What to Expect When Your Child Leaves for College: A Complete Guide for Parents Only »

According to experts in the field of psychology, more than half of parents experience some sort of separation anxiety when their child leaves for college. You may have been looking forward to your child s departure for 18 years, but now that the time has finally come you are experiencing mixed emotions. What to Expect When Your Child Leaves for College will provide you with valuable information and will help make the transition easier. In this new book, you will learn how to encourage independence, how to offer support, how to handle the drop-off, how to deal with empty nest syndrome, how to talk to your child about his or her emotions, how to keep the lines of communication open, how to plan meaningful family time, and how to teach your child to live on his or her own. Additionally, you will be provided with insight into your child s emotions, which will help you understand his or her behavior, such as spending excessive amounts of time with friends, ignoring you, or being disagreeable. You will learn how to handle the emotional rollercoaster, how to give your child time to adjust to college life, how to prepare for your child s first visit home, and how to help others deal with the transition. By reading this book, you will learn how your life will change, and you will discover ways to fill the void. What to Expect When Your Child Leaves for College provides you with countless ways to prepare yourself for your child s departure, as well as advice from parents, students, and psychologists. Whether your first child is leaving for college or it is your youngest child going away to school, you will find ways to cope with this difficult time in your life.

Dedication     3
Preface     15
Introduction     17
Planning for the Big Departure     19
Leaving High School     21
Senioritis     22
The Learning Environment     27
Choosing a College Where Your Student Will Thrive     31
Choosing a College Close to Home     34
Choosing a College within Driving Distance (One Day or Less)     35
Choosing a College Far From Home     36
Traveling Back and Forth for Visits     38
Getting There and Back with Luggage     39
Choosing Between a Small or Large Campus     43
Attending Freshman Orientation     47
Campus Tours     48
Freshman Orientation     52
Pre-Orientation Field Trips     54
Early Starts for Athletes     56
Planning Finances and Health Insurance     57
Access to Your Student's Records     57
Money Management     58
Spending Money     61
Student Cards     62
Bank Accounts     63
ATM Cards     64
Credit Cards     65
Wire Transfers     67
Health Insurance     67
Learning to Budget     68
Paying the College Bill     69
Books     73
Scholarships     73
Getting a Job to Make Ends Meet     74
Things to Teach Your Children Before They Leave Home     77
How to Send a Thank You Letter or a Birthday Card to a Relative     77
How to Clean Leather Shoes     78
How to Separate the Lights from the Darks     78
How to Use Public Transportation     79
How Much to Tip     79
How to Spot Phishing or E-mail Scams     79
Where to Buy Necessities     80
How to Tell Analog Time     81
How to Lace Their Shoes (not just tie them, but insert the laces from scratch)     81
How to Run the Virus Scan and Clean Up Viruses and Cookies     82
E-mail Etiquette when Addressing a Professor or Person in Authority     82
How to Travel by Plane     83
What to Do if their Laptop Stops Working or is Stolen     84
What to Do if Their Car Breaks Down Halfway Home     85
What to Do if They Get in a Car Wreck     86
Packing for College     87
Clothing     88
Bringing a Car to Campus     89
Sheets, Towels, Dishes, and Other Miscellaneous Items     92
Food     93
School Supplies     94
Computers, Laptops, and Other Electronics     95
Departure Day     97
Logistics     97
Deciding Whether to Stay and Unpack     100
Shopping for Supplies     101
Meeting the Roommate     101
Saying Goodbye     102
The Student's Experience     105
Alone at Last     107
The First Night Alone     109
Then You Depart     110
The Early Weeks     113
Settling in     119
Fraternities and Sororities     120
Time Management     122
The Roommate     125
Residence Hall Life     129
The Dining Hall     131
The Recreation Center     132
Support from the Home Front     133
Staying in Touch     134
College Classes     139
Listening to the Professor     141
Developing a Strategy     144
Declaring or Changing Majors     146
Seeking Out Tutors     148
Mid-Terms     149
Learning How to Study      151
Dealing with Failure     153
Have a Plan B     153
Learning Independence     155
Far From Home     155
Coming Home for Thanksgiving     157
Random Acts of Independence     159
Buying Soap, Deodorant, and Other Boring Supplies     162
Handling Problems     167
Getting Sick     169
Serious Illness     172
Medical Insurance     174
Mistakes     177
Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol     179
Money Problems     180
Mars and Venus in College     187
The Parents' Experience     195
Missing Your Child     197
Focus on the Positive     201
Parenting a College Student     205
Changing Beliefs     207
Appearance     208
Communication     209
Eating Their Vegetables     211
Going to Church     213
Waking Up     214
Dealing with Their Problems     217
Identifying a Real Problem     218
Avoid Nagging     220
Growing Old Gracefully     220
The New Family Dynamic     223
Coming Home      223
Home Is a Hotel Syndrome     225
Do Not Make Plans for Your Student     226
No Expectations     227
It Goes Both Ways     229
Siblings at Home     233
The Transition into Adulthood     237
Develop a Life of Your Own     238
The Teenage Sloth     239
Summer Ultimatums     241
Accountability     244
Senior Year of College     246
The Boomerang Effect     248
Raising Children Is Like Whipping Cream     249
Revitalizing Your Life     251
I Had Simply Done It for too Long     252
Have Patience     253
Enjoy the Quiet Times     255
Start to Dream Again     256
Developing Hobbies and Interests     258
Motivation     260
Returning to Work after Staying Home     263
Re-Feathering the Nest     273
Roll up Your Sleeves and Get on with It     273
Spruce the Place up a Bit     274
When Should You Convert Their Bedroom into a Den?     275
A New Set of Wheels     276
Your Child's Appreciation     278
It All Works Out      279
The Reward     280
Bibliography     283
Author Biography     285
Index     287