Page 37 - UMKC Parent and Family Insider

NEW SEMESTER
Getting a few tasks out of the way over winter break will give your student a running start on spring semester.
1. Attend to uninished business from fall semester. Is your student carrying over any incomplete grades? Is their spring schedule complete?
2. Make a budget for spring semester. Decide if they will get a part-time job on or off campus.
3. Order textbooks and read the irst chapters to get a jump on classes. Check to see if professors have assigned pre-semester work and get it done.
4. Commit to time management. Set up
a system (calendar, planner, app) and start plugging in dates to be ready to go on day one.
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• They may feel optimistic. We’re all encouraged by the possibilities of a new year in January; your student may be energized at the prospect of a fresh start.
Second semester is a perfect opportunity for some conversations. Plant a few seeds, offer food for thought, remind your student of your trust and support.
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Reinforce the opportunities that a fresh start brings: new classes, new professors, new activities, perhaps new friends. Their perspective can be new, too.
Remind your student of how much they know now that they didn’t
in the fall, both about college life and about themselves. Help them recognize and build on areas of strength.
Ask about their goals for this semester. What do they hope
the next four months will bring? What action plan is required to accomplish those goals? Putting goals into words makes them more tangible.