By Winnie Essel Student Support Specialist at the Office of Student Success Services

As your student sets out on their college journey, there are two important skills they’ll need to master: managing assignment due dates and following college course sequencing. These two areas can make all the difference in their academic journey and we’re here to help you understand how you can support your Seahawk along the way!

Understanding Assignment Due Dates

In college, life moves pretty fast, and assignments can pile up quickly. Meeting due dates is important not only for grades but also for reducing unnecessary stress. Here are some tips to help your student stay on top of due dates:

1. Check the Syllabus: At the beginning of the semester, each professor gives the class a course syllabus that outlines important deadlines, assignments, policies, and exams. Encourage your student to check their syllabi regularly, as this is the best location for all course information.
2. Professor Preference: Professors may use different platforms to share class updates. Some may post assignment due dates on online learning systems (like Blackboard or Google Classroom), others may send emails and some may prefer to make in-class announcements. Remind your student to pay attention to their professor’s preferred method of sharing information so they can avoid missing important information.
3. Be Organized: It is very important for your students to organize their due dates in a way that they will be able to keep track of their assignments. Encourage them to write out their assignment due dates in a planner, or on a calendar and refer to it often so they don’t miss anything. Once they have these dates mapped out they should also make a plan for when they intend to work on each assignment.
4. Consequences of Missing Assignments: Missing assignments can have a big impact on grades. Students need to be aware that some professors will not accept late work, some will accept late work but with a penalty, and others may be more flexible with their due dates depending on the reason. That being said, your students need to communicate with their professors as soon as possible if they feel like they may miss a deadline. If you notice that your student is struggling with time management and keeping track of assignment due dates, send them to the Office of Student Success Services (OS3). We’re here to help!

Understanding Course Sequencing

Just like students need to plan for when they are going to get each assignment done during the semester, they also need to make a plan for when they’re going to take each class during their time here at SMCM.

Why is it important?

Students will have to take prerequisite courses before taking higher-level courses in their major. Prerequisites are building blocks for learning. These courses help the students learn the necessary information before tackling harder courses. For example, they may have to take Spanish 101 before taking Spanish 102. Think of it as beating level 1 in a video game to unlock level 2. Students who stray from recommended course sequencing are at higher risk of burning out and delaying graduation. Luckily, there are built-in structures in place to help students succeed. The key is to stay informed and trust the process.

What are the considerations for determining the right course sequence for your child?

Major and minor checklists

SMCM provides a checklist of required courses for each major and minor. Encourage your child to review these lists carefully and map out when they plan to take each course required for graduation. Make sure they are aware of any required prerequisites needed for upper-level (300- and 400-level) courses. Academic advisors and OS3 Staff are here to help, but it’s your student’s responsibility to understand the course sequencing for their major.

How did they manage their high school course load?
If your student had a full schedule in high school and handled it well, they may be equipped to take a heavier course load. This may especially be the case if your student took a lot of AP/IB and honors courses or dual enrollment courses. On the other hand, if your student struggled to manage their high school course load, then they may need to start off with a lighter course load until they can adjust to the demands of college courses.

What are their goals after college?
If your student plans to attend a graduate program, they should be aware of any courses required to apply for their program of interest. For example, if your student plans to go to medical school after college, they should make sure that they include the prerequisite courses in their course sequencing plan (e.g., calculus and certain chemistry and physics courses) because they will be needed in order to apply to medical school.

When do they plan to graduate?
The goal is to graduate in four years. To achieve this goal, students need to make sure that they are taking the right number of courses each semester so that they can graduate on time. If your student plans to graduate early, then their course sequencing plan should reflect that. It is also important to consider whether your child is a part-time or full-time student. Full-time status is a minimum of 12 credits, but at SMCM we encourage students to aim for 16 or 17 credits to succeed and graduate on time.

Can you/they afford to take classes during the winter/summer?
Some students take advantage of winter and summer courses to lighten their regular semester load, to retake a course, or to speed up their timeline for graduation. However, it is important to know that these courses come at an additional cost. If your student is considering taking a winter/summer course, you should consider whether you can afford winter/summer courses and whether they can handle the compacted class format offered during those semesters.

By staying on top of both assignment due dates and course sequencing, your student will stay on track for success without unnecessary stress or delays. Not only will they feel more in control of their academic life, but they’ll also be laying the groundwork for a smooth path to graduation and beyond.