The Advising Center understands that you as a parent have invested a significant amount of your resources towards the success of your now-college-student. We also understand that you know your child better than we ever will, and that makes you the single greatest asset they have as they pursue academic success. Now, because we know the university pretty well, we want to make sure to partner with and equip you with all the tools you'll need as you continue to support your student.
Your lives will change.
If the college-bound student is your youngest, you’ll begin to reestablish a one-on-one relationship with your spouse after years of parenting. If the college-bound student is your first, you may develop empty nest feelings. Your child will arrive home with a whole new set of habits, particularly when it comes to food and sleep. Many college students keep late hours and this will throw off the normal eating times. When they return, you may be expecting a nice family meal and time to talk about their experiences, but that might not be what they have in mind. Clear communication is key to avoiding arguments and hurt feelings Be flexible as they will be trying to balance visiting with family, catching up with friends and doing some homework. Forcing them to fall back into the old schedule with former curfews may result in fewer visits and less communication

The student’s room is a safe haven. Try to help them get it set up so that you are both comfortable with it before they leave and then try not to change it very much during his or her first semester away. Freshmen in particular can go through some very difficult times, passing exams, establishing new friendships, feeling like a small fish in a big pond, and often fearing that admissions has made a mistake—fearing they do not really belong at college. They need to know that they belong somewhere if things get rough. Do what you can to encourage them to stay in school. Chances are within a semester they will feel right at home. It takes time to see results. As freshmen, students tend to highlight everything in their textbooks because everything seems important. Sophomores highlight several lines on a page as they begin to zero in on the heart of the matter. Juniors just highlight a line here or there. Seniors sometimes highlight nothing. They just write critical comments in the margin and cite other sources of reference. By the child’s junior year you will realize you’re dealing with an expanded and exciting mind. Be patient in waiting to see the effects of the college experience.

The temptation to intervene when a child calls home with a problem is natural. You’ve wanted to protect them for so long; it’s hard to break that habit.  Remember that many resources exist at college to help students cope with various situations. Express support, but give your children time to solve their own problems—it will ultimately benefit them. Colleges have many safety nets, including Resident Advisors, Academic Advisors, Police Officers, Student Government, Faculty, Student Health Services, Counselors, Dean of Students office, etc… who are trained to identify and handle just about any problem you can imagine. Try to ask if they have been to see any of these people and become knowledgeable of what offices there are on campus and how they can help.

Provided are a few links, and articles that might help you with the adjustment:

http://www.ecu.edu/dos/guidebook.cfm ECU family Guidebook.

http://www.collegeparents.org/cpa/index.html College Parents of America

http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/ College Board

http://collegetipsforparents.org/index.html College Tips For Parents

http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/college_students_and_parents

Links to get you familiar with campus:

http://www.ecu.edu/csecu/parents.cfm  Onestop shop of useful links

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/parents/ Parent Services

http://www.ecu.edu/advising/ Advising Collaborative

http://www.ecu.edu/deanofstudents/  Dean of Students office with many helpful links.

http://www.ecu.edu/academicservices/ Center for Academic Services