you know there's certain songs when I hear them I just think back to what I imagined college would be like and this is one of those shows you know a different world that was one of those shows that kind of introduced what the college world I thought was a little bit I know they're also cool they're cool I love the different world I know just so on this edition of bringing it home with Sarah and Tennille we're talking about the different world that our kids are gonna face when it's time to go off to college right because it's not the same as it was when we went no it truly it's not it's not what they're used to in high school no it's not it's gonna be a big change but we've got a lot of things to kind of talk about on the subject so we brought in someone that I've known for a very long time you just met but Cara Reeves hi Cara hi Cara is my classmate from JCM I won't say what class we're in but coolers yes I just want to go go Indian North South oh my just ruin the whole mood of the room so we'll move on Cara is with us today um she works at Jackson State Community College in Jackson Tennessee and what is your role and so I'm a completion coach at Jackson State completion coach yeah you remember having one of those no yeah we had advisors at the same thing right so um at Jackson State each student is assigned an academic advisor and that's probably what you're thinking of now and that's the person you sit down with each semester figure out what classes you're going to take all of that um and make sure you're on the right path to earn your degree you're not taking you know some class you don't need to earn your degree and wasting some time a completion coach is the person that kind of helps with everything else because oftentimes like it's in the way right and so so when you have a question about you know what does prerequisite mean or you know we have students who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity so we are the point of contact for that for all of our students that's awesome wow we need like a life completion coach that would be helpful just go to with issues right yeah we need that we need that that's a great resource though for your students there so some you know like some of the things that we do like specifically every week um we check attendance so it's not like it is in high school like you get in trouble you're not in class or whatever it's it's um a lot of times it's for financial aid right so a lot of our students are um getting some sort of aid and to meet that aid they have to or keep that aid they have to attend classes kind of just makes sense right we don't pay for you you're not going to actually imagine that so um instructors are required to submit attendance every week and so then completion coaches get that report on monday and we just start reaching out like hey just making sure everything's okay is anything you need notice you're in class last week um and a lot of times we find that you know there's a car issue or they don't have money for gas or you know they've got the flu so yeah please don't come but it's usually something like that where something's wrong right and life gets in the way and sometimes they just don't know that they should communicate that and let their instructors know um so they can work with them because you know within reason our instructors will work with them and let them help them catch up and all that but they can't do that they don't know so i don't want to call you a second mom because you're cooler than that so you're like a big sis y'all are like big sisters and big brothers and division coaches and i would not say that you know i think there's this you know feeling out there that you know kids aren't just they're just not going to class students aren't going to class and that's not really what we found like it's usually something's going on they can't you can't do it so if we can help we like to be able to do that um you know we connect them with other resources as well on campus and off like if they are experiencing something we um you know if there's homelessness that they are struggling with and we try to reach out to the community and see if there's somebody that can help but we also have a food pantry on campus and help with that you know i think there's also you know there's this feeling in k-12 where you know we this movement where we about this time every year you know do these school supply drives and that need does not stop with college students right so you know we have a closet for that if they need school supply they can come get those lots of resources now you mentioned financial aid and as a mom of a senior that's something that's at the forefront of my mind right now so what's out there i know the hope scholarship um that's the lottery money right that we call the lottery money and then there's also the tennessee promise so kind of tell me the difference between those two things okay well so you know you fill out the vice every year so that's that's how you have to start to earn any of these scholarships that are out there but what they what they do first is see if there is is need and so you can get a pell grant which is money from the federal government based on need that you do not have to pay that right okay so there's a lot of students um at jackson state who has some sort of pell grant money they may pay for their entire tuition it may pay for part of it and they can use that for tuition and books depending on how much they have um with lottery lottery includes hope and there's also like aspire and several other things and i really you know i'm very limited to want to know about those specifics but that's based on like act or gpa requirements to get anything that falls underneath the lottery scholarship and tennessee promise is the last dollar scholarship so anything that pell if you were eligible or anything that you know lottery didn't cover um then that's when tennessee promise would come in and pick up the rest of it um tennessee promise is of course for graduating seniors and you have to complete the passport for that and and um it does not cover textbooks and so i think when we hear tennessee promise or even tennessee reconnect for um older students at the end we think okay yeah we don't have to worry about anything but you actually do um it covers tuition it does not cover books so um that's the kind of difference with that okay and tennessee promise is for your community colleges right it can yes so or tcats um and it is also there are a couple of um schools i think tsu has one degree and maybe i don't know i can't even remember but anyway um so there are a couple of schools that will have they have some kind of two-year program but it's for the two-year programs basically um and then you know there are some