Understanding Academic Resources for First-Year Families
The transition from the high school classroom to the college classroom offers new challenges for your student, and we want you as parents and family members to be aware of the support and guidance that Carnegie Mellon offers to new students to help them have a strong academic start. You will find information here about some common challenges that first-year college students will navigate and resources on campus where you can refer your student for guidance and support.
Time Management
For many of our first-year students, college is the first time in their lives where they have independence and the autonomy to choose how they fill their time. Finding the right balance takes time and patience, but is invaluable to their success here at CMU. For students seeking help to better manage their time and commitments, the Academic Development team offers academic coaching and workshops to assist. Academic advisors also are well-equipped to help students work through time management issues and ensure they are able to balance their academics with their extracurricular interests.
Engaging with Faculty and Staff
Sometimes, first-year students aren't sure how to get started in getting to know their professors and the support staff on campus. Although that is natural, we want to reassure you that the members of the CMU community are very supportive and friendly, and we love to talk and connect with students! The better connected a student is to the various faculty and staff on campus, the more likely they are to feel a sense of belonging at the university and to get help and guidance when needed. Encourage your students to talk to faculty and staff members by setting up appointments or by visiting professor’s office hours.
Asking for Help
Many CMU students graduated at the top of their class and excelling in high school came easy to them. The academic demand and culture of Carnegie Mellon can be an adjustment for students, and the most successful students are not afraid to ask for help. It is normal for a student to find some of their classes challenging, which is why we offer a variety of resources to help them succeed. The Academic Development team provides individual and group tutoring; the Global Communications Center provides consulting for written, verbal or visual projects; and the Intercultural Communication Center provides language support for our nonnative English speakers. We recommend you talk to your student about the academic transition to CMU and encourage them to be open to asking for help.
Study Skills
Many incoming students quickly realize they need to hone their study skills – the ability to stay organized, take good notes, prepare for tests, avoid procrastination, etc. Being open to adjusting their study skills and learn new strategies is important to a student’s success in the first semester. We encourage students to visit their professor’s office hours to talk about effective study skills, work with their Academic Advisor to adjust their habits and take advantage of our academic coaches in Academic Development who specialize in developing these skills.
We encourage you to talk with your student about any academic concerns they have and suggest they consider taking advantage of some of the resources highlighted here. Additional academic resources are noted the Parent and Family Engagement website.