Evaluating Last Semester’s Mistakes and Moving Forward for Success

            Are you welcoming home a college freshman this winter break? It’s an exciting time, and also a time for adjustment. For sure there will be adjustments in transitioning your relationship from parent/child to parent/young adult. And depending on how successful or how challenging the first semester of college was, there may also need to be some adjustments in expectations for the second semester.

Has your child learned to communicate as an adult?

            Breaking established patterns can be hard, and one of those patterns is communication. As a high school student, your child probably relied upon you to help run interference in communication with their teachers, have the difficult conversations at IEP or 504 meetings, and take the lead when discussing homework and grades. For some college students, especially those with ADHD and other neurodivergencies, stepping up to have these difficult conversations independently may not come naturally. Seeking help as a college freshman can be intimidating – whether it is emailing or meeting with a professor and using an appropriate tone, or taking the initiative to speak with a tutoring center and clearly explain what is working and what isn’t. If your student’s grades did not meet expectations this first semester, winter break is a great time to analyze whether their communication efforts have been appropriate and effective, and rehearse ways to interact more successfully to seek support on campus.

Does your child’s approach to college need to change?

            Is your college freshman disappointed, but not sure how to set themselves up for success in the spring semester? Taking time this winter break to honestly evaluate what worked and what didn’t last semester is an important step to foster self-awareness. Once the issues have been accurately identified, more effective problem-solving can begin. For students with executive function challenges, this often means working smarter rather than harder by adjusting organizational challenges and study habits.

Does your child need time and space to recover from this setback?

            Sometimes a crisis during the first semester in college can negatively impact a student to the point where some time and space is needed before they are available to re-engage. And that’s okay, too. It’s not too late to consider a gap experience for the second semester of college. While the deadline may have passed for the more well-known structured gap year or gap semester programs, the purpose of a gap year or semester is to learn experientially. A gap experience can be individually structured to include academic support in areas that are needed, executive function support in a different paradigm, such as a part-time job or independent living experience. A gap semester or year can take place at home or somewhere else, whether in-country or abroad. Data shows that gap experiences positively impact maturity and resilience and that students who return to college afterwards are more successful.

Do you need additional support in any of these areas over winter break?

            If these ideas sound good, but you’re not sure how to implement them over the winter break, check out our winter session course offerings for college students. We have classes to address Comfortable Communication, Winter Break Re-Launch to College, College Intensive Coaching, and Gap Year Consulting. There are many paths to moving forward successfully.

Essig Education Group wishes you and yours the happiest of holidays!