transfer opportunities yeah and the good thing is there's the tennessee transfer pathway um that i learned about recently that basically if you start out with a two-year program there's actually somebody that helps you to make sure that you're able to move into a four-year program if that's what you want to do without losing credits right um so i think what they found in you know historically was that when students were transferring from a community college like jackson state to a four-year institution that some of those classes were not transferring they were like just having to take those over again and that didn't make much sense um and so um there are tennessee transfer pathways um at uh community colleges and so what that basically means is you are able to um transfer to a four-year institution in the state of tennessee and there are some private institutions that are part of it as well um and you keep all your credit so it's basically the way i'm describing it to students i'm like they're just picking up everything you did at jackson state and they're carrying it over to whatever four-year institution you're going to in the state of tennessee and all of those credits count um and so then when you go in you're ready to go in as a junior um and so and also get pretty much guaranteed that you get into that institution doesn't guarantee a special program if there's requirements for that but you're getting in that's great because i met so many people when i went to school that lost credits when they transferred so that is really great that was one of the fears was all your credits aren't going to transfer so it's good that that's there so lots of resources at jackson state community college i'm sure there are resources at many of the colleges across the state and across the nation let's talk about some basics here no matter where you're looking to go to school because there's some checklists items there oh yeah she's already mentioned the past though that sounds like one of the first things you need to do it and just keep in mind that too the earlier you do it and i'm not gonna be able to remember the date um it is in the spring so much but the earlier you do it the more opportunity you have to get the extra funds that are out there um there's like some seo g funds and stuff like that if you do it by that deadline then you could earn that and sometimes that that helps students with textbooks and such okay sometimes get money you didn't even know that so do it on time so do it on time so do it on time so do it on time so just go post it do it early and then like there's deadlines to apply for tennessee promise and other stuff people just the parents and students really need to pay attention to deadlines don't they right yeah and some students get in trouble with the community service hours that they have to do with tennessee promise because there are deadlines for that and if they don't meet those deadlines then they lose it oh yeah so just keeping those in mind um the one it's usually for fall is july first so that one has passed but just you know keeping that in mind as well okay so we gotta keep up with a lot and so we're gonna be depending on our kids to keep up with a lot so let's back it up before we ever get to jackson state or whatever institution that we're going to some things we need to be checking off the list for senior year maturity checklist items to determine whether the child is actually ready to go off to school or if a community college or some setting that may allow them to live at home may be the best choice i don't really think that's gonna be up to each family because the parents have their children better than the admissions at the place they're trying to get into right and so some of the things we gotta think about for that um your child's self-control you know how good are they at knowing how much sleep they need and going to bed or coming home on time if you got an assigned curfew responsibility yeah that's huge it is because you're not gonna have mom and dad or whoever they're telling you it's time to go to class no so that's self-control is really going to come to play and then when you it's time to go meet with your advisors and do things like that on campus you just go do it i'm gonna send a text and say don't forget you guys to meet me today well that kind of goes along with tennessee promise you they are they are a time to mentor and that's what the mentors do it's kind of standard reminders about that because you know and it is sometimes maturity but it's also just not knowing you've never been to college before a lot of our students are first generation colleges they don't have parents in the house that send them a text and say you need to be doing this because they just don't know i mean my parents didn't know they're so complicated now it's seen you know there's so much more to keep up with than we had when we were going to college it really does seem that way and then we add on just the learning the whole college you know getting to class your schedule is different than when you were in high school new people new locations having to work you know being employed when i worked through college so that's another level of responsibility i've had students before you know i've seen them in the hallway at jackson state first aid classes we seen out there's a point in the right direction and all that and simple things like they will come up to me and say hey can i have my phone out and i'm like yeah you're walking in the hallway it's time or what time do i have lunch and i'm like oh you just you know you just grab it and then another one was like just not knowing that if a room number starts with one it's on the first floor if it starts with two on the second floor so it's things that we take advantage of i mean take for granted because we just always you know no nerd we don't i remember learning that but it's these things that i don't know we suddenly think they're 18 and they know what to do right they don't even being on basic needs you know that's a concern um you know do they know how to eat nutritious meals you know are they going do they know me to seek medical attention right you know or do they know if it needs a band-aid or if it won't stop bleeding do i need to see if i'm getting somewhere to get a look back because i got hurt in college my freshman year i was playing softball and i had to go to er and do you think i had my insurance card or anything with me or knew how to fill out the paperwork i had to call my mom i heard the first thing i said was mom i'm okay you know my head's bleeding i need stitches and all that but it was a learning experience for me because then i made sure that i had my insurance card and all that kind of stuff you know so senior year we need to