Parents & Families
A College Education Begins in the Home
Parents and family can play a critical role in keeping students on a path that will best prepare them for the possibility of a college education after high school.
Know the Pathways
Understanding the various pathways to a university education can help families and students understand how to best prepare for those pathways. Not all students may end up attending a four-year university, however, this website will encourage preparation for a university education as “best preparation”. That best preparation should open up opportunities if a student decides to go straight to work or if a student decides to begin at a community college.
Harnessing the Power of Diverse Backgrounds
A student’s family can provide support and inform the student as they engage with the university environment. Annually, college and university graduates are grateful for the many contributions and sacrifices made by family in order for students to have the opportunity of gaining higher education to secure a prosperous future.
Plans can Change
Remember that often the best laid plans can change. Be flexible and as a family work to keep as many future opportunities as open as possible. Sometimes our children may have different plans. It likely is most important that we help our children explore their plans and support them in their choices. While there may be benefits of enrollment directly after graduation from high school, remember that there are many paths to a university education and that those paths can extend beyond high school graduation. Maintaining contact with high school counselors, educators and mentors, as well as contacts made at a college or university may help a family figure out a different path to a university degree program later in life. There are options, they just need to be sought and explored.
First-Generation
For some families, their student may be the first to work toward graduating from a college or university. A first-generation student is largely defined as a student whose parents have not completed a four-year, or bachelor’s, degree. The definition of a first-generation college students can also be more complex, as modeled by the University of Arizona’s First Cats initiative. Being a first-generation student may impact scholarships, opportunities or support that may be available to help that student achieve their family’s dream of a college degree. Be proud of this status and seek communities or spaces that celebrate being first!