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This post was written by a member of the Texas A&M Parent and Family Advisory Council. All members of the advisory council are parent or family members of current Texas A&M University students.

Whether your student is a freshman or graduating senior, with the end of the 2022-2023 academic year approaching it is important to pause to celebrate the past year with your student. If you haven’t had a chance to decide what your family will do to celebrate your student this year, we collected ideas from the Aggie Parent and Family Advisory Council for how they celebrate their student:

• At the close of the semester, find ways to spend extra time together. Whether this is a family dinner or a small trip, spending additional time with your student is always nice.
• Don’t forget to congratulate your student on their year/semester! Whether that is by sending them a text, card, or flowers - or simply telling them in person - be sure to find ways to express how proud you are of them and their hard work over the last year.
• If your student is graduating, see if you can host a party or dinner for your student, their friends, and your family in the College Station area! It is nice to get together with your student’s community to celebrate their success.
• Ask your student how they would like to be celebrated! Set a budget and communicate with your student on how they would like to celebrate. Whether getting ice cream or going on a trip, let your student have a say in how they celebrate the end of their year!

We also know that with the summer rolling around, your student may likely be coming home for the summer. If this is your student’s first time coming home for an extended period, it’s important to ensure that you are on the same page with your student regarding expectations for the summer. Here are some ways our Advisory Council members have set expectations for their students over the summer:

• Have a conversation before your student comes home – whether you’d like your student to get a job over the summer, have expectations for family time versus friend time, etc., make sure you and your student are on the same page! Also, make sure that you consider your student’s ideas/plans for the summer in these conversations and see where you can compromise with them.
• See if your student can take any summer classes to get ahead in their degree program.
• Just because your student has been away from home for the last few months doesn’t mean they don’t have to have any household responsibilities. Find ways for your student to help around the house!

The summer is a great time to sit down with your student to prepare for the next year. We recommend finding time over the summer to discuss the 2023-2024 year. Here are some topics our Advisory Council recommends for conversations with your student this summer:

• Finances – it is never too early to discuss finances for the next year! Discuss finances from the previous year, what was working, and what was not working, and agree on what changes (if any) will be implemented for the next year.
• It sounds silly, but make sure they are registered for classes! Course registration opens in April, so your student should have already registered for classes; if they haven’t, make sure they do so as soon as possible. Their academic advisor will still be accessible over the summer, so it’s not too late to register for classes!
• If your student is moving from on-campus housing to off-campus housing, make sure you have conversations about that change. Whether that is making their own meals, having new roommates, or having to commute to class, it’s important to ensure your student is prepared for that shift!
• Have conversations about how they stay healthy in college –physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and financially. Ensure your student is taking care of themselves and help them identify ways they can make healthy decisions next year!

If you have a question for the Aggie Parent and Family Advisory Council or if you have a suggestion for future content that the Advisory Council should cover, please fill out the form at: tx.ag/QuestionsandSuggestions