Transition from High School

During the first year of college, you will see and hear a variety of changes in your child. From living in a new place to learning how to meet expectations in this new role as a young adult learner, your child is on “new experience overload.”

Choosing a college is the most important decision you’ll make before graduating from high school.

For most students, senior year of high school is the culmination of the college preparation process and time to apply for admission.

The W-Curve is a predictable pattern of stages occurs when a person experiences culture shock. This is based upon research done with students studying abroad. Zeller and Mosier (1993) found that the W-Curve could also be applied to first-year college students and the phases they go through in adapting to a new culture.

By the time you receive this email, your student will have completed his/her first week of classes at Liberty. Hopefully they have figured out where all their classes are and when to fit in time to eat and stay ahead of their homework assignments.  During this time many students will begin to experience homesickness as they adjust to college life. If your son or daughter struggles with homesickness, encourage them to connect with someone on their hall leadership team, a Resident Assistant (RA), Spiritual Life Director (SLD) or Prayer Leader (PL). RAs are students who are carefully selected for their ability to advise and aid resident students in everyday situations. RAs are a great resource for students who are homesick. They can help students get involved in programs and activities on their floor or around campus, or can help residents meet some of their "neighbors" and adjust to their new community. Remember, all of our leadership team, RAs, SLDs, and PLs have been new Liberty students at some point, and can relate with the challenges of adjusting to a new school and environment. Sometimes students just need someone to talk to and that's part of what our leadership team is there for along with encouraging them in their spiritual growth.

I'm Susan Ristau, licensed professional counselor, and I work in the Counseling & Psychological Services area of Student Success Services at Kennesaw State University. Our office is located in Building 1, Kennesaw Hall, 2nd floor. I met many of you during orientation, and you might remember that I'm also the parent of a sophomore here at KSU. I thought perhaps some of our growing pains and adjustments to college life might be useful for you and your student. As the mother of an only child (daughter) who lives on campus - I have had to find a balance between too much and not enough. Whether your son or daughter lives on campus or commutes to KSU, many changes are taking place in your home for you and your family. During orientation, some useful information was provided about this being a transition for all, but sometimes we really don't realize how it's going to feel until you move your student onto campus or see your commuter student heading off to class daily.

Welcome to the year's first edition of DU Parent Connection. This e-newsletter is a great resource for you to receive updates on what's happening at Dominican University. The newsletter is just one part of our growing parent program.

We have continued to offer the Parent Guide for new student parents as a resource on campus offices, services and programs. If you are an existing student parent and would like a copy of the guide please let us know. An online version is available at www.dom.edu/parents.

A college student's freshman year of college is an exciting time. They are starting a new adventure, and the next four years are probably going to be some of the best ones of their life. The first semester of their freshman year in college is the most critical because it usually sets the pace for how the rest of their college experience will be. If they start off your first year of college the right way, they will be more inclined to stay on track and get their degree.
Here's how to help your student start off college the right way.

Welcome to the UVM ResLife Family! This monthly newsletter will help you stay informed about what is happening in the Department of Residential Life and in our campus community. While this is our most consistent form of communication with the families of on-campus students, students can stay on top of news from ResLife through their UVM email account and by attending programs and floor meetings organized by their resident advisor (RA).