Oh No! My Son’s Off to College! How Do I Prepare for the Next Six Weeks?

After many years of dreaming, guiding, coaching, nagging, and finally helping our son graduate from high school, he will be traveling to a new home and a new school within the next few weeks. My primary concern is to help my son become adjusted to a new location, new people, and how to navigate through the new school system. My personal solution to these challenges is to help my son create a survival checklist of what to do and where to go when all else fails in this transition. My basic checklist at this time includes the following:

Making sure my son is assigned to appropriate housing with a meal plan.
Avoiding the debt trap with unnecessary credit cards.
Developing an alternative budget plan for emergencies that does not require credit cards.
Ensuring my son has a plan for social, emotional, and physical fitness growth opportunities.
Making sure my son establishes a positive village on campus.
Learning how to navigate effectively for homework support and forming study groups.
Ensuring my son is prepared with a plan regarding safety issues.
Ensuring that my son is aware of the various racial profiling challenges in certain communities.
Discussing how frequently I plan to visit or talk on the phone.
Identifying alternative contacts away from home for emergencies.

Our Adjustments to College Life

The biggest adjustment for me and my husband will be allowing our son to launch from his ongoing community of support with the confidence that we have prepared him as best as we can for this journey. I have assured my son that I will give him the space and independence he will need during his transition into this new life and that I will not bother him more than once a week. I must work very hard at my own self-sufficiency in this transition as this is my only child. It is a bittersweet journey into the next chapter of his life.

Happy journeys in launching your college grads!

Yvette