Welcome to our community! Thank you for entrusting the care and education of your son or daughter to Lawrence staff and faculty. We understand that this is a time of mixed feelings for you and your family. To help with this transition, we would like to remind you that you have given your child the roots and wings he or she needs to be confident in his or her ability to grow as a human being. This and other tips might be helpful as you adjust to your child's first year at college and your first year as the parent of a college student. And if you're wondering if the feelings you're having are common, you might want to read the following first-hand experiences.
This article in the August 25, 2006 edition of the Christian Science Monitor offers some unusual suggestions for parents who might want to keep tabs on their first year college students.
We would like you to know that we are here for our students. Helping them to succeed is our primary goal. We are available to talk over questions or concerns with you, as well as faculty or staff. Only with written permission from students can we share information with you or others.
We offer regular appointments; however, we are not in a position to offer standing weekly appointments. We are able to offer clients our next open time, or work with them to get connected to a community provider who can see them more frequently. Since we see all enrolled students, we need to be fair and realistic about scheduling. In urgent or crisis situations we might schedule more than one appointment with a student during a brief period until a situation is resolved.
A 2001 research article about the beliefs and attitudes of the Millenial generation is an interesting read. Even though this was written before the events of 9/11 and before the war in Iraq, the information contained in the article is engaging. Seventy-five high school students were surveyed regarding their thoughts about family, religion, education, careers, community service, politics, and the future. To quote from the study: "...85% of those interviewed personally ranked family as their first or second priority in life." So if you haven't done so already, please pat yourselves on the back for a job well done!
If you're wondering what it might be like to have your son or daughter come home for the Thanksgiving holiday, this article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, written in 1989, might be helpful.