Introduction
Home, for many people, is a place that provides safety and comfort, but sometimes it can be too comfortable. When it comes the time for adolescents to leave their homes for post-secondary education, it can be a tough time on both students and their parents. It is imperative that students find just the right amount of comfort within their family and home, so come the time, they are ready to leave and continue the next phase of their lives. The time during a student’s senior year when they are receiving college acceptance letters is very exciting for both them and their families. Once the time to leave for college starts to approach, reality kicks in and the process can get very stressful. A lot of the times, students and their families do not know how to properly approach this transition, which is why this time in a student’s and their parents’ lives can be so difficult. Adjusting to new surroundings and a change in lifestyle can be very uneasy, which is why students and their families need to be educated on how to make this process as smooth as possible. Students need to be properly prepared to leave home during the transition from high school to college with the help of their school, their parents, and their own motivations.
How Schools Can Prepare Students for College
In high school, students have access to guidance counselors for help with things such as scheduling, curriculum, emotional support, and college counselling. Although these resources are very beneficial, they can also be difficult to contact, due to the immense demand. Studies have shown that adding just one more high school counselor to an institution can help increase the admittance of high school students to college by ten percent (Gilfillan). The first people who get hurt by the lack of available resources are first-generation college students because they do not know how the college application process works. With the addition of just one more counselor, more students will be given the chance to approach them for guidance during the college readiness process. Another important factor for high school guidance counselors is to receive the proper training for college readiness counselling. Their job is to provide an idea on what the atmosphere of different post-secondary educational institutions will be like. Departments that spend more time educating their students about different post-high school opportunities tend to have an increase in college-going rates for their students (Gilfillan). High school guidance counselors have been given more responsibility over the past years when it comes to helping their students with the college selection process. Some action needs to be done in order to improve the guidance departments to prepare their students for success. One way that this issue could be solved is by hiring guidance counselors that work strictly on helping their students with the college selection process. This way, the counselors will receive specialized education and training on just one subject field of counseling, and they will eventually aquire the proper knowledge to provide the best advice for their students. Another way to help is by making sure that each student in the institution receives at least one visit to their counselor each semester, so the counselors can make sure that the students are thinking in the right direction for their next step in life. By just providing the proper support, expectations, and preparations towards their students, high school guidance counselors can help ease the transition into post-secondary education.
In addition to counselling, teachers can also help their students prepare for college academically. These instructors provide the necessary curriculum for their students, which is supposed to help them succeed, come the time for post-secondary education. Many schools offer courses that are more rigorous and comparable to the college atmosphere in programs such as Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and International Baccalaureate (Venezia). The main problem for the college readiness is the estimates of how many high school graduates are not ready for college. Different assessments in determining whether or not students are ready can be done through standardized testing such as the SAT and ACT. According to the statistics for the ACT, only one fourth of all the students who took the test in 2012 met the minimum standards for college readiness in all four subjects. The statistics for the SAT that same year showed that only forty-three percent of the test takers met the benchmarks for college readiness (Venezia). These statistics prove that there is an issue in the schooling system if less than half of all high school students in their senior year do not meet the benchmarks. A way that this can be altered is by having high schools offer more courses that mirror the college classroom atmosphere. Students go from having one-on-one attention with their teachers in high school to having little-to-no relationship with their college professors. Schools need to help their students grow more independent and limiting the teacher and student relationships might help that situation.
How Parents Can Help Their Student
While high schools are given a lot of responsibility in preparing their students for post-secondary education, it is important that parents understand how to properly prepare their children as well. Parents know their children best out of anyone, which is why their input towards the college decision process is so imperative. A study done by the American College Health Association towards college students showed that forty-four percent of females and thirty-five percent of males felt depressed while in college (Jellinek). In addition, those who previously had mental health disabilities, such as depression and anxiety, also experience a tougher transition. While it is important that parents should comfort and care for their children, they need to not make life at home too easy and comfortable. Ways this can be fixed is by giving their children more responsibility starting at early ages, such as doing chores or making their own decisions. When it comes time that the college selection is made, it is highly recommended that the families access the proper resources on campus to help with the anticipation of the transition to college (Jellinek). When both the students and families have access to on-campus resources, it makes the transition process less of a burden, and it prevents feelings of discomfort when the time to leave home approaches. These resources can help students both before and after the transition to college by making sure proper accommodations are made, the students’ curriculums are at a good pace, and the students are feeling healthy and happy overall.
