Welcome Parents
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| James Mills of Bellmore, New York is the father of two new freshman at C.W. Post, James and Michael. |
We welcome you as an active partner in your son or daughter’s college education at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. This Web site provides you with information about the campus, the resources and the support that are available for your student as he or she adjusts to the college environment. Your support and encouragement is important as your student develops, matures and becomes a self-advocate. We hope that you will encourage your son or daughter to use these resources so that he or she will have a smooth transition into our campus community.
C.W. Post's Division of Student Affairs, Campus Services and Center for Enrollment Services provide a wide variety of support and services to help students solve both academic and social problems. Administrators in these areas work to help students make decisions that lead to personal success, experiential learning and engaged citizenship.
Pointers for Post Parents
The Division of Student Affairs has developed this resource for parents of new students as a guide for how they can be helpful as their son or daughter transitions to college.
Staying in Touch
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Decide with your student how often you will call, then pick a specific time each day/week to talk.
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Use other ways to communicate like e-mail and texting.
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Become familiar with the academic schedule, which is available on the C.W. Post Web site. It gives the dates for registration, mid-terms, finals, etc.
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Choosing unsafe behavior on a college campus can have life-long consequences. Help your student make safe choices by communicating your expectations ahead of time.
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Be inquisitive without being an inquisitor. Ask your student what he or she learned, not what grade was earned.
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Communicate your confidence. Let your student know you believe in his or her ability to handle the new independence that comes with being a college student.
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Encourage your student to use campus resources like advisors, tutors and health services to solve problems related to living on a college campus.
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Listen, listen, listen.
Academics at C.W. Post
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The academic semester moves more quickly and is less structured than it was in high school. College students spend 15 hours per week in class vs. 30 hours in high school. However, they receive 30 hours of homework per week vs. 5 hours per week in high school. Although students spend less time in the classroom, they are expected to complete far more work.
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On average college students change their major two or three times.
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Confusion about a major is normal in the freshman and sophomore years.
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Don’t push your son or daughter into choosing a major. He or she may not have the experience or wisdom to make that decision yet.
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Grades are issued only to the student. It is each student’s responsibility to keep track of his or her own progress by following the course requirements set forth in the professor’s syllabus, which is distributed on the first day of class.
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Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning by attending classes, completing assignments and keeping up with the required reading.
Transition for Students
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The Funfgeld family of Lindenhurst, N.Y. have three children currently attending C.W. Post. From left: proud mom Beth; Eric (freshman, childhood education major); Farran (senior, health and physical education major), Pamela (speech language-pathology major), and dad Tom. |
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New students encounter many problems as they adjust to sharing a room, managing their own time, and the teaching style of their professors.
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Self-advocacy and independent learning present new challenges.
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Sometimes students doubt their ability to do well or they question their ability to make a good decision about which college to attend. If your student talks about dropping out, encourage him or her to finish out the semester. You can also advise him or her to seek help from Student Health & Counseling or The Learning Support Center.
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Successfully completing the semester builds confidence and helps them discover new strength.
Transition for Parents
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Letting go is part of your evolving relationship with your son or daughter.
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Keep criticism to a minimum.
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Allow your student to make mistakes. He or she will learn from them.
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Give your student permission to separate from you. You have given him or her “roots.” Now is the time to give your son or daughter “wings.”
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“Empty-nesters” should get involved by starting a hobby, volunteering or taking a college class themselves.
Partnering to Achieve Educational Goals
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Developing strong critical and expressive abilities, civic responsibility and a mature understanding of the ideas, events and forces shaping the modern world are key features of a C.W. Post education.
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To achieve this goal, our students must develop problem-solving skills. Parents can help in this process by not providing all the answers. Instead they can ask questions like:
How would you like to solve this problem? What resources are available on the campus? Have you spoken with your professor, advisor, a tutor, someone in Student Health and Counseling, etc.
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Alissa Link represents the third generation of our family to attend C.W. Post. A resident of Massapequa Park, N.Y. Alissa is a sophomore majoring in radiologic technology. Her mother, Patricia Link, is also a graduate of C.W. Post (B.S. in Marketing in 1981) as is her grandfather, James McGuire (B.S. in Management in 1965). |
Please note: Federal law, through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits all faculty, administrators and staff from discussing a student’s grades, conduct matters, roommate difficulties, or other educational issues with others—even parents—without the student’s written consent.
Many skills are developed through participation in co-curricular activities provided through the Division of Student Affairs. Encourage your student to get involved with one of the many clubs and organizations, intramural sports or community service projects here on the campus. He or she will learn leadership, communication, negotiation, time management, and teamwork skills. These are the skills that employers expect of our graduates.
A Message from the Division of Student Affairs
In addition to the expectations governing the academic program, students are also responsible for their actions outside the classroom. C.W. Post students are expected to support our Ethos Statement, which includes five principles that are not unlike those you have taught them at home: respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for property, respect for authority and honesty. These standards guide all C.W. Post students as members of our learning community, and in large measure, they reflect the standards of care, maturity, and civility we hope all of our students express in their communities after graduation.
Important Phone Numbers
Suggested Readings for Parents with College Freshmen
A New Beginning: Survival Guide For Parents of College Freshmen
By Kaye Bernard
McGarry, 2001
Almost Grown: Launching Your Child from High School to College
By Patricia Pasick
W.W. Norton and Company, 1998
Don't Tell Me What To Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to College
By Helen Johnson, Christine Schelas-Miller, et al., 2000.
Letting Go: A Parents Guide to Understanding the College Years
By Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Teeger
Harper Collins, 1997
When Your Kid Goes to College: A Parents Survival Guide
By Carol Barkin, 1999
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