Capital offers a very competitive and challenging academic environment and students often experience a multitude of feelings varying from happiness to frustration during their time here.

 
We give your students these tips to help them succeed at Capital. But it’s important that you see them too, so you can help keep your student on track.

What Students Should Know to Succeed

• Remember, your main goal is to get a good education.
   
• No matter what, go to class.
   
• Meet your professors early, email them often and work to ensure they see the effort you’re putting into your courses.
   
• For the first semester of the first year, take 12-16 credits. Avoid taking difficult course combinations. Give yourself some time to adjust to the new people and surroundings, a new schedule and long hours of homework.
   
• Seek out the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching if you experience academic difficulties. They provide free tutoring in various subjects with specialization in English and math. They also offer one-to-one and small group tutoring. English, math and science create the foundation for all academic coursework. Get the help you need in the first 2-4 weeks to ensure good academic progress.
   
• If you feel overwhelmed, don’t be shy. Talk to an adviser, your instructor/faculty member or others in your class. Speak up if you don't understand something.
   
• Keep things in balance. Do your best, but give yourself some downtime and get involved. It's all right not to get an 'A' all the time.
   

How Parents Can Help

Students will have difficulty with at least one or more classes at some point. If your student tells you they don't believe they are doing as expected in a course may want to encourage them to attend class. Attending class allows a student to understand course material. Suggest that they speak to the instructor, your student’s academic advisor, or a trusted faculty member. They can also form or join a study group of others in the course.

It may seem simple, but ask your student if he/she is reading the text book or all assigned readings before the class session. Most students will tell you that they never read the text book in high school and they assume that they can do the same in college and earn excellent grades. Not true. Encourage them to read before they discuss the reading.

Finally, you may need to encourage them to stop by the second floor of the library. Academic services are available through Center for Teaching and Learning. If a class is not going well and your student appears lost in the course ask your student if they understand all the grading options in a class, Pass/Fail, Dropping a course or Withdrawing from a course. An F is devastating to a GPA so often the best option is to drop a course and take it again during another semester. It is important that a student maintains full-time status which means 12 credit hours. If they will move below full-time status encourage them to talk to an academic advisor.