Going to college is a pivotal but stressful moment in every child’s life as they move away from home and face a more challenging academic environment.
Parents will naturally want to be involved at every step, but even those with the best intentions can cause harm by being overly involved.
In this article, we’ll look at how parents can help their children transition to college through healthy parental involvement and providing the proper support.
When Preparing Your Child For College, Look Inward
Parents caught in the whirlwind of college preparations might fall into the trap of becoming too involved, leaving no room for their children to overcome their own challenges.
That can lead to a situation described by a 2021 Forbes article as “helicopter parents” whose counterproductive involvement can lead to their children lacking the confidence to solve problems independently in college.
Still, just because too much parental involvement is bad doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t help out at all.
Research on this matter, like the one by Lowe and Dotterer (2017), shows that parental support, when done correctly, can lead to positive outcomes like:
- A higher GPA
- Stronger motivation to complete their studies
- Less chance of risk-taking behaviors like heavy drinking
- Less loneliness and lower levels of depression
All of this shows that children need their parents’ support when transitioning to college, though the challenge lies in providing it in a healthy way.
3 Examples Of Healthy Parental Support
So far, we’ve seen that parental involvement is crucial for students to do well in college, but too much of it can be detrimental.
Here are 3 examples of the kind of healthy parental support that can benefit students entering college:
1. Offering Guidance
Parents can start as early as the college preparation phase by offering guidance instead of solving their children’s problems for them.
They can also enlist outside guidance during that phase, like through mentoring and tutoring provided by Equity Metrics, to prepare them even more.
2. Communicating Openly And Regularly
Encouraging open communication between the parent and child also goes a long way in building their confidence in college.
Students will adjust to college life more effectively if they can reach out to their parents whenever necessary, without any fear of judgment.
3. Setting Boundaries
As children leave for college, parents should also set and respect healthy boundaries between them.
For example, it’s best to avoid surprise visits or phone calls that might disrupt your child’s life at college.
Instead, make arrangements beforehand so your child can prepare themselves to check in with you on the phone or welcome you on campus.
Final Thoughts
There’s no denying that parental involvement is necessary when your child is transitioning into college. However, you must give them enough room to practice their autonomy and behave independently.
In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with common issues they’ll face in college by reading articles the Equity Metrics blog.
Reference
Lowe, K., & Dotterer, A. M. (2017). Parental Involvement During the College Transition: A Review and Suggestion for its Conceptual Definition. Adolescent Research Review, 3(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-017-0058-z