Calming Parental Fears: How to Approach the College Selection Process

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Calming Parental Fears: How to Approach the College Selection Process

Choosing a college is a momentous decision: one that will have an enormous impact on where you’ll be and what you’ll do for the next four years of your life. It feels like it should be entirely personal, like the only one really impacted by your decision is you.

Of course, if your parents are helping you pay for school, they (quite accurately) feel like they have a considerable stake in the decision as well.

Here are some strategies for managing the college search profess in a way that will make everything far smoother, less conflict-prone, and more comfortable for everyone involved. 

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Knowing When It's Time To Go

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Knowing When It's Time To Go

Most of us have felt that sinking discomfort from time to time: I’m not in the right place. This isn’t the right fit. What am I doing here?

For many college students, this is a cyclical question that comes and goes with the expected flow of the academic years and progress toward fulfilling a major. This can be particularly significant during sophomore year, when you’ve finished the “honeymoon” phase of your four years and you understand enough about your college life to really start to question it. Like the infamous “Freshman 15,” the “Sophomore Slump” is well known for a reason: it is a common occurrence and can have a major impact. For most, it is a phase to get through. For some, it leads to transferring to another school or to dropping out of college entirely.

I want to share a couple of my own stories about feeling like I had to move on, and what I decided to do about it.

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Small Town, Small School, Big Opportunities--Guest Post by Rebecca Rothkopf

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Small Town, Small School, Big Opportunities--Guest Post by Rebecca Rothkopf

One of the most beautiful things about going to school in a rural area is the strong connections that form between students, faculty, and staff members. Stellar academic work and students actively involved in extracurriculars really do get noticed. The purpose of college is to challenge yourself and grow. The faculty and staff get that, and can serve as a solid support system if you are willing to reach out.

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Building an off-campus community

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Building an off-campus community

Colleges exist in larger communities. This is somewhat obvious—of course the campus is in some physical place with other people nearby somewhere, and of course there are all the many ways that the “real world” interacts with the school and the students. 

You should do what you can to engage with this broader range of people and opportunities surrounding your college life. 

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