Helping Your Student Adjust to Living On-Campus:

Most students will say living on campus is one of the best experiences of their lives; however, making the transition from living at home to living in a residence hall does require a period of adjustment. Here are some things you can do to help ease your student's transition:

1. Encourage your son or daughter to speak up if he or she is having any problems. The residence hall staff wants to help with roommate conflicts and any other problems with housing. Have your student begin by talking to the RA on his or her floor, or the RD of the building. If that doesn't solve the problem, have him or her call the Department of Residence Services.


2. Encourage your son or daughter to try to resolve problems or seek help on his or her own. While the natural tendency of parents is to try to make everything as easy as possible for their children, learning to handle problems is an important life-skill for students to acquire while in college. Of course, the Residence Services staff are always happy to respond to concerns brought to our attention by parents, and if your son or daughter does not seem to be willing to take the necessary steps to solve a chronic problem, you may need to intervene yourself.


3. Encourage your student to be up-front with their roommate about expectations and about any problems that occur. Many students expect that their roommates will automatically know their pet peeves, or what they need to be happy in the roommate relationship. Many problems can be prevented if both roommates talk to one another about what they expect.


4. Encourage your student to get involved. There are many activities for residents to take part in without ever leaving the residence hall. For example, residents can join RHA (Residence Hall Association), and make decisions to improve life in the halls for all residents. They can attend programs on their floor on topics as diverse as massage therapy and discussion of crime scene investigation by a real-life CSI employee. They can join intramural teams, or just hang out on the floor for a pizza party.


5. Introduce yourself to your son or daughter's Resident Advisor. They live on the floor with the residents in the room with the "RA" sign by the door. Encourage your student to go to his or her RA with any questions or problems they need help with. The RA can be a wonderful resource, especially in the first weeks of school when students have many questions and are feeling a little homesick.


6. Understand that it is normal for many students to feel lonely, homesick, and unhappy during the first weeks or even months of living away from home for the first time. This is normal and doesn't mean that the student made a mistake by going away for college. Encourage your student to give the experience ample time to decide if it is right for him or her before quitting or moving back home.


7. Take an interest in your student's experience on campus. Ask questions. Come visit. You can even eat with your student for free in the campus dining halls while you are here!


8. Help your student understand his or her responsibilities as a member of the campus community. When students sign their housing contracts, they agree to abide by the rules and policies explained in the Residence Hall Guide. Encourage your student to read this important document, and to ask if they have any questions about it.