Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Parent Take Away and Resources from 
Gloria Mueller "The College Transition" 
on February 6, 2016


Debbie Ruggiero provided the following Take Away from Gloria Mueller's February 6 presentation: "The College Transition:  Movin' On/The Road to Adulthood:

- read up on as much as you can about the college and campus, before you leave in August.  Orient yourself with the layout of the campus and where to find all the available free services, like tutoring.  It will help you feel more comfortable by knowing more up front.
- understand the importance of self discipline, knowing how to budget all this extra free time when you have only 2 classes a day and nothing else required to do.  Big change from high school where your day is basically structured until evening.
- try to eat healthy, knowing that fast food/junk food are quick easy options, but probably will cause you to gain extra weight the first year.  Take advantage of fitness centers to relax, relieve stress, hang out with friends
- it will be surprising to find out how expensive textbooks are and to budget for that
- she talked about roommate issues and different ways to resolve
- know when the drop date is for classes, if you miss it, that's an automatic F which can ruin your GPA
- school bills will be sent to student's email, there is a form to sign to make sure school sends bill notices to parents
- they should sign a health form giving school medical center permission to give info out to parents.  If they get sick, no information can be released to parents without it.
- practice doing laundry before going off to school
- do not open free credit cards that you will be offered on campus
- the way you studied in high school does not work in college
- no one is going to tell you to study
- teachers don't monitor your attendance
- go for help when you need it
- do not post things on the internet, can have negative effects when interviewing for a job later
- call home for good and bad things, not just bad, stresses out parents
- look into internships in college, best to have 2 before graduating
- arrange classes to help you succeed, ie. if you're not a morning person, schedule classes later so you won't blow them off
- know that it usually takes until November to really feel at home and a part of the school environment
- get involved in clubs, activities, etc to help you feel at home.



These books are recommended reading from Gloria Mueller:
1. Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger
2. Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni (GPS speaker April 8, 2015)
3. Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money - The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years by Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller
4. How to Raise An Adult: Break Free of the Over Parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims (GPS speaker Oct 8, 2015)