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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Could also be TO and weaker admissions standards for “prestige” universities. It’s not just the pandemic. [/quote]

TO has nothing to do with weather a student is prepared for college.

I would say I have not seen a major change.  If anything,  students seem better prepared overall.  There are still a few that I was would have been required to talk a basic writing class. The one area I do see a difference is the extent to which students want to turn in work late. There doesn't seem to be the same priority for deadlines. [/quote]

+1 My colleagues at T20 schools, SLACS, and public R1 universities report the same behavior I have observed since the pandemic. The majority of students are academically prepared; however, there has been an increase in the number of students who can't meet deadlines, ask to redo assignments, struggle with mental health, and chronically skip class.

I'm at a public R1, and our DRW rates have slightly increased since the pandemic; there is some evidence that some TO students are struggling in gateway math courses and had to repeat a course or switch majors. However, this is not a significant number of students compared to pre-TO data. Retention rates amongst TO students haven't decreased, and they are on track to graduate and not negatively impact our 4- or 6-year graduate rates. [/quote]

OP - that is encouraging thank you . [/quote]

OP - to clarify / Sorry the part about increased mental health issues is not encouraging but [b]perfectly understandable given the collective traumas our youth experienced during the pandemic.[/b] I was aware and we already are quite proactive on the mental health front.

Yes you are right that this impacts executive functioning quite a lot. We will continue to work on those skill sets.

However, I had assumed there would be more impacts on academic skill sets as well and am encouraged that is reportedly not the case  .[/quote]

I think the mental heath issues pre-dated the pandemic. I think a lot of the mental health issues also stem from kids living under immense pressure and having their parents manage their entire lives. [/quote]

OP - maybe but research is very mixed in that regard. Some research shows that college students with helicopter parents do better and are more confident because they know their parents support them and their success.

I am sure there is a balance to that and we parents have to gradually hand over the reigns to our children as they prepare for adult life.

I also think there are way more expectations placed on students now then when I was young.

We emphasize to our DC that there are many paths to success and that admission to prestigious brand name colleges is not the goal -  rather to pursue studies they find interesting in a setting where they feel safe and happy and that eventually lead towards types of employments they will enjoy. [/quote]
PP here. Very much agree with pretty much all of what you said. I do think being an involved patient is different than a bulldozer parent who does everything for a kid/picks their classes/emails teachers complaining of grades/etc.  One of the simple things I have my kids do is to email their teachers if they have questions/concerns. I've actually sat down with my MS kid and helped draft an email to a teacher. It seems simple but many kids get to college and cannot compose an email to a professor.  It also gets them in the habit of advocating for themselves vs having a parent do it. If a DC misses school due to illness, they already know to reach out to their teachers.  I think the stakes are also higher now going into college. There is so much uncertainty.  I had the luxury of getting a liberal arts degree before heading to grad school. Now, even a STEM degree isn't a guarantee of anything. They see the political turmoil, climate crisis, and increase cost of living. It's a lot for a young adult. [/quote]

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