Parental support is also a major factor when it comes to their children feeling ready to go off to college. If the student feels like his or her parents are not supportive, they will get more hesitant about their decisions and have a tougher time transitioning. It is important that parents hold back their worries about finances and doubts, so it does not make their student feel responsible for something that is out of their control (“Helping Your Child”). With this burden on children’s shoulders, the students will set themselves back in order to make sure that their families feel happy and secure. In addition, the parents need to maintain a healthy relationship with their student. During this time, most students have just turned eighteen years old and they are considered a legal adult. Parents need to know that this puts a lot more responsibilities in their children’s hands, and it is necessary to step back rather than helicoptering over their child’s every move (“Helping Your Child”). The most important thing that a parent can do during this time is support their children’s college and career interests, whether they agree with it or not. Parental expectations put a major burden on students, and it can make the process a lot more difficult and stressful if the student believes that they are not good enough to meet certain standards. At the end of the day, the parents want their children to be happy, so they have to let their children make independent decisions on what they think is in their best interest. If a student knows that they have their parent’s support, then they will feel more secure about their college decisions and moving away from home.
The Emotional Transition for a First-Year College Student
The amount of stress that college students face continues to rise each year. A study found that eighty-five percent of students claim they are stressed daily, and this has also been linked to an increased usage of mental health professionals (Shatkin). While academics cause a lot of stress for first-year college students, the social life within the college atmosphere contributes as well. Students who leave for college suddenly become completely independent, yet not all students are ready to face that. For the first time in many of the students’ lives, they are faced with more mature behaviors such as sexual activity, drugs, and alcohol. Depending on how prepared the student is for these situations, the college atmosphere can be corrupting for them because they are trying to make the most out of their college experience. They enter into a four-year institution where they are expected to uphold certain grades while maintaining a social life and participating in risky and dangerous activities. This is the time when students finally evaluate themselves to determine how to fit in socially, while also balancing the appropriate amount of academics (Shatkin). During the endpoint of the transition to college, students need to know how to prioritize the important factors, while still exploring other extra curriculars to get involved and stay busy.
Homesickness is another problem that students can face when life at home can be too comfortable, and they suddenly leave that behind. Almost everyone experiences some degree of homesickness in their lifetime, but some cases are more severe than others. Those with more severe cases of homesickness can experience depression, anxiety, mood changes, and a change in attitude. If left untreated, it can worsen. Studies have shown that there tends to be no cultural or gender differences when it comes to who experiences the feelings of homesickness (Thurber). Due to the fact that anyone can experience this feeling, it is imperative that parents understand and act upon the preventatives. The risk factors for homesickness include negative experiences being separated from home, the personality of the student, and how the student was raised. Ways to prevent homesickness can include something small like familiarity with surroundings, or something to a greater extent like seeking a professional. Adding a third party in the situation helps benefit both the students and parents about the anticipations and anxieties about separation, and they teach ways on how to deal with the transitions. It is suggested that children learn how to be away from home starting at young ages, whether it includes staying a weekend at a different family member’s house or attending sleepaway camps (Thurber). Due to the fact that parents know their children best, it is imperative that they know whether or not it is necessary to seek additional help. If the student is not properly prepared, then it will negatively impact their grades and overall college experience.
