The First-Year Experience
Winter Break: What to Expect
Students are finishing a busy first semester and preparing to head home for winter break. So, what can you expect?
- Students will be recovering from the physical and mental strains of finals week. Don’t be alarmed if your student’s top priority is to sleep.
- Catching up with high school friends may be at the top of your student’s to-do list. This is a healthy response and can affirm his or her ability to maintain long-distance friendships.
- Schedule time with your student to make sure that activities that are important to you aren’t lost in the shuffle.
- Have a conversation with your student about expectations for schedules, housework, and behavior during the month. Decide whether all of the original rules of the house still apply, and also consider some extra flexibility to take into account your student’s newfound independence and autonomy.
- Discuss first-semester academic performance with your student. Remember that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) stipulates that students maintain formal control over their educational records, including their final semester grades. Parents may not review the records unless their student grants approval in writing. The best way to find out about final grades is to ask your student.
- Some students may consider leaving the university after a difficult semester. Parents can play a key role with such a critical decision by helping the student evaluate his or her options while deciding whether staying or moving on is the right decision.
- Don’t be surprised to hear your son or daughter refer to Madison as “home” or discuss viewpoints or values that may be unfamiliar.
By opening the lines of communication and creating clear expectations, you will make your student’s return home from UW–Madison the enjoyable and rewarding experience that it should be.
Parent Reception Highlights
As part of First-Year Parents’ Weekend, the Parent Program welcomed 450 parents and students for a recption at the historic Red Gym on November 12. The reception offered a variety of events, including:
- A performance by Fundamentally Sound, a male a cappella group.
- An Art Gallery exhibit with work by Tyanna Buie.
- Tours of the Red Gym led by campus tour guides.
- A showing of “Being Bucky,” the documentary that shows what it’s like to be UW–Madison’s beloved mascot.
- An appearence by Bucky, who posed for pictures with parents and students.
The Parent Program hosts the parent reception as a way for parents to connect with one another as well as wth university faculty and staff.