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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Advice blog to parents from a professional university adviser

7 replies

ParmaVioletTea · 07/05/2026 12:49

Advice to parents from a student counsellor. It's US-based, but very relevant to UKHE

Academic Advisor Has 12 Things She Wants to Tell College Parents

As an academic in the UK system, this advice to parents is excellent, and - I hope - sets up what is 'normal' for your DC when they become adults at university.

Academic Advisor Has 12 Things She Wants to Tell College Parents

University Academic Advisor sees how difficult it is for many students to manage the stress of college. Here's what she wants parents to know.

https://grownandflown.com/academic-advisor-helps-college-students/

OP posts:
AelinAG · 07/05/2026 13:12

Seconded, from another PS staff member!

postitnot · 07/05/2026 17:29

This all seems very sensible to me!

But I was at an OHD with DD (I suppose she should have gone on her own but I wanted the day out!) and one of the questions asked was 'what would the staff do if the student was going out drinking too much?'
Err, nothing? They're adults now!

Staff were very good and explained the process if students weren't bothering to attend lectures, and no, they wouldn't be telling the parents about it

poetryandwine · 07/05/2026 18:33

Another academic here who thinks the article excellent. The author, Priscilla Baker, is an academic advisor at Purdue University in Indiana. That’s a good, solid university I would roughly equate to a mid Russell Group ranking.

Thank you, @ParmaVioletTea

Priorities2026 · 07/05/2026 19:50

I agree it is a good article. I am interested in her statement that "time management is the single biggest factor in a student's success" and wonder if those of you who are academics in the UK system agree? As a parent of a DD in her first year at Uni, I think this is probably correct. Those of her friends who have struggled tend to have taken a bit longer to work out how much work outside of lectures and tutorials they need to do and/or how much socialising they can manage and still get the work done! My DD played sport to a high level alongside her A levels and I think it benefitted her by ensuring she had to learn how to manage her time herself without any prompting from me.

poetryandwine · 07/05/2026 23:21

Certainly it is one of the single biggest factors, @Priorities2026 .

If I differ it is only slightly and because I think there may be something deeper enabling or motivating the good time management: self confidence and/or enthusiasm for one’s degree programme (rather than simply the idea of being at university). There is a lot of perfectionism and paralysis right now which may stem from a lack of self confidence or engagement with one’s studies.

PerpetualOptimist · 08/05/2026 06:45

Interesting thread. I come at this from the perspective of developing people once they have entered the workplace. There have always been the perfectionists, the avoiders of 'out-of-comfort-zone' situations and those chronically lacking initiative. These issues are becoming more prevalent, albeit at the margins, and can be addressed - though that takes time and effort that could be deployed elsewhere.

I do worry that the trend, in some schools and areas, towards 'fewer, but perfect grades', intensive tutoring through the majority of school years and even into university years exacerbates that trend - as does the difficulty of securing paid work during sixth form and university years to give students experience of environments that are not 'student-centric'.

Having said all the above, it is important not to catastrophise. The vast majority of people I support have managed to make their way through our education system to emerge as balanced, happy individuals on their own terms and long may that continue.

AelinAG · 08/05/2026 09:58

Priorities2026 · 07/05/2026 19:50

I agree it is a good article. I am interested in her statement that "time management is the single biggest factor in a student's success" and wonder if those of you who are academics in the UK system agree? As a parent of a DD in her first year at Uni, I think this is probably correct. Those of her friends who have struggled tend to have taken a bit longer to work out how much work outside of lectures and tutorials they need to do and/or how much socialising they can manage and still get the work done! My DD played sport to a high level alongside her A levels and I think it benefitted her by ensuring she had to learn how to manage her time herself without any prompting from me.

I would say it’s time management - but also being proactive about the enterprise as a whole.

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