The transition to college is an adjustment for the whole family, not just the student. College is often the first time students live independently, and parents may worry their child will face academic obstacles, peer pressure to try alcohol or drugs, or difficulties making new friends. “Sometimes this transitional in-between time in the summer before freshman year can be unexpectedly awkward,” says Lindsay Tanne Howe, founder and CEO of LogicPrep, a global college admissions consultancy.
“Parents are kind of feeling their children pushing away a little bit. It’s, I think, emblematic of students getting ready to fly the nest and assert their independence. It doesn’t mean that anything’s inherently wrong or bad, but it’s just a natural evolution of this process.” Here are six ways parents can support their child’s transition from high school to college.
Finish One Chapter at a Time Some college prep tasks — like packing and filling out forms — can wait until after high school graduation. Soon-to-be college freshmen should focus on enjoying the rest of their high school experience. That means ending strong academically and participating in end-of-year activities, such as prom and senior field day.
[READ: Things to Do the Summer Before College.] Set Communication Expectations Parents shouldn’t make assumptions about the amount of communication — such as how often to check in over the phone or FaceTime — they’ll have with their child in college. That should be discussed ahead of time, as should expectations around campus visits, experts say. “There can be some variability between what the parents want and need and what the student wants and needs,” says Nina Nabors, vice provost for the Division of Healthcare Access and Quality at Walden University, a for-profit online university.
“Conversations are important to gauge those expectations and need.” With parent roles often shifting when their child heads to college, it’s also important to set “guardrails” ahead of time, says Frances Cloud, director of counseling services at Spelman College in Georgia. “Talk through what happens when one gets crossed, and be clear about what they will handle in partnership,” she wrote in an email. “I say guardrails rather than boundaries on purpose.
A boundary is a line you aren’t supposed to cross. A guardrail assumes you are moving, sometimes fast, and it’s there to keep you on t…
Summary from source