SUPPORTING YOUR STUDENT
Concerns About College

Listed below are topics that may concern many students as they enter college. Following the concerns are questions many students have but may not know how to vocalize. It's important to be aware of these questions, and it may even be helpful to talk with your student about his or her concerns before classes begin.

• Reasons for being in college:
  Why am I here? Is it because I want to be? Is it because my parents want me to be?

• Separation difficulty:
  Can I survive on my own? Will I make new friends?

• Establishing identity on campus:
  Who am I? How can I do my own thing and maintain the respect of friends, family, and myself?

• Social acceptance:
  How will I fit in? What behavior is acceptable in the University setting?

• Relating with new and different people:
  How will I react to people who differ from me in religious belief, value judgments, sociopolitical/economic level, race, etc.? How much difference should I and can I accept?

• Concerns over academic success
  What about:
  • Finding my way around campus?
  • Being in large classes with strangers?
  • Relating to University professors?
  • Keeping up in class and making good grades?
  • Improving study skills?
  • Dealing with test anxiety?
  • Getting help?
    
• Understanding the system
  What about:
  • Grades?
  • Degree plans?
  • Majors?
  • Financial aid?
  • Counseling services?