Posted 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, 2012
UWL student cites tips for student-parent success
More student parents are embarking on a college education today than ever before, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research analysis of the 2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey. Yet these parents face many challenges. Nearly half of student parents work full time while enrolled and have caregiving responsibilities. Single student parents, in particular, are likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds and be considered low income. They are less likely to have parents with postsecondary degrees, according to an IWPR report. At UW-L these students receive support through programs such as the Self-Sufficiency Program. Four UW-L students and SSP graduates attended the Ohio State Student Parent Support Symposium this June, focusing on steps to help student parents be successful in college, including five “essentials for student-parent success” from Jillian R. Watts, an educational coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University. "I couldn't agree with her concepts more and fully advocate her findings, as not only realistic, but necessary for success,” says Susan Fabian, a UW-L student parent who attended the workshops. Fabian, a senior, hopes to help student parents become more aware of the resources at UW-L, including the Student Parent Community, which she helped found. The Student Parent Community, a branch of the Self-Sufficiency Program, has more than 60 members and is an active online community that not only has student parents but also faculty and classified staff from the local colleges committed to helping student parents succeed in postsecondary education. Six years after initial enrollment, 50 percent of student parents had left school with no postsecondary degree, compared to 31 percent of non–parents, according to a U.S. Department of Education study on students beginning college during the 1995-96 academic year. "The Student Parent Community is about making sure that student parents do not become another statistic,” says Fabian. She adds that the Student Parent Community is an essential part of using the "Social Involvement" step below to help ensure their success.
"The 5 Essentials for Student-Parent Success"
— courtesy Jillian R. Watts, an educational coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University Life Planning — Action Planning is essential to set goals, expectations and deadlines for your success: it will allow you to see your academic and personal success play out.
- In order to be a successful student, while balancing the hectic life of being a parent, having as much structure as possible is key.
Academic Support — Discovering the resources available for academic support is essential to being successful.
- Developing a rapport with faculty/staff
- Understanding your learning style
- Utilizing unexpected resources
Family Support — Identifying those who will support you with your educational and personal goals is important for developing the willpower to persevere through the quest to achieve a college degree. Career Development — Achieving a college degree requires an understanding of one’s goals, interests, skills and areas of growth.
- Career Centers & Co-Op/Internship Opportunities
- Networking & Developing Professional Connections
Social Involvement — Being involved is an integral step in making campus your own.
- Campuses around the U.S. have studied the correlation of co-curricular involvement on academic success and graduation rates.
- Students who are involved and make a connection with their campus communities are more than 30 percent more likely to graduate in less than six years and have higher grade point averages and overall greater quality of life while in college.