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Greetings. Though your student may be in the midst of his or her studies this year, now is just as good a time as any to discuss academic progress with your student. In fact, the end of the semester, the beginning of the semester, mid-semester, and even semester breaks are all good times to discuss this very important topic with students.
My senior daughter has always been driven and has approached life with a fairly keen focus on how to get from point A to point B. Nevertheless, even with this background, she has changed majors from political science to business to education. Much of this change reflects the extraordinary opportunities she has experienced teaching in Germany and South Korea during the past two summers. Fortunately, my daughter has sought the counsel of her parents in making these difficult educational choices that will help determine the career she pursues. She has appreciated the insight we have provided in terms of education and, more importantly, careers. Candidly discussing educational choices and career decisions is an important part of what we do as parents. Convey to your student that reassessing past decisions is always worthwhile so long as the ultimate goal is to be a satisfied and productive citizen.
In addition to providing guidance to my daughter, I have advised her of the outstanding services that are available to students and parents regarding educational goals and career planning. The Pomerantz Career Center has created a web site, www.careers.uiowa.edu, to provide assistance in this area, and there are plenty of additional campus resources—from professors to academic advisors to career counselors—available in the Pomerantz Career Center and in each of the colleges. Directing your student to these resources can eliminate much of the frustration that students (and parents) experience as they grow and expand their interests during their years at the University.
Finally, reassessment of educational and career goals is not limited to our students. Many graduates of The University of Iowa go through the same process of reevaluation. The University provides assistance to these Iowa alums and has created a separate web site at www.iowalum.com/career. Staying connected to the University provides lifelong benefits to its alumni.
Please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Parents Association Advisory Board, or to contact the on-campus liaison, Belinda Marner, at parents-association@uiowa.edu or 319-335-3557. Visit the Parents Association online at www.uiowa.edu/~parent. Also, the Family Weekend Committee is interested in hearing any suggestions or comments you have for next year’s activity planning. You can direct comments to parents-association@uiowa.edu.
Best regards to each of you.
