To Our FSC Parents/Guardians

Congratulations on your student’s acceptance to Farmingdale State College!

We look forward to working with you as a part of your student’s support team. We encourage you to remind your student to seek out information and resources available on campus. This allows the student to begin self-advocating and connecting to the campus, as well as being an opportunity for them to have an open dialogue and inform you of what they have learned.

Important Resources

• The AAIC handbook provides useful information, such as important terminology and dates, placement and test score information, typical 1st and 2nd semester schedules for various majors, a list of academic honor societies and student clubs, as well as places to meet and study.
• Academic calendar  – offers information about deadlines for registering, making schedule changes, or withdrawing from courses.

Your role as a member of your student’s support team

During this transition from high school to college, you are also an integral part of the transition and can help your student by:

1. Actively encouraging your student to take the lead during campus interactions – It is important that your student personally connects with advisors/campus staff during appointments, email exchanges and phone calls. This is a great time to support your student’s growth and development by having them learn to ask important questions and effectively communicate.
2. Finding Balance – on top of a 15-17 credit load, many students work, some part-time, others full-time. Finding time for their social life won't be easy. They will struggle – at some point – with finding balance. Be understanding of this transition.
3. Seeking out resources – from Student Accounts and the Registrar to Student Activities and Mental Health Counseling, Farmingdale College offers a variety of resources to students.  When your student needs assistance, remind them that they can find answers specific to their needs from the departments on campus.
4. Suggesting they join a club and/or make new friends. College is where they begin to learn how to “network” and connect with people who share similar interests and goals. These are valuable skills to learn now so that they are ready to apply them when they enter the workforce.

Things to remember

1. It is okay if a student has not committed to a major in their first semester. This is all a part of the college experience.  College is about exploration and learning of new ideas.  This road of self-discovery will lead to finding a major.
2. They may want to change their major.  This is their time to explore, find out what interests them, and learn more about the career they believe they want to pursue. If they discover something new or realize their choice is not what they had thought it would be, the change of major is theirs to make.  Rather they discover their passion now than find themself in a career that is not attuned to their strengths and does not make them happy.
3. Allow for confusion. There will be times of pressure. They may feel stressed. That’s normal. This is how and when they learn to multitask, prioritize, and cope. Be there to remind them that this is all in preparation for a career. It is better to learn it now than on the job where the company/boss may not have patience.

Conclusion

We are happy to have you as an integral part of your student’s support team.  Please be sure to remind them that the AAIC is here to answer their questions.  We look forward to meeting your student and working with them in the near future.