How to Read a College Syllabus: The 2-Minute Skill Every Freshman Needs
You have probably spent the last year worrying about grades, applications, essays, SATs, ACTs, dorm rooms, roommates, meal plans, and approximately 400 things they supposedly need for their dorm room.
But there is one thing I want you to make sure they know how to do before they leave:
Read a syllabus.
I know. It doesn’t sound very exciting.
But I promise you, it matters.
A college syllabus is basically the roadmap for the class. It tells your student what is expected, what they need to do, when things are happening, and how they will be graded.
And yet, so many students don’t really read them.
They look at it, see a list of assignments, and move on.
That’s a problem.
I had a client who learned this the hard way.
I had a client who was doing well in one of her college classes. She had a solid B and she really wanted an A.
We started talking about the class and what she could do to improve her grade.
Then we looked at the syllabus.
And there it was.
A weekly extra-credit assignment.
She had completely missed it, it was right there in the syllabus.
Had she been doing that extra credit throughout the semester, it could have easily moved her grade from a B to an A.
This is exactly the kind of thing I want parents to think about before their kids leave for college.
Your teenager can be incredibly smart and still not know how to manage college.
College is different from high school.
In high school, there are usually reminders everywhere.
The teacher announces the test. The teacher reminds them about the project. There may be an online notification. Maybe Mom asks, “Do you have anything due tomorrow?” Maybe even mom is on powerschool reminding the kid (which if you have ever read my books you know I tell you NOT TO DO!).
College professors generally aren’t going to chase your kid down.
They expect students to take responsibility for knowing what is happening in their class.
That means your teenager needs to learn how to look at a syllabus and figure it out.
And this is where college readiness becomes about much more than academics.
Your kid may be smart but do they understand how to succeed?
We spend so much time telling our kids to study harder, do your homework, and get good grades.
But college requires students to manage themselves.
They need to keep track of deadlines. They need to understand how their grade is calculated. They need to know where to find information when they have a question.
And sometimes, as my client discovered, they need to recognize an opportunity that could actually help them succeed.
That is a skill.
And like any skill, it needs to be practiced.
Want to make this easier for your teen?
I created the 2 Minute College Guide: How to Read a College Syllabus to help students understand what to look for when they receive a syllabus and how to use that information to start the semester organized.
GET THE 2 MINUTE COLLEGE GUIDE → https://www.etsy.com/listing/4544343387/college-freshman-gift-student-success
Parents, this is where I want you to step back.
I know.
This is the hard part.
You want to help. You want to make sure your kid doesn’t miss anything. You may even want to look at the syllabus yourself and put every single date into your calendar.
But if you are managing your child’s syllabus from home, you are setting up your child to fail in life.
There is a difference between helping your child learn a skill and doing the skill for them.
You can sit down with them before college and say:
“Show me how you’re going to figure out what you need to know from this syllabus.”
That’s teaching.
Taking the syllabus, creating their entire semester calendar, tracking their assignments and reminding them what is due?
That’s managing.
And eventually, you won’t be there to do that.
Want the 2-Minute College Guide?
Help your teen learn how to read a college syllabus, find the information that matters, and start taking responsibility for their own college experience.
GET THE 2 MINUTE COLLEGE GUIDE: HOW TO READ A COLLEGE SYLLABUS → https://www.etsy.com/listing/4544343387/college-freshman-gift-student-success
Because college readiness isn’t just about getting into college.
It’s about knowing what to do once you get there.
You’ve got this. And so do they.
Keri Cooper, LCSW
College Ready by Keri