Page 11 - UMKC Parent and Family Insider

Plan ahead. Think through what is vital for your student to know and is most important for you to share. Find a time before the chaos of dropping them off on campus or at the airport or train station. Repeat your messages after they’re settled, by phone call, email, letter or whatever way you and your student communicate.
Many parents shared survival tips, and they break down into a few categories.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: No matter their level of success in high school, students face challenges in college, whether it’s taking a particularly demanding class, managing homework or having to meet distribution requirements that don’t appeal to them.
Tips for students: Go to class; don’t get behind in your work; it’s alright to get help, so use available resources like tutors and the campus writing center; talk with professors and teaching assistants; treat college like a job, at least a little.
SOCIAL LIFE: No matter how serious a student your son or daughter may be, social life will have a huge impact on their college experience. They will also rub elbows with students from different backgrounds and be confronted by new values and ideas.
Tips for students: Join something, anything; take the time to really get to know people before judging them; be willing to be challenged by, and to challenge, new friends; get out of your comfort zone a bit by eating with new hall-mates or staying after a class for an impromptu discussion with other students; get out of your room and turn off your screens.
LIFE SKILLS: No matter how independent they were in high school, students deal with new tasks and responsibilities at college.
Tips for students: Manage your money carefully; pay attention to ATM fees and don’t drop below the minimum balance
on your debit card; try to do your laundry and change your sheets and towels once
a week; don’t be the messiest roommate
in the room; never leave dirty dishes long enough to grow mold; read and respond to your emails; ask for help — you won’t know how to do everything.
SAFETY: Students will face new situations. Perhaps their school is in a different environment than home; a large city, for example, has different demands than a suburban or rural area.
Tips for students: Keep your room, car and bike locked; never go alone to a party where you don’t know anyone and don’t stay if your all your friends leave; use campus transportation late at night; don’t take a drink or drug from someone you don’t know or don’t trust; use condoms. Campuses are generally very safe places but exercise caution.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF: Stress can take many forms at college and your student may ind themselves without their old coping mechanisms. They often ignore symptoms of illness or signs that pressures are taking a toll.
Tips for students: Get some alone time every day; go to the health center; stay connected with home; prioritize sleep, and give up a party if you’re really tired; you will get sick so don’t ignore symptoms; if you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for help from a friend, your RA, even a professor.
U READY?
www.CollegiateParent.com 11