Parenting a First-Year College Student

1. Parenting a First-Year College Student Tips For a Successful Transition Elizabeth S. Fitzgerald Stevenson University

2. What To Expect • Higher education experts say first three weeks are most critical. • Success in high school does not automatically translate into success in college. • College professors will not hold your child’s hand. • Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)

3. What is a “helicopter parent”? • Early 21st century term at educational institutions • Parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child’s experiences and problems • Hovers closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether child needs them or not • a.k.a. “lawnmower parent” • Attempt to smooth down and mow over any obstacles

4. Beliefs of “helicopter parents” • The world is certainly more dangerous than in the past. • Their children are more “special”. • The success of one’s child directly reflects the success of the parenting. • The cost of raising a child is high – especially college tuition. • They do not want their child to experience failure. • The cell phone is the world’s longest umbilical cord.

5. What You Can Do Now • Start talking to your student now about his or her college plans, questions, or concerns. • Visit colleges early and begin asking questions. • Build in opportunities for them to be independent and take charge of their own actions. • Start talking about consequences of decisions and actions.

6. College Days • Find out if you can attend orientation with your student to orient yourselves, too. • Be positive and understand this is a time of transition. • Know your child and watch for any major changes. • Expect that there will be some bumps in the beginning. • Encourage your child to smooth them out on their own. • Trust that the values you’ve instilled in your child don’t disappear once they leave the nest.

7. College Days • Support and encourage without micromanaging your student. • Encourage them to seek out support resources on campus. • Have a contact person on campus in the event there is a concern. • Acknowledge the newly found independence.

8. The Naked Roommate: And 107 other issues you might run into in collegeBy Harlan Cohen Expect the unexpected. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable.

9. Contact me Elizabeth S. Fitzgerald Assistant Director of Admissions Stevenson University esfitzgerald@stevenson.edu 443.352.4432