different. So we're talking about academic expectations for freshman year. [00:05:20] Speaker C: Yeah. So I would advise parents to focus on adjustment, not perfection, that their students try to take a schedule of classes that will allow them to be successful. So I come from higher ed, so I've seen more than I can count. Students who have to dig themselves out of hol because they overestimated their abilities or they were pressured into a schedule that they didn't really want or couldn't be successful in. So I Think you need to spend some time thinking very clearly about what the student can accomplish that first semester and realize that they don't need to be prepared for medical school in their first semester. [00:05:59] Speaker B: Brian, that's such great advice because it's overwhelming enough. You're making a lot of adjustments and obviously our sons and daughters are there for their education. That's number one. But you're right, we don't want to add any added stress. Jackie, you have both a son and a daughter. From your perspective, kind of give us some examples or things that she went through or you saw them both go through at the University of Alabama. [00:06:25] Speaker E: Well, to start off as a parent, we have an expectation for our students to go to class, study, get involved, call mom and don't get into trouble. So from the students perspective though, the reality is, you know, I have one, one student that may have thought he was going to be big man on campus and it was cakewalk in high school and that just wasn't the reality because it goes from passive learning to active learning once you get into post secondary. So he had to learn how to be independent and be responsible for studying, whereas my other child had to really focus on her critical thinking skills and things like that. So there's a vast difference between what your academic reality is versus what the expectation is, but it's based on your kid. [00:07:20] Speaker B: Jackie, you brought up a really good point just there. I keyed on it because many students are surprised by the shift from high school to college. They're thinking it's just going to be the same, but it's just going to be a little bit bigger. We're talking the University of Alabama and we know how big this campus is and we know how the student population is. So what surprises students most academically in their first semester? They're going to have surprises. You're going to think the normal things. But Brian, I'd like to start with you on really students most academically in there, what their first semester that really kind of surprised your son perhaps? [00:07:54] Speaker C: Well, I think the biggest surprise is that is what you just said. The workload, it doesn't necessarily increase, it just evolves. It looks different. So one of the biggest adjustments to learning is that you have to become a different kind of student. So in high school, students spend about 30 hours a week in class and then maybe 10 hours on homework if they're diligent. And in college that ratio is going to flip. So the general rule your students can expect is that for every one hour they spend in class in a lecture they can expect two to three hours studying independently. They often think they just have all this free time, but that time is meant to be spent in studying or other kinds of work that they need to accomplish for that class. Students are just not prepared to think that way. They tend to see hard classes as ones that require more work when it really is an adjustment to a different [00:08:44] Speaker B: kind of work and really learning how to study a different way of studying. You brought up a really good point Brian, is because a lot of these Professors also have TAs. They also have resources where you can go to the writing center, you can go to study hours if you encourage all those things because it is way different. Even if your student did extremely well academically in high school, it's a different ballgame. Wouldn't you agree, Brian? [00:09:10] Speaker C: Yeah, and I would add to they're just completely they're used to a completely different kind of pacing for their work. They're used to having a lot of assignments that they're turning in every week in their high school classes and it's not going to that's not going to be the case. Now they may have one or two papers they turn in for a course so they may not have a clear sense of how well they're doing until they're deep into that class. So they have to get used to the fact that they have to take more responsibility for their learning than they had to in the past. [00:09:39] Speaker B: So less fewer tests, fewer also quizzes that add more when it comes up to your grade. Lynan, I would love for you to talk about that as far as surprises in the first semester academically. [00:09:51] Speaker D: Thank you. I concur with Brian for sure that where we I think the kids see that they have a vast amount of freedom that comes from not being in I mean they're no longer in school from for instance 8 to 3 like they were in high school. So now they're having to make a completely different schedule with and they have to include studying and study time into that schedule. And I think that that's vastly important for them to remember. But so they have to become really a master of time management. That I think is super important. But I would also say that their first few classes might be a little bit more challenging than perhaps they anticipated as well. They need to be sure that they're on top of things and they're doing things ahead of time and not waiting to the last minute, which tends to be a problem for some students because then they find themselves in pretty deep and then last I would Say for our students that perhaps in high school operated with a 504 plan or with an individualized education plan, that it's really, really important for them to contact the office of Disability Services prior to starting school because they're going to need to basically start over with those services to get those accommodations. They're going to be filling out a whole different set of paperwork and they're going to need to. To provide the specific documentation that's required. And they need to do that early and make sure to make sure that they've done that prior to school starting so that all of their accommodations are in place by the time school starts. [00:11:33] Speaker B: Right. You made up a good point. Because re emphasize that you can't get it midway