College Tips for Parents

By Talia Goren
College Student, Talia discusses the many new encounters that all new college students go through, such as new surroundings, new people, professors, etc.  She gives great suggestions on specific steps students can take to make the transition less stressful. Her tips are also useful suggestions for parents helping their children adapt to college life.

Many students have minor coronaries at the thought of the process
you go through when entering or starting something as new and scary
as college. The idea of making friends and the amount of course load
and the horror of a scary professor seem, especially to those not
blessed at birth with the social butterfly gene, like an impossible
feat to overcome.

So what, then, is the best way to be the most comfortable and happy
in this new environment? How do you get used to new surroundings, new
people, new classes, new teachers, and all the other “news”
associated with going off to school?

There are a few steps to take to achieve this goal.

First of all, make a priority list. Why did you enter this school in
the first place? What led you to choose it? Was it the size? Maybe it
was the majors? Perhaps even the location! Either way, write down
your reasons for wanting to be there and what things you really loved
about it. This will help you remember positive things when you are
feeling down in the dumps.

Then, explore! This means finding out about different aspects of the
school. They always give you a few days before classes start so use
them! Look around, get a campus map and familiarize yourself with
your environment. You can do it alone, or even with a buddy, maybe
your roommate or someone you met at orientation. Get to know the
different areas of campus and the best ways to get from one place to
another. Take advantage of maps and offices with staff members in
them. Ask lots of questions, someone is bound to know the answer.

The next thing to do is find out about clubs. Usually there is some
kind of club expo where all of the groups, clubs, teams, sororities
and fraternities are displayed. Ask questions, get involved, and find
something that interests you. There is bound to be something!

In terms of all of the new people, keep in mind just that; they are
all new! Hundreds if not thousands of freshman are entering schools
every August and September and they are all just as frightened as you
are! The most important thing to do if you are not as comfortable
being social is to always smile. People feel more comfortable around
people who smile, and you are more likely to be approached by someone
who is more comfortable talking to strangers if you look as though
you are willing to be approached. Also, not all upper classmen are
evil, so please don’t be scared of them. Oftentimes, they will be
your best asset because they’ve been at the school for awhile.

The idea of the “scary professor” whose aim is to give you as much
work as humanly possible and perhaps take you to his dungeon where he
has a torture chamber is-mostly- inaccurate. Just like in high
school, there will be teachers you like and teachers you dislike.
While many schools place you in classes without you really choosing
them yourself (at least your first semester), most schools allow you
to choose your own classes and your own professors. Take advantage of
websites that rate professors because they are generally pretty
accurate. Also, feel free to use other students for information.
Again, upperclassmen have been there, and done that! While they may
not have the same taste as you, they can usually tell you what kind
of teaching style the professor has and you can decide whether or not
it’s a good fit for you.

The most important thing to learn about college is that no matter
how big or small, you have the power to change anything. If you are
uncomfortable with a roommate, you can request to switch. If you
decide your major is not the right fit for you, you can also change
that. If a class is proving not to be what you thought it was or you
do not get along with a teacher, there is always an add/drop period
where you can switch into another class. Don’t be afraid to make a
decision and have an opinion, because in the end you and your parents
are paying for an education and for you to be happy and comfortable
and learn a lot!