Being a parent is amazing! It’s also a tough, full-time job. When parents are also college students, that’s two full-time jobs!

Being a parent-student means sometimes missing class because of a sick kid or a cancelled babysitter. It means schoolwork is done after bedtime, early in the morning, or on a lunch break. It means students can’t stay after class to make friends, find a study group or get extra help. 

 22% of all undergraduates are also parents. And while 60% of college students starting their bachelors degree in a full-time four-year program get their degree within 6 years, only 17% of student parents finish within that time. 

According to a 2020 survey of parent-students, nearly 50% of all respondents said that they felt disconnected from their college community, regardless of whether it was a 2-year or 4-year institution. Being isolated is cited as one of the reasons students dropout of school.

CircleIn gives parents unique access to academic support and their classmates that non-traditional students wouldn’t normally  have.

Access to Resources 

When students can’t stay after class, it can be hard to get notes from classmates or form a study group. WIth CircleIn, students post flashcards, notes and other study materials that students can access on their own time. Using the feed, they are able to see everything that’s been posted and use it when they are able to. They can study at 10pm, 5am or anytime in between. 

They can also post their questions, ask for homework help or post notes of their own. They get a notification when anything is posted so they see the answer to their question as soon as it comes in. 

Part of a Community

One of the hard things about being a parent and a student is that these students aren’t always able to stay after class to ask a question or make friends with their classmates. With CircleIn App, they are part of a community of classmates who share their notes, insights, and resources with each other . 

The class chat feature is like a study group that’s happening all the time. Students can ask questions, see others questions and find the answers they need. No one is left out because they aren’t on campus, or have to leave right after class or have to study at 10pm on a Friday. Everyone is studying and learning together, helping each other out, like a family. 

The Study Room is a video chat feature that students can use whenever they’re ready to study. Students can announce on the feed that they’ve started a study room and anyone who is available to study can join them. 

Being a parent and a student is hard, but that doesn’t mean these students have to be on their own. CircleIn makes them part of a community that studies together and shares resources. This community can provide the motivation and support students need to keep going. 

Sources

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2020/02/21/college-student-parents-autumn-green

https://www.ccdaily.com/2020/05/student-parents-underserved/