through semester, you have to do it before classes start. Yes, got it. Okay, let's now look at the bigger picture of freshman year. This is a big one for all us parents out there. What does freshman year actually look like socially and academically? Brian, let's start with you on this one. That's a big one. [00:11:58] Speaker C: Well, we've talked about some academic adjustments they have to make, but I'll say socially too. It can be very difficult for students. They've moved away from home and if they don't have a built in community, something like band or Greek life or choir, something that naturally kind of pulls them into a group of potential friends, it's going to be very difficult. Difficult for them to balance out a social life and an academic life. So I think one thing parents can do is to encourage them to explore a little bit. Alabama has hundreds of campus organizations and clubs and I would advise them to start looking for community and to look at what they can explore to build that community themselves. Because it is not like high school where they're just walking around other students all the time and meeting people, they are going to have to actually do some work to build that community for themselves. [00:12:50] Speaker B: I think intramurals, a lot of these, you know, our students, you know, whether they played sports all through high school, that's all they knew. Whether it's soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, whatever. And then all of a sudden they get to college and they're not doing that five days a week, right. And then games on the weekend, that's when intramurals come into play, right. They keep active so they can do something and sign up for things. Jackie, tell us about from your perspective as far as academically and socially, as far as what they, what that looks like. [00:13:19] Speaker E: So as a parent, for me, that looks like Stalking Life 360. Checking social media. Don't dare like anything or comment on anything, but just stalk it from a distance. Worrying about, oh, my gosh, is my student doing well? So it's important to have that communication always. I would say have a system of checks and balances, because for the student, yes, they're going to go to class, but they're also going to go to a couple of parties. They're also going to go and do a couple of things that you may not want them to do. They may go, decide to ride the scooters at midnight. You know, you never know. And it happens. So I think because there's so much going on, especially their first semester, that forces the student to become independent, both emotionally and academically. Think it's just kind of a mashup. So my suggestion would be, you know, when you talk to your student, have them join two or three clubs. One for academics, one for social life, and then something just for fun, because they're going to need those connections in the future. So the connections that they are making at Bama Bound will kind of help propel them into knowing what clubs they may want to be a part of so that they can find that balance. [00:14:43] Speaker B: Right? Find them and then also continue that relationship. If you've met three people at Bama Bound, follow up with those three people. Now, granted, not all three will respond back to you, but it's about keeping that relationship and the communication open. Lynne, what advice do you have, too, academically and socially, as far as freshman [00:14:59] Speaker D: year goes, I think I feel like a broken record. It's all about balance. It's helping the kids understand that they need to understand how much time it's going to take for them academically, but doing the things that they enjoy. I mean, both Brian and Jacqueline both talked about how important it is for them to go and do things but also meet people, be involved on campus. But again, it's striking and understanding what that perfect balance is. How much time does it take for me to complete these assignments? How much time is it going to really take for me to study for tests and quizzes and where are the best places to do that? [00:15:42] Speaker B: But [00:15:45] Speaker D: can I go and be social and then go study after, or do I have to study before I do that? Those are things that kids learn to do in that first year that are really, really important and valuable. [00:15:58] Speaker B: What works for them, what works for your roommate may not work for you. And that's what we have to have. That whole just being transparent with that. I'd love to end with one pie of academic advice for parents and Brian, I think you have a really good perspective. You were able to talk on this particular podcast about many, many things. So I'd like to hear from you. [00:16:18] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's a good idea for parents to ask your students to talk about what they're learning in their classes. That's been a good question for you to ask them for all of their education. It doesn't stop now. And if you ask them what they're learning in their class and what's going on in their classes, that will help, you know if they are actually engaged. If you get those standard responses of a fifth grader, it's good, it's okay. The non answers, then you should know that something is a little bit amiss. So ask them to talk about what they're actually engaged in and I think you'll get a really good idea of what's going on in their life. [00:16:56] Speaker B: I love that we're not going to accept any yes, no answers. Okay and fine are not words we want to hear in our vocabulary. And that's what we need to get our students to act, understand, and just keep that, keep them talking. Because I know as parents we do a lot of talking ourselves and we're doing a lot of talking on this podcast because we're here for you parents. We are the UA Parent Perspective on this podcast and we want you to be informed. But we also want you to be know that you have a resource for everything that your student is going to be doing during, before and after Bama Bound. Thanks for listening to us and we will see you on our next episode. [00:17:32] Speaker A: Thanks for tuning in today for the latest episode of Parent Perspectives, brought to you by the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council. Check out all our podcasts on Voices UA Edu. You can learn more about the Parent Advisory Council, Parent Perspectives and UA Parent and Family programs on the UA Parent and Family Program website at parents SL UA Edu.