By Megan Brown
There is less than two months to go until your student will start their journey at UMW. Moving away from home, especially during this time, can be stressful and some key things can be forgotten. So, to help keep everything in order, here are some important conversations and information to talk to your student about before they leave home and come to UMW!
- Laundry: If your student does not know how to do laundry yet, start talking them through the importance of separating whites and colors, temperatures, and the different settings on the machine. It may seem small now, but it may help them not turn all their white shirts pink come August.
- How to microwave food: This may seem unnecessary, but you would be shocked to learn how many times the fire alarm goes off because someone microwaved Easy Mac with no water. Talking to your student about food and microwave safety is important and can save them the embarrassment of setting off the fire alarm!
- Getting on a schedule: When school starts up, your student will have classes to attend, clubs to join, and meetings with their RAs to attend. It’s important to start getting ready for being back on a schedule before coming to school. Reminding your student of this may save them precious sleep in the long run.
- Time Management: Following getting on a schedule, college is a time where there will be a lot going on at once. Sharing your personal time management tips with your student may be helpful for them. This will, hopefully, help them in the long run not get too stressed with what all they have to do!
- Communication Skills: Talk to your student about how to engage in healthy and respectful communication. Key communication tips on writing emails, answering the phone, and conflict resolution will help your student succeed academically, gain an on-campus job, and make good connections with people in the field they hope to study. Colleges often receive phone messages without a name or phone number and emails lacking basic writing etiquette, a greeting, or misspellings of the recipient.
- Advocating for oneself: An important part of life is being able to stick up for yourself and advocate for what you need. Whether it is talking to their roommate about not having the overhead light on past a certain time or telling someone they have said something that hurt them, talking to your student about how to have those conversations will be vital to their success!
- Asking for help: An important part of college is knowing you cannot do it all. Remind your student that in school, it is okay to ask for help. Whether it be in classes or in the halls, UMW has multiple resources that are here to help. All you have to do is ask!
- A new chapter: Remind them that this is a chance to start over in a new environment. Getting involved in clubs and groups will help them adjust, make friends, and start a new chapter in their life.
Leaving home can be exciting, but also anxiety producing for students and families alike. Hopefully, having these conversations before your student heads to UMW will help you and your student adjust with ease!