Reply to trouble adjusting to college

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "trouble adjusting to college"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Already a lot of great suggestions (+1 on the campus job--esp. one like working in the dining hall, where there are co-workers, not the solitary library shift), but a few more, fwiw: A lot of colleges have all-day weekend hiking or outdoors clubs, where you don't have to belong but you sign up for a one-time excursion--anything from hiking some local trail to learning-to-ski trips. It's usually run by students who actually try to make others feel welcome. And what's great is you typically spend an entire day with people, which allows a little more space and time for a connection to develop--as you walk a trail or whatever. (Or a political club might have an all-day canvassing event that allows a similarly leisurely chance to connect.) Some schools also have "maker"-type spaces where you can sign up for a one-day workshop in print-making or woodwork or learning to use audio software, or a series of such workshops. You end up working in pairs or groups of threes, it's more collaborative, and lends itself to less self-conscious interaction because you're involved in a joint enterprise. Theater tech is also great for this--often there are open calls for people to help with sets or props, you're immediately thrown into solving a problem (building a set or whatever) with a few other people. (A campus radio station might have similar opportunities, depending on your kid's interests.) My daughter's freshman year, she went to her college's language dining hall where they had language lunch tables to practice speaking. You didn't have to be fluent--French was a new language for her, but it was literally a way for her to have someone to eat with and talk to (without the pressure of having interesting things to say, as her French was still so basic). She ended up making one friend this way--and even, as a bonus, got a little bit better at French, lol. I also think it is very, very common for kids to take the entire first semester, or even into the second, to find a group of friends. It's just hard, and everyone thinks everyone else knows how to do it, when everyone is struggling. But also agree that if it really seems severe, your kid should take advantage of campus counseling--partly cuz counselors there probably have campus-specific ideas for how your kid might find some connections. Really feel for you and your kid--hang in there!! [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics