| OK so I might get flamed for this, but my Covid high school graduate has struggled to find their sea legs in college over the last year. They are finally beginning to get some solid ground but I think the full course load is going to be too much having watched the first couple of weeks go by. As a parent, especially, given a lot of mental health challenges, would you offer your opinion to the young adult? The goal from my perspective is to really get that solid ground and gain more and more independence this semester. And, to make a decision on the right fit college, which is still in question. Thoughts? |
| What? So your kid is a freshman in college? Or in HS? Maybe try again. |
| Did they start college in the Spring semester or something? |
| This is confusing to read |
| Freshman in college but started late. Graduated HS during Covid. |
| OP I think you should post in the college forum. |
Most kids struggle a bit when they first get to college. You can't possibly know grades if they just started this semester. Just encourage your kid to use their resources (study groups, office hours, free on-campus tutoring, etc.) and to deal with small problems before they become big problems. |
| Not quite sure what you’re talking about but my DD had a very tough freshman year (sub 3.0 gpa) so she is only taking 12 credits for each semester sophomore year. She doesn’t need more, is still on target to graduate due to APs and it just helps her manage her workload better. I’ m a fan. |
OP here. Yes thank you this is very helpful. That’s essentially what I’m asking should I advise her to drop down to 12. She’s not going to be on target to graduate on time anyway so I’m not really worried about that. I just want her to have a workload that resonates with her mental health concerns and pace of getting her ground underneath her for college. |
12 credits is Full Time. It is sometimes is a good decision, for any student. Yes, it will probably mean, sometime, an extra summer of classes. They can do 12 credits a couple of ways ~ sign up for only 12 OR sign up for 15-18 credits, attend for awhile. Decide which 1-2 classes to drop. Drop before the deadline. |
| Take this to college forum |
| I was able to do 12 credits first semester freshman year because of AP classes in high school. It really helped. Later on I did have to bump up to 15 and it was much harder. |
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I hope she is seeing a psychiatrist. Have her talk to the school about her mental health care and see if she is eligible for any special accommodations- extra time, etc. I would also have her sign a FERPA release. |
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I had my kid—with no mental health history—start with a minimum full time load, until we knew how she managed the transition to college.
Why are you proposing this now? I would have advised it at the registration phase. Can he still drop down? |
| I blame the school system, they wanted to give everyone good grades and this happened |