First-year college students will be more successful if they go to class, said a national expert on college students’ first year. “Research indicates that class attendance is the most important first step to college success,” said Dr. Betsy Barefoot, co-director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College in North Carolina.

Her advice for parents of first-year students includes knowing what resources the college offers to freshmen, and being supportive.

Barefoot will speak to the Schoolcraft College faculty and staff August 28 as the college launches its First Year Initiative. The process will result in measures to help freshmen have a positive first year and academic success.

In addition to going to class, Barefoot said students definitely should buy the textbook, or make certain textbook materials are available through the library or other sources. “A lot of students decide not to buy books, but it is important to have the materials,” she said. Her other suggestions for new college students include:

• Get to know a faculty member informally. Make it a point either to stay after class and chat, or take advantage of office hours to express an interest in the subject or ask questions.
• Make friends with someone in class whom you don’t know. If you already know classmates, this will bring new friends into your life. If you come into the class knowing no one, you now have a friend, and that can be helpful if you need to borrow someone’s notes or are confused about an assignment.
• Be sure to attend orientation. Orientation is optional on most campuses, but Barefoot said it is important to learn all you can about the campus. “Not participating in orientation is like buying a car without having the operating manual,” she said.
• Become involved in a campus activity such as a club or as a volunteer. You will begin to feel more a part of the institution and find your niche.
• If you need to work, find an on-campus job and limit the hours to 20 or fewer. Working on campus is a way to get to know the institution from the inside, as well as meet faculty and staff.
• Make college a priority in your life. “Going to college is your job now,” said Barefoot. “Approach it as a job, or you won’t keep it.”

Parents also have a role to play in their student’s initial success. Barefoot said first and foremost parents should be supportive of their children. This does not mean taking over, however, and parents should take a back seat when it comes to students deciding on their academic major.

Parents should know what special activities and academic services are available to help first-year students, and be ready to suggest getting help if students get into academic trouble. This is more important than knowing where your school ranks on national surveys, she said.

Barefoot cautioned that parents should avoid putting too much pressure on students to make outstanding grades the first year. However, it is important to keep the lines of communication open with students, because colleges do not send grades home to parents, and you do want to know how your student is doing.

Parents should not expect students to work more than 20 hours a week, especially off campus. “Students with a heavy work load are less likely to succeed,” said Barefoot. “It really is not a good idea.”

If your student lives on campus, another tip is to encourage them stay there. Coming home every weekend only increases homesickness. Students will be better adjusted if they stay on campus and get involved in activities there.

Parents should try to help financially if they can so that students can experience college without working full time. That is not to say parents should pay the whole bill. It is reasonable for students to assume some college debt, and more and more students are doing just that.

Barefoot also said parents should avoid making big changes themselves, such as getting a divorce, as soon as the student leaves home for college. “On some level, the student will feel responsible,” she said. “Any abrupt change back home can be disorienting for a first-year student.”

Schoolcraft College is a public two-year college, offering classes at the Livonia campus on Haggerty Road between Six and Seven Mile roads, at the Radcliff Center in Garden City and online.