Advice for Parents When Your Child Leaves for College

The first few semesters are difficult for students who aren’t used to being away from home. Students who stay on campus only for classes and travel home often tend not to enjoy their college years as much as students who feel more connected to the campus and the community. If you notice your child coming home most weekends, have a conversation encouraging them to stay on campus and try out some of the activities and groups the school offers.

Let them know you are there to listen and support them, but you want them to explore their college during their downtime and build relationships on campus.

Ways for your student to be a part of the campus community:

The transition from high school student to college student doesn’t happen overnight. Your child will learn how to be a college student during their first year at college. Maintaining a class schedule, handling their finances, getting their work done, doing laundry, and managing a social life with little direction from you are all skills your child will be developing during their first semesters at college.

Expect their old study habits to change and new ones to form.

Encourage your child to seek out academic support services. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed what learning looks like for most students. Your child’s last normal school year was likely during middle or early high school. You might even be worried about preparing your student for the increased challenges of higher education.

The Heckman Center is the one-stop destination on campus for academic support services that enhance student success:

The Academic Advising Center (AAC)

The Academic Advising Center (AAC) is available to all undergraduate students. The AAC primarily serves first-year students transitioning from high school to college. The AAC helps students develop the skills needed to make informed decisions about their college career, professional prospects, and personal development. Your student will have access to one-on-one advisement, educational workshops, and collaboration with UB faculty.

The Tutoring and Learning Center (TLC)

The Tutoring and Learning Center (TLC) supports UB students with tutoring, workshops, study, groups, and supplemental instruction. The Tutoring and Learning Center can help your child develop effective study habits and critical thinking skills, and it’s free to all registered students!

Student Support Services Program (SSS)

If your child is eligible for additional support services or has a documented disability and needs accommodations, the Student Support Services Program (SSS) is available to your student at no extra cost.

Your child’s communication with you won’t be the same. The first few semesters at college mean your student is working to find a balance between their academic and social life in a new environment. They will be making choices independently — decisions they’ve never had to make before.

Have a conversation with your student about your expectations for communicating with them when they are away at school. Be sure to ask them what their preferences for communication are, too.

Many families set aside time weekly to communicate with a quick call or text to check in. Be ready for extra calls or texts during challenging times like the end of a semester.

Your child’s safety means more than their physical safety on campus. Your child’s emotional safety and health are also key factors in choosing a college with your child.

Campus Safety

We take student safety seriously. LiveSafe is a phone app used by all students, faculty, and staff. LiveSafe allows users to send tips and messages to Campus Security, share locations with friends or family, find buildings on campus, and receive real-time emergency services and preparedness information. The Campus Security Department is staffed by 40 personnel and a dispatcher.

UB Safety Recognitions

University of Bridgeport received the national Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award for going above and beyond to make UB safer for students and staff.

In a national safety study conducted by ADT in 2018, University of Bridgeport ranked as the number 1 safest campus in Connecticut.

Mental Health Support

At UB, we support the physical and mental wellness of our campus community to ensure that your child can be a thriving student and a happy, healthy person! Professional counseling services are available on campus, and our counselors are committed to providing quality care in a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental atmosphere.

Leaving for college is a special time in your child's life — they're navigating their newly-found independence, and it feels like the right thing to do is to give your student some space.

It’s important to give your child room to grow and develop in this new experience, but you should also know it's a time of transition that can be stressful for college students. Reducing stress is key to your child's success at college. Emotional stress affects the way your student studies and socializes at college. We've found that family support and encouragement help reduce your student's stress levels while away at college.

One way to get involved while giving your student the opportunity to explore college independently is through our parent programs.

You can become a Parent Ambassador or join our Parents Leadership Council. Through these programs, you can learn more about being part of the University of Bridgeport community and find ways to help support your child's life and learning at college.