Six tips for how parents can help their new college graduate make the summer transition from campus to real life.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After four years of hard work, and weeks of celebrating their achievements, new college graduates have come home.
Social activities, traditions, and ceremonies make graduation an intense bonding time with friends and family. When all of this excitement comes to an abrupt end, however, many graduates may report feeling depressed and a little lost.
"For many, graduation is the first time parents are seeing their young adults face an unclear path," said popular child and adolescent family therapist Darby Fox. "Until this point in their lives, college grads have had a fairly prescribed path to follow. Even for those lucky enough to have jobs set up, it is the first time they will be venturing into the world on their own."
Here are six tips Fox recommends for how parents can help their new college graduate make the transition over the summer from campus life to real life:
- Parents need to be supportive; it's scary to suddenly needing to deal with real world issues.
- Parents need to remind the graduate that this is an opportunity to re-invent himself or herself and pursue activities he or she hadn't been able to before because of academic, athletic, or other obligations.
- Graduates should be encouraged to clean out and organize their belongings. They should purge items such as clothes they haven't been wearing and school supplies. Feeling organized is a positive thing.
- It's important to have goals. Parents should ask that their child make a list of goals and tasks that need to be done before a work start date.
- Parents should reassure their graduate that concerns about losing touch with friends are unfounded. The graduate may initially feel secluded as he or she adjust to not having friends in constant contact.
- In seeking a new network, many grads will bond with other alumni from high school that they not have previously spent time with. Parents should encourage this, as it is a great opportunity to reconnect or make new friends.