Orientations
Summer Orientation
Advice for Parents
- Encourage your student to get to know instructors
- Encourage your student to take initiative and responsibility
- Be prepared for your student to change
- Don't decorate the residence hall room for your student
- Don't be surprised by new hairstyles, modes of dress, ways of speaking, or food choices
- Be flexible and responsive to your student
- Be a mentor to your student
- Help set realistic expectations
- Be interested in, but not judgmental about, course selections
- Don't ask a question if you really don't want to hear the answer
- Don't try to turn remaining siblings into a mirror image of the one who's gone to college
- Actively listen and show empathy when your student talks about challenges
- Discuss the importance of seeking a balance between finding a comfort zone and pushing one's self
- After a student calls with problems, remember that the problem causing you to lose sleep may already have been resolved and may be past history to your student
- Encourage your student to make use of campus resources
- Help your student learn how to do laundry
- Create a small medicine kit for your student
- Discuss with your student how to care for a common cold or flu
- Don't ask if your student is homesick
- Keep the lines of communication open
- Write or email your student
- Send care packages
- Reenergize the pursuit of your own interests
- Make connections with parents of your student's roommates and classmates; they can become a valuable network and support group
- Pursue interests that involve just you, as the parents, or that involve your friends
- Don't convert your student's room at home into your new office
- Take care of yourself
- At NSU, we encourage you to celebrate your student's success.