start the process of letting them advocate for themselves some and i mean i'm guilty it's quicker and easier for me to just fill out a form than it is for me to coach him through filling out the form he doesn't want to fool with it he's like here i'll bring this back tomorrow yeah and now i need to say well let's look at well i think that kind of ties into the next one of like letting your kid have some control over the experience itself you know let them if they can choose where they want to go or at least get them there and help them let them pick some classes that interest them you know you don't need to just write down every little thing you think they need to do because that's what you did yeah i mean you're interested in they get to pick out their own dorm stuff or can i do that no it's their room oh it's their room okay but it does need to be on table yeah you know and like i'm still going to be here i'm just not you know i can help you but let's launch begin that launch she's doing a motion y'all can't see she's motioning for a launch that she wants them to take because if you're excited for them and letting them do this they're going to be even more excited and some of those nerves may ease up a little bit and i you know i think back to when i started school and i should not have been taking eight o'clock classes because i made very few of those eight o'clock classes because i didn't have my mother waking me up and i don't need to coach right i know and so you know that is a question i ask them when they're you know scheduling their classes i'm like you'll be able to get here and find a parking place and get a class by eight o'clock every day and so i was thinking about that too but something else i do you know sometimes encounter with parents is because they are used to filling out forms and doing stuff for their students but but on our side we can't let them do that right like you as a parent can't come in and do it because that's a it's it's called FERPA and it's like you know it's a legal thing and so but there is a just some parents know if you can get your student's permission and they sign a form for it they can't release that you know does that include grades i don't know yeah but like a lot of times if i'm talking to somebody i'm talking to a parent and they're asking me stuff i have to say you know what you gotta put him on the phone because i can't talk to you and he has asked me that so you know just keeping that in mind as you've been a parent and you're used to doing that when they go to college that's very likely going to change unless they say sure mom you can do that let's sign this form and that can might be startling if you don't prepare yourself for that right since they were born you've been taking care of it yeah i've seen the startled parent faces yes yes definitely and so we kind of talked about you know making sure the freshmen know where to go when they first come to campus for support you know academic advice where to go for tutoring if they need physical or mental health intervention that's all stuff that completion coaches can help with right right so they can just ask you and you can go in the right direction well we will send out we send out communication we call it nudging right just reminding them hey this is what's going on right now this is what you should be doing keep this in mind if you need help with you know if you need help with your writing we have a writing center right or if you're struggling in a class we have an academic assistant center where you can go and request tutoring so just keeping them aware of some of the resources that are on campus though you know if they are struggling and having trouble that they don't let it get too far along that's right get some help some preventative yeah so as a parent sarah do you think it's good for parents and the new student to set communication expectations i think so because it comes along with that launch okay okay you know when they get in your head that's still maybe in the house i don't know where they go to school but they are becoming adults and at some point we've got to trust them i think you know unless their actions are proven otherwise right but you know like we talk i know some people have those tracker apps on their kids phones like are you going to be doing that on your 21 i mean like do you really i don't know i know i wouldn't be sleeping well if i you know what i you know it can turn into an obsession you know tracker apps can be a good thing you know especially when your child first starts separating from you to do things and driving and things like that but it can also be an obsession because you can find yourself every 30 minutes where is he now where is he now wait i don't recognize this street wait a minute and then next to me know you're buying in the map trying to figure out okay what all's in that area you know you've been here before a friend told me about it a friend told me about it i'm gonna drive yet so i'm not there but i agree that like 16 versus 21 and 22 is so great you know and you want them to know that you respect them and if they're paying for that phone too like you know i mean this is a you know a different world but i um my mom and i before i went to school decided every wednesday every sunday night i would call home and talk to her um so that's kind of how we did it now were you limited to wisdom i don't want to hear from you until don't talk to me let me just hear from i think it was her way of saying look you know here you go but i also want to hear from you so let's set this yeah let me hear from you on wednesdays and sundays if you need me between then that's fine but you know yeah so almost an appointment and i did that till i was you know pretty pretty old probably in my 30s actually yeah so so what if things are not going well your student has gotten away to school um things are not going well what are some things that parents can do well we're going to have to sit down and talk okay um i like the thought of asking those open-ended questions not well i know what you know but finger pointing you did if you're not doing that like so don't be a know at all right because you're not living in the same life i mean the world is not the same no and they're their own individual person they're not you you know so they've got their own views and we just need to talk we just need to sit down and start some discussions and if it's appropriate Talk to them about some of the things that you went through, if it's appropriate. Talk to them about some of the things that you went through, you know, as a college student. You know, they see you now, and you're perfect, and that's how they're supposed to see you. But in college, you probably had a few struggles and a few hiccups and issues.
