Graduating seniors will spend the upcoming weeks dreaming of their newfound freedom from high school, but their parents gaze into the near future with mingled dread, anticipation, and worry. If you have a child who will be heading off to college in the fall, the time to prepare for the transition is now.
Many students have only the vaguest ideas about what college will be like. They base their notions on television, movies, and perhaps some tales from older friends, cousins, or siblings, but the reality of campus life is foreign to them. In order to avoid debilitating culture shock, it is a good idea for parents and students to begin preparing for this major milestone.
How will college be different from high school?
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In High School… |
In College… |
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Students attend class for roughly 30 hours per week at the same times each day. |
Students attend class for roughly 15 hours per week. Students can pick and choose when their classes will be based on the course offerings available. Classes may be in the early mornings or into the evenings; they may meet daily or only once per week. |
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Students must take the prescribed courses and have little control over the subjects they study. |
With the exception of general education or major requirements, students are free to select the subjects they study. |
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Classes are free and, in the event of failure, are fairly easy to make up in summer school. |
Classes are VERY EXPENSIVE. Failing a college course is like setting a large pile of cash on fire. |
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Teachers remind students of due dates, test dates, and deadlines. Teachers spell out student responsibilities and offer a great deal of support, guidance, and instruction. |
Students are expected to know and fulfill their responsibilities without being reminded. Professors will rarely remind students of missed assignments or upcoming deadlines. |
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Students are usually given ample homework assignments in order to help them prepare for tests. Grades are largely based on homework or in-class assignments. |
Most assignments are lengthy reading assignments; students are expected to learn the material in their reading without additional assistance. Grades are primarily based on tests, quizzes, and papers. Students are expected to prepare for these on their own with little help or guidance from the professor. |
In general, college differs from high school in the amount of personal responsibility that is expected of students. In high school, students are told exactly what to do in order to succeed. In college, students must determine and fulfill their responsibilities on their own.
What can students do to ease their transition into college?
There are many things that students can do, both during the summer and in the first weeks of college, to help ease the transition.
- Make friends during the summer: Utilize social networking to meet other incoming freshman before the semester begins. Having friends on campus will prove invaluable!
- Don’t room with a friend: Many students try to arrange to have a high school friend as a roommate in college. Let the school decide your roommate instead! Although it may seem scary to leave such an important decision up to fate, this allows students to branch out and leave their comfort zones.
- Be choosey when packing and shopping: Dorms are almost always smaller than you think they’ll be, and students will almost always bring more than they need. Communicate with your roommate to avoid unnecessary duplicates (no dorm room needs two televisions), and avoid the temptation to bring every comfort from home.
- Attend every orientation available: Not only will these orientation sessions offer additional opportunities to meet fellow students, but they will also allow you to become more familiar with the campus and with the activities available.
- Set up a budget and stick with it: Tuition isn’t the only cost to attend college. You will need to set up a strict budget and then follow it to make sure that your daily living expenses don’t land you in the poor house. Check out this past post for some great tips for staying on budget.
- Get organized: You will need to keep track of classes, deadlines, test dates, and extracurricular activities – no one will be around to remind you of that upcoming Art History exam or that fund raising meeting for your favorite club.
- Get to know your professors: Too few students take advantage of office hours. By getting to know your professors, you will ease your way through class, build a stronger support system, and lay the groundwork for important recommendation letters down the road.
- Get involved on campus: Join as many groups, clubs, and activities as you can without harming your academics. The more involved students are on campus, the better. This will help you to enjoy the social aspects of college, make new friends, and feel connected to your school.
- GO TO CLASS: Since no one will yell at you for skipping class, the temptation can be great. Just remember that every class that you skip is hundreds of dollars that you’ve wasted.
What should parents do to prepare?
The transition to college isn’t just a big change for the student – parents go through major changes as well. Here are some things that parents can do to make the transition easier for everyone:
- Find the tuition bill: Many colleges have stopped sending paper bills to parents and instead post tuition bills to student college accounts. Make sure you know how the bill will arrive – just because you haven’t seen a bill doesn’t mean it isn’t due!
- Iron out health insurance: Look at the itemized tuition bill to see if campus insurance is included. There’s no need to pay for health insurance twice; if your child will be remaining on your family insurance plan, you can usually opt out of campus insurance. Contact your insurance company to make certain that your child will be covered while he’s away at college and be sure to provide your child with proof of insurance just in case it’s needed!
- Create a health care proxy: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) requires that any medical records for any person over eighteen years of age be kept strictly confidential. A health care proxy document will designate you as the health care agent for your child. Without it, you would be unable to access any of your child’s medical records in an emergency. Make certain this form is on file with your child’s school.
- Talk to your child: Be sure to reassure your child in the weeks leading up to move in day. No matter how self-assured he seems he’s probably terrified of leaving home.
- Set boundaries: Your child may not live under your roof while in college, but he should still live by your rules. Be firm and clear regarding your expectations.
- Be supportive, but don’t hover: It will be important for you to keep in close communication with your child, especially during the first few weeks of college, but don’t become a helicopter parent. This is your child’s first foray into the adult world; calling him to remind him to brush his teeth won’t teach responsibility.
- Be proactive: Help your child create a monthly budget to avoid financial pitfalls. Lay out plans for what to do when inevitable financial problems occur (“Mom, my debit card was declined! Help!”). Most importantly, make plans for emergencies – your child should leave for college armed with emergency contacts and a solid plan to get home quickly if necessary.
The road to college is never easy – it’s terrifying and exciting all at once – but with forethought and patience, you and your child can weather the bumps. We wish all of our graduating seniors the very best of luck as they move on to college!
