Health & Safety

While some students’ eyes may glaze over when their parents recall their college days, these students have an advantage. First-generation college students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college face a unique set of challenges. Without guidance from a parent who experienced college, first-generation students are at a disadvantage.
According to a report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, first-generation students who enroll in post secondary institutions have lower degree completion rates. While 56 percent of students whose parents have a bachelor’s degree attain a degree within five years of enrolling, only 44 percent of first-generation college students earn a degree.

As you student leaves for college, parents must learn a new balance in their parenting. Parents need to remain involved in their student’s life while they are in college. With mobile phones, text messaging, email, instant messaging, FedEx, and all the rest of technology that is available today, it's extremely easy for parents to stay in touch with their college student. But, when is it too much? Parents need to realize is that a major part of college is the student learning to deal with life issues on their own.
As a parent, now is the time to step back and let your student step forward and practice what you have been teaching them all along. Read this article to explore ways to manage the new parenting boundaries with college-aged students.