And sharing that with them so they stay that you're comfortable, exactly, might make a difference. We all had that one semester, right? Or two or three. Yeah, we did.
Yeah, not usually on the semi-home one semester because it was so daunting, and I did not understand it. And I was like, I'm just, I'm done, I'm done. And so, yeah, it was my mom who was like, no, we'll figure this out. And she didn't know.
She didn't know, but we figured it out together. So I think, thankfully, there are more folks in place at colleges and universities to help with that. But, you know, if parents have some tools in their backpack, too, that helps. And like Sarah said, you know, you're still there.
You may not be physically there in all cases, but you're, quote, there. So that's important. And then I think you need to really encourage them as much as you can. You know, remind them of another time that they went through something challenging and how they overcame that.
Right, and some kids think, well, I'm just going to go to work. We were going to challenge us there, too. You know, so there's not a perfect, I don't know, ending to this. You just need to do what's best for you in that moment, you know, in that time frame of life.
What is the best route for us to take? But you can't just make that decision without consultation. When you're in a crisis, you don't want to make a rush decision. And I love, like, with Kara's position, like, there's so many resources available to students that we didn't have that may be in some of these type situations, you know.
Like, I know I came crying to my advisor my senior year. I wanted to change my major. So I did. I mean, you know, my parents, they weren't really happy.
They supported it. And it's going to be great because it's led me to the job that I have now. You know, so there are times that you do have to cry, but you need to be able to communicate with the people that can help you. Right.
And one thing about the completion coaches, you know, I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, success is not just about the grades and getting the degree. It's about kind of the whole person. Right. So you're dealing with more than just your attendance and your grades.
Right. So I, you know, I work with a lot of athletes. So, you know, kind of encouraging folks to come out and support our games and getting involved with that. We have lots of on-campus activities.
You know, we take students on transfer trips. So, you know, they're looking to figure out where they want to go to next, what's the next step. So we're taking students in TSU and Austin Peay and E.T. Martin and TSU and University of Memphis and lots of different places where, hey, you know, this is what's out there for the next step.
So just keeping that in mind. But, yeah, getting them involved on campus. We have lots of different clubs and, you know, students have the right to start their own club if they want a Disney movie club. They are super interested in that.
Is there a form for that? Yeah, there's a form. There's a form. You've got to get a couple of friends with you and some faculty or staff member to help you with the process.
And then you've got to do the movie club if you want. How fun. Well, I just want to encourage the parents out there that are kind of warning the laws of their child who's going away to college this fall. This is the time for you.
New hobbies, you know, one of those things you haven't really had time to do. Stuff you've been putting off. Stuff you've been putting off. Because you're still a mom and a dad.
You just have to look different. And there are other kids in the community that need you, not just yours. And if you're thinking about your own education, this might be a great time to do it. If you've never earned your degree, there's Tennessee Reconnect, which is, you know, that's up for an independent student, which is that we have a lot of, you know, parent-aged people coming back and getting their degree, and it's free, you know?
And I'm sure many of the other states, you know, they have some opportunities as well. So this is your time. This is your moment to do something great. Carol, we do appreciate you joining us today.
And in the words of Mr. Bob Marley, have a life in love. Have a great day. Thank you.