For Parents

For Students

Reactions When Students Enter College

Common Reactions When Entering College

 Most parents experience:

  • Adventurous feeling
  • Sense of loneliness
  • An openness to change
  • Independence
  • Depression

 Most students experience:

  • Stress
  • Enthusiasm
  • Sadness
  • Loneliness
  • Excitement

Adjustments, Concerns, and Transitions

Adjustments, Concerns, and Transitions

 Most parents are:

-Having more free time
-Responsible for fewer people at home
-Re-establishing their own personal identity
-Having separation anxiety from their student -Trying to fill a void
-Relinquishing control
-Adjusting to being left out of their student’s daily activities and decisions
-Understanding that their student may not need as much help as before
-Concerned about how their student will ascertain his/her independence
-Realizing the student will be exploring new social and academic opportunities

 

 Most students are:

-Trying to assert independence
-Developing an identity on campus
-Adjusting to living away from home
-Discovering new social and educational opportunities
-Concerned over academic success and choosing a major
-Trying to understand the fundamentals of college
-Dealing with separation from family and friends
-Trying to understand the valance between socializing and academics
-Establishing new relationships with roommates, peers, and parents

Adjustment and Establishing New Relations

Adjustment and Establishing New Relations

 Most parents need to:

-Encourage students to trust themselves by providing support and freedom
-Promote students to establish new relationships and explore opportunities
-Develop new interests of their own
-Trust the student to function as a successful young adult
-Guide rather than pressure their student
-Allow for mistakes while understanding there will be ups and downs
-Determine appropriate expectation and guidelines while being explicit
-Offer advice when asked and listen
-Support student’s problem solving skills rather than rushing to solve the problem
-Realize the student’s life is his/her own
-Acknowledge and accept student’s limits and strengths
-Expect change
-Occasionally visit and write

(Back to Parent Page)

 Most students need to:

-Be patient and understand adjustment takes time
-Give parents time to realize you are becoming an adult
-Understand your parents have had similar life experiences and must adjust to this situation
-Seek encouragement and support from family and friends
-Explore interests, places and meet new people
-Get involved in academic, social and/or volunteer related activities
-Expect ups and downs as you try to become more independent
-Communicate openly and stay connected to your parents
-Recognize you must develop a balance between academics, recreation, and work
-Know when you need to ask for help