Parents of Prospective Students

At Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, we know that sending your son or daughter off to college is a big milestone for your family – especially for your young adult, who will soon experience many new ways of learning, thinking and living.

LeBow College strives to offer the best opportunities for our students to grow. Our highly-ranked programs and world-renowned professors challenge and provide guidance for our students throughout their college years. All of our programs, such as the Drexel Co-op, enable students to connect classroom learning to on the job experience. They leave Drexel well prepared for the “real world” after graduation.

LeBow College is dedicated to supporting you in the significant role you play in helping your student make a smooth transition from high school to college and beyond.. The following guidelines and suggestions will assist you in helping your son or daughter enhance his or her learning environment both at home and school.

What parents can do to help:

If your student is commuting, he or she will most likely complete great deal of work at home when not using campus facilities such as the Hagerty Library. The best way to encourage your son or daughter to make academics a priority is to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and free from distractions. As much as possible, try and provide a time each day or evening that will be just for homework.

Recognize that study hours may be quite different than they were in high school. Papers and exams usually cause a flurry of late activity a week or two before the due date. Work with your son or daughter so assigned class work does not clash with chores they might be responsible for while living at home.

How you can enhance the LeBow College learning experience:

You can support your student by keeping the lines of communication open. Ask frequently about courses and professors. Try to take an active interest in what your child is learning, and relate your own personal experiences to the conversation to give added depth and opinion to the subject matter.

Services available to help students manage schedules and studying:

The Division of Student Life and Administrative Services offers support for co-curricular experiences and serves as a student advocate. It also provides student health insurance and immunization information.

The Counseling and Health Office offers extensive confidential, free, professional counseling programs.

The Drexel Learning Center (DLC) is Drexel's comprehensive learning center. All programs and services are free and are designed to make all students more effective learners. Services include academic coaching, supplemental instruction, learning guides, learning skills workshops and more.

The Dean of Students has created a Family Guide that contains helpful information for parents. All campus programs are listed in the current Student Handbook, which is given to all Drexel students. Some of the on-campus programs designed with your son or daughter in mind include:

• Religious groups
• Fraternity/sorority affiliation
• Intramural sports
• Intercollegiate sports
• Residence hall programs
• Social clubs
• Tutorial Services
• Writing workshops
• Honorary societies
• Community service/volunteer opportunities

LeBow College of Business has various professional and academic student organizations related to nearly all functional areas of business. The following organizations are currently available to our undergraduates:

• Alpha Kappa Psi
• Beta Alpha Psi
• Beta Gamma Sigma
• Business and Engineering Society
• Dean's Student Advisory Board
• Drexel Economics Society
• Drexel Entrepreneurship Association
• Drexel Finance Association
• Drexel Investment Group
• Drexel Marketing Association
• National Association of Black Accountants
• Phi Beta Lambda
• Phi Gamma Nu

These organizations provide opportunities to meet with industry leaders, attend special local, regional and national programs and competitions, and provide opportunities for professional networking. The leadership of the aforementioned business student organizations gathers quarterly at the LeBow Student Group Summit. The Summit provides the opportunity to share recent successes and upcoming initiatives in an effort to leverage each others knowledge and efforts.

General advice for parents:

Stay interested and supportive throughout your son or daughter's years at Drexel and during co-op periods. Developing interests in the business world is dependent on a sound education: That is part of the faculty's task in LeBow College of Business. But students gain interest and experience through insight provided by work experience, social growth and enthusiasm within the student's own family.

So emphasize the importance of academics and work experience opportunities. Also, you may want to encourage your son or daughter to engage in service activities or pursue leadership opportunities. Many employers rate these higher than GPAs among the factors they take into consideration.

Contact LeBow:

LeBow College of Business is willing to help in any way possible to make sure your student makes the most of his or her experience. Please direct general information questions to LeBow's Undergraduate Advising Office at 215-895-2110. As an additional level of support, we offer outreach services that include one-on-one advising, time management workshops, and academic study skill enrichment to students who find they are in need of additional support. Students will be contacted during the term if it is clear they are struggling. They can also seek out these services through Jackie McCurdy, assistant director of Undergraduate Programs at 215-895-6287 or jmm67@drexel.edu.