Parent Resource Guide (PDF) - Emerson College

Understanding the Transition
Adjusting to college is different for
each person. College represents
freedom, eagerness, and anticipation of
new experiences. For some, this
transition also includes nervousness and
anxiety. Overall, it is a time that will
involve a shift from the familiar to a
new, different, and unfamiliar
environment.
Students are faced with many new
challenges when they arrive on campus.
Adjusting to new routines and different
kinds of people can be stressful and
awkward for anyone.
Developing the ability and discipline
needed to effectively manage time and
balance multiple demands will emerge
as one of the significant challenges of
the first year. No one will tell students
when to go to bed, get up for class, get
a haircut, or when and how to do their
laundry. This increased degree of
independence can initially be
overwhelming for some and may
require some trial and error. As
students are exposed to new values and
behaviors, they also may try new
things. Many students will do their
share of making what may later be
regarded as naive choices.
Students will learn to take initiative, to
accept responsibility, and in so doing,
begin to relate to peers, instructors,
and parents in new ways. A sense of
independence grows out of this
process, which assists students in
building confidence and discovering
their values, interests, and strengths.
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Throughout the first year of college,
students will have to meet a series of
challenges and all are part of an
important period of exploration and
discovery.
You, as a parent, have done a fantastic
job—your son or daughter has made it
to college. Even though you will not be
around to guide him or her on a
day-to-day basis, there will now be new
people to whom he or she can go for
answers to questions and guidance
while away from your care. These staff
members look forward to assisting your
student with making a positive
transition to Emerson and having a
productive and successful college
experience.
Resource List
Below is a list of books and other
resources the Student Affairs staff has
compiled to provide additional
information on the college experience
for both parents and college students.
What to Expect from College
By George Dennis O’Brien
Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send
Money
By Helen Johnson and Christine
Schelhas-Miller
Making the Most of College
By Richard Light
Step by Step to College Success
By Jeweler and Gardner
She’s Leaving Home: Letting Go as a
Daughter Goes to College
By Connie Jones
Bringing Home the Laundry: Effective
Parenting for College and Beyond
By Janis Brody
Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to
Understanding the College Years, Fifth
Edition
By Karen Levin Coburn and Madge
Lawrence Treeger
When Your Kid Goes to College:
A Parent’s Survival Guide
By Carol Barkin
A New Beginning: A Survival Guide for
Parents of College Freshmen
By Kaye Bernard McGarry
The Launching Years: Strategies
for Parenting from Senior Year to
College Life
By Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt
Helping Your First-Year
College Student Succeed:
A Guide for Parents
By Richard H. Mullendore and
Cathie Hatch
Useful websites:
collegeparents.org
Emerson’s Undergraduate Student
Handbook and a listing of policies and
procedures: emerson.edu/student-life/
support-services/resources-policies.