Category — Tips for Parents of College Students

Winter often feels like the time to settle in, take things a little slower and wait for spring.  For high school students heading for college, this may be mostly a time of waiting.  The applications are in and although some students have heard about early admission, most are anticipating word in the coming months.

However, this does not need to be an idle time.  There are things which high school students and their parents can be doing now, during this quieter time, to prepare for the flurry of activity that will come along with the acceptance letters later.  Take some time to read the following posts and to think about how you and your future college student can use this winter season to prepare for the spring college season.

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This is the second of two posts with thoughts about the New Year for you and your college student.  Our previous post offered some suggestions for you to share with your student.  This post offers something for parents.

 This is the time of year for reflection, and it is often a hopeful time of year.  The start of a new calendar year is often a doubly new start of college students (and their parents) as they think about a new semester.   

Each year at this time we offer some thoughts and suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions for parents and their college or high school students.  Check out our posts from previous years for some resolutions that may be valuable this year.

New Year’s Resolutions for College Parents – and Their College Students

New Year’s Rsolutions for High School Parents – and Their College Bound Students

New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your High School or College Student

 We’d like to offer a slightly different way of thinking about your resolutions this year.  We suggest just one resolution for parents this year – with eight different ways to carry it out. 

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We’ve offered some suggestions for holiday gifts for your college student for the past two years.  We still think they are good, timeless suggestions.  Check out our previous posts for ideas for gift books for your college student and general holiday gifts for your student.

This year, we’d like to go smaller and offer some suggestions for stocking stuffers for your student.  Obviously, not all of these suggestions will be appropriate for all students.  Think about your student’s situation, interests, and progress in her college career.  Your freshman and your college senior will need and enjoy different things.  We’re sure you’ll find something on this list to spark your imagination.  Get creative!

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The holidays are coming and college students are heading home for break.  The holidays are busy times, and students probably have plans to spend time catching up with friends and perhaps working to earn some extra cash.  However, this may also be an ideal opportunity to spend some time catching up with your student and hearing more about how the college experience is going.

Your college student may have a lot he needs or wants to share with you.  Of course, he may not want to talk about his semester, and you may need to do some encouraging.  But he may have things he’d like to share – good or bad.  There are a few things that you can do to make it easier for your student to share his experiences, and also some things you can do to make sure that you are really hearing what he wants or needs you to hear.

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Even in the age of electronic communication, college students love to receive “real” mail.  Perhaps the mail that college students love to receive the most are those wonderful care packages from home.  It is possible to find services that will send a care package for you, and these are fun to receive, too, but nothing beats something put together lovingly from home.

We’ve previously offered some suggestions for care package contents and mailing considerations, but we’re coming back with more suggestions here.  Read both posts for help putting together the best care packages ever.

Putting together just the right care packages should be a fun way to think about your student and her interests and personality.  Keep a list or start a collection early and add things whenever you think of them.  Send packages early and often – they’re especially welcome at the beginning of the term, but are also welcome at exam time, to celebrate an event, or just as an unexpected surprise.

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Parents’ Weekend at your student’s college may be just around the corner.  This may be your first opportunity to visit your freshman at his college.  He may or may not have been home for a visit already, but whether he’s been home or not, your first visit to his new home away from home can feel like a momentous occasion.

Parents’ Weekend is a wonderful opportunity for you and your student to spend some time together.  Each school organizes the event a bit differently, but the overall purpose and format are often similar.  Read an overview of Parents’ Weekend to understand better what to expect.

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As college students headed back to school this fall, Merriam Webster  announced that “helicopter parent” was now an entry in their dictionary. Helicopter Parents are an important topic.  Those same parents may now be dealing with the Empty Nest Syndrome.

I was privileged to be a guest this fall on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Joy Cardin show as together we explored the topics of helicopter parents and empty nests.  For those of us sending our students off to college, there’s lots of food for thought during this interview.

Listen to the Wisconsin Public Radio interview and then let us know your thoughts.  Have you just sent someone off to college?  Do you consider yourself a helicopter parent?  How are you coping with your empty nest?

Your college student will probably run the gamut of emotions during her time in college.  She may even run through many emotions in a single day.  As a college parent, you may hear about your student’s highs and lows, or you may be unaware of some of the dips and turns.  It is possible that you may feel that your student needs help coping, and you may find yourself offering advice or recommending that he get some help from someone such as a counselor. For most students, however, handling emotional swings becomes part of the college experience.

How well your student handles his emotions may be one indicator, however, of his potential success in college.  Some research in Emotional Intelligence suggests that students who recognize and manage their moods, feelings and attitudes well may do better academically.  The more closely your student is in touch with his emotions, the better he may do.

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Egypt, Haiti, New Zealand, Japan, Libya.  Within the past two years, political and natural disasters around the world have caused us concern and pain.  For those families who may have students studying or traveling abroad in an area struck by an unforeseen event, the pain and worry become enormous. Does that mean that you should hold your student close and not let her travel or study abroad?  For some families, the answer may be yes.  But many families realize the importance and benefits of studying abroad and want their student to be able to stay safe, but still have an international experience.

If your student wants to study abroad, you will naturally worry.  But accidents, disasters, and unforeseen events can occur anywhere at any time, even at home.  Understanding the situation and the program, taking some time to prepare, and discussing a plan with your student may help ease your mind somewhat.  We’d like to suggest a few things to think about, and to discuss with your student, as you consider the study abroad experience.  We’ve written several earlier articles about helping your student consider study abroad, preparing to study abroad, and supporting your student studying abroad.  Here, we’d like to consider specifically thinking about safety while studying abroad.

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Your college student is graduating.  Congratulations!  It’s possible that your student will move on to graduate school, or he may be beginning his career.  Whichever direction he takes, he is now at a milestone and you want to mark the moment with an appropriate graduation gift.  Your graduation gift may be large or small, practical or sentimental, but it may be time for some “real life” tools.

Here are some suggestions to help you begin thinking about what you’d like to do for your graduate.  Use these possibilities to start your own imagination working about what your graduate might like or need.

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