Information for parents and families of residential students
As a parent and family member of a Case Western Reserve University student,
you have become a part of the university community. This section of our Web site
is dedicated to providing you with valuable information about the emotional
lives of college students and their parents, families or guardians.
College is a time for exploration. As with all exploration, results cannot
always be predicted. This can lead to anxiety for the student and the parent
and/or family. The decision to attend a particular college is in itself an
exploration, and even the most adjusted student may at times feel homesick or
doubt himself or herself. This questioning, changing and growing may at times
seem to apply to every choice a student makes, from an academic major to
friends. To the concerned parent, this may sound like a cry for help, a personal
rejection or the beginning of a crisis.
Understanding what is truly happening will involve patience and careful
listening on your part. Most often, the true purpose of a phone call is to vent
frustrations and fears, so the student feels heard and understood. Once this is
accomplished, students usually feel relieved and ready to move forward. However,
for parents, a distressed phone call is often the beginning of a long night of
worry, only to find out with the next day's telephone call that from the
student's point of view, everything is fine. While every student is different,
there are stages that most students frequently experience during college. Being
prepared may help you distinguish between a problem and a crisis.
Developmental Milestones
The college years represent an important transition point in life as students
begin to develop their own identities, academic goals and life-long foundations
with the support of peers, family and mentors.
The First Year Student
For the first year student, transitioning out of the family home and into a
diverse community of young adults presents a unique opportunity to shed their
high school personas and embrace their independence. While away from home,
students usually set their own rules, explore their own interests, and may
attend to their own reactions without influence from others.
Second Year Students
The concerns of a second year student are quite different from those of a
first year student. Second year students face academic decision such as choosing
a major. They may feel, for the first time, that the decision they have made is
irreversible and they begin to connect their academic decision to potential
careers. Managing their feelings and translating them into productive
decision-making can be an important process. Students need to be allowed free
reign to explore, which often means holding back some of those protective
parental urges. Mistakes are a necessary part of the developmental process.
The Upperclass Student
At this point, the upperclass student has successfully navigated some of
these new options and decisions. Your student is beginning to identify
himself/herself internally more as an adult. They may seek greater stability in
their living arrangements and relationships, and have a clearer sense of who
they are and what they desire from life. This sense of autonomy may extend to
home, as they look less to family to provide that sense of stability. Some
students may be less likely to go home for breaks, as they attempt to establish
their own identity through internships, summer jobs and experiences abroad.
Graduating Seniors
As the graduating senior enters into the culminating events of his/her
university career, they face graduation with mixed feelings of excitement and
uncertainty. They spend much of this year trying to build their sense of
competence and purpose and apply it to their plans after graduation. They may
review their skills and reflect on what they have learned in college,
consolidating their self-identity with a sense of meaning and clarity about
their own strengths. This is also a time for saying goodbyes to life-long
friends and mentors, while taking on a new role as a Case alumnus.