To the Parents and Guardians

Our freshman students enter Post University with a lifetime of your love and nurturing behind them. They couldn’t have done it without you and we want you to know we value your continued supporting role in your student’s life. They will be challenged to work hard, explore new ground, and reach the success that Post can enable them to achieve. Your emotional support and encouragement are critical to your student’s ability to maintain the confidence and ability to meet the challenges we will be putting before them.

Being a freshman

The first year of life at Post University is challenging in any number of ways: an assortment of buildings with miles of corridors to navigate; a brand new social life in new settings; friendships to test and forge; learning the responsibility and self-discipline that their new-found freedoms entail. These are just a few of the new experiences your student will face as a freshman.

Some freshmen take these new experiences in stride while others struggle. Given all of this, it is common for students to feel uncertain about their own abilities and express frustration over grades, social life, and extracurricular activities. Students are learning that a university is different from high school; and superb grades that may have come relatively easy in high school may prove to be difficult to obtain as a college student.

How you can help

  • Be supportive and encouraging. There may be a number of times during the next four years that your student, for any number of reasons, personal or scholastic, will lose faith in him or herself. That’s when you can be there reminding them of your faith and confidence in them until they can get their self-confidence back.
  • Stay connected to your student. Send notes, e-mails, and clippings from local papers, or even prepare a “care package” for them – and of course with enough to share with their new friends! Do all you can to assure them that they are still connected to home.
  • Encourage your student to explore a variety of majors and career directions. The freshman curriculum is somewhat structured; however, they will have opportunities to explore new fields. This is a time to see whether his/her intended major is right for him/her. We have years of professional and practical experience, here at Post, helping students find their future—and in time to graduate!
  • As a loving and supportive parent or guardian, you know how important this support is to a young person forging an identity that is independent from his or her family. Keep in mind that Post takes its role in this aspect of your student’s growth very seriously. He/she is in the right place for this crucial transition.

Being a sophomore

With a deeper understanding of the demands of college, students are now prepared to reconsider their intended major. They have tested their study skills, considered their individual interests and abilities, and are now figuring out what works best for them. This is a time when students think through their commitment to education with a clearer understanding of the requirements for success. Many students struggle during their first year, become discouraged if they are not among the top of their class. The sophomore year is when the study skills and work habits they struggled with in the freshman year begin to take hold. Students are being asked to do critical thinking and analyses, and they are revaluating their own goals and objectives. It is a time when students discover who they are and how they can influence others. The sophomore year also offers opportunities to explore the world of work through the University’s Co-op program. Students can spend the summer in a real job experience.

How you can help

Some students will complete their freshman year excited about the forthcoming challenges in their sophomore year. Others may finish their first year discouraged, with doubts that they can succeed. This is your opportunity to remind them of their newly gained experiences, their study skills, their improved ability to write and think. Post University staff gladly works with parents and family to help students in their sophomore year, to gain appropriate skills and develop a personal commitment to their education.

Being a junior

The junior year is when many students begin to focus on their selected major. They may have already taken some of the courses in their chosen major during their sophomore year, but this year they engage in higher-level courses with greater specialization. They will begin to work closely with their major professors and continue the process of developing their individual skills and abilities. In junior year, students will be expected to develop greater leadership skills and understandings. At the end of the academic year, students may again choose a co-op program experience. Given their greater understanding of their major area of study, students will be expected to perform higher-level job skills.

How you can help

During this time, students will start to think more deeply about what they will be doing after graduation. Continue your reassurance and help them stay focused on the many gains in knowledge, skill and experience they have already accomplished over the past two years. They are honing their leadership skills and are already developing into good listeners and thinkers. Your conversations with your student will serve to complement and strengthen these skills.

Being a senior

The senior year is spent in dealing with high-level courses and preparing for the next steps of life. During this time, students are completing their major requirements and demonstrating a sense of mastery of their specialized knowledge. Their experiences in the Interdisciplinary Leadership core over the three preceding years, along with the University’s Career Services, are giving students a perspective on how to make a difference in their world and in the lives of others.

How you can help

The final year of study is a culmination of a great number of educational, social and emotional experiences for your student. They have been waiting four years for this moment; suddenly there are courses to complete, deadlines to be met as graduation day looms closer. It is exciting and — stressful. This is also a big moment for you. Your consistent support, your encouragement and faith in your student has been an integral part of the success of this final year. Soon they will be, as planned, confident, competent and competitive participants in the workplace. Congratulations. You have done a wonderful job!