Transition from High School

At George Mason University we are committed to ensuring that first-year students make a successful transition to college and that upper class students maximize their college experience. To that end, we have partnered with a leader in educational technology to bring MAP-Works-a student success platform-to our campus.

College is not like high school. What are the main differences students may encounter?

Students must be more disciplined and responsible in college.

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.

Important Steps for Your Transition to Campus

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

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.