Page 34 - UMKC Parent and Family Insider

34
WHEN YOU GET THE
“I need a change”
ffTEXT
fBy Diane Schwemm with Vicki Nelson
Midway through the year, many first- and second-year college students stun their families by announcing they want to transfer or take time off from school. When my middle son, a sophomore, said at Thanksgiving that he might take a personal leave, I stayed calm, knowing instinctively that it was important to ask careful questions and listen closely.
fTransferring or time away can be a positive thing but that doesn’t mean this is a comfortable place for students (or parents!) to be.
Why does this happen?
Freshmen may still be homesick. It can take a full semester or even a year to adjust to college. Students who still haven’t settled in may assume this means they don’t belong.
Second-year students may be in a “sophomore slump.” Winter can be a time of short, dark days and depressed spirits. Small things that haven’t been going right all year can coalesce into a bigger ball of unhappiness.
There are two basic steps a student in this situation must take, with family guidance:
1. 2.
Continue (or begin!) the work of self- examination to get to the root of the dissatisfaction.
Come up with an action plan.