How Parents Are Affected by The Process
While it is the students who are leaving home for college, their parents are greatly impacted as well. They lose a piece of their home when it comes time to say goodbye to their children. It can be lonely for them, and they can have difficulties adjusting to the change. A study was done on two groups of parents, and the interest in findings was to compare their comfort levels with the overall transition, their perception on their children’s futures, and how they view the schooling process. The first group of parents had able-bodied children, while the second group had children with disabilities. The results were very comparative when it came to the thoughts and feelings of the parents during this process (Whitney). This proves that everyone experiences similar feelings towards this transition, and it needs to be understood how to properly prepare for it. The parents showed some worry on whether or not their children were independent enough to take on more responsibility outside of their home. In order for the parents to be more comfortable with the process, they need to ease their way into teaching their children how to be independent. Therefore, the parents will have assurance that their children are ready to take on the next step in their lives, and it is one less thing to worry about when it comes time to leave. If parents do not know how to properly prepare for this situation, they can seek a medical professional. These professionals will educate the parents and children on the anticipations of the separation (Thurber). Family upbringing is very important when it comes the time for the students to leave home, because both the children and parents need to have equal comfort levels about being separated.
There is a phenomenon known as empty nest syndrome that many parents deal with when their children leave for college. This consists of feelings of emptiness and worrisome, due to the fact that their children are no longer living under their protection at home. Research has shown that parents who experience severe cases of empty nest syndrome tend to spiral into depression, alcoholism, and confusion about their identity (“Tips for Coping”). This can pose negative impacts on their children as well, such as feeling homesick, due to the fact that their parents are sad and longing on the fact that they are gone. Parents begin to miss the constant contact with their children whether it is about their daily life, or bigger events like a birthday. From both ends of the family, this transition can be painful, but the parents need to support and encourage their children’s independence, so their student can feel less sadness. Recently, there has been research that has shown a positive outlook due to empty nest syndrome. Once the child is gone and off to college, the parental figures have more time to focus on themselves. They have increased opportunity with work, and they have more time to better their other relationships with both their friends as well as spouses (“Tips for Coping”). Parents just need to remain optimistic about the whole situation and maintain positive mental health. Ways that they can prepare for this separation include remaining positive, accepting the inevitable, visiting a mental health professional, and maintaining in touch with their children. Empty nest syndrome is also preventable by making sure that the parents are keeping busy and focusing on their own happiness. When a student knows that their parents are happy and healthy, it will make the transition to college easier on everyone.
More Options Besides Attending University
It is up to the student to know and understand what their best options are when it comes to going off to college. At the end of the day, their motivations are what sets them up for either success or failure. A lot of students are not ready for the change when the time comes to leave home for post-secondary education. In more recent years, it has been very normalized that students do not go straight to a university in the fall after their senior year. There are many programs that are offered for post-secondary education as another option after graduating from high school. A lot of two-year institutions and other short-term programs that offer certifications have become very popular in the recent decades (Bozik). While this may have been looked down upon initially, it is just another way for a student to obtain a degree. Depending on the type of student that is being looked at, this could also pose negative effects on them as well. Delaying post-secondary education helps divide the type of people who will enter into a full-time work status versus a part-time work status (Bozik). When it comes the time to enter into the work field, those who obtained a bachelor’s degree will most likely have more of a chance of getting a job compared to those who participated in short-term programs. The lack of success in finding a job would be due to going against the traditional university systems and competing against other applicants. The competition in the work field is always going to be the younger, more educated candidates, which is why the students need to have a realistic understanding for what their future will uphold. The student needs to prepare his or herself for the idealistic future post-high school graduation that is fitting for them and their successes in the long run.
Conclusion
It is imperative that students are properly prepared to leave home when the time for college approaches with the help resources such as their school, their parents, and their own motivations. It is necessary that first-year college students find a home within their new atmosphere, so they lead a successful future and career plan. This milestone in a child’s life is very important and exciting, but it can also be very stressful and scary. Students go from living at home for eighteen years with their families, to moving into a foreign space that is filled with complete unfamiliarity. By having the proper resources provided, these factors can be eliminated. Schools can help with the guidance and educational standpoint of college preparation. These resources are for the logistic aspect of college preparation. Parents and families can help with mental health, stability, and the making of final decisions with their student. These are the people that have the most important say on where their children’s futures will lead them, which is why they need to make sure their children stay mentally stable through the transition. Students can even prepare themselves by staying motivated and having an idealistic approach about their future. At the end of the day, the student makes the final decision on how successful they are willing to be. The student needs to find a home away from home in order to remain comfortable and successful for their collegiate future.