Recommended Reading
Remember the classic "What to Expect..." series for parents of young children? The authors of that series stopped short of "What to Expect When Your Child is a College Student," but many others have picked up where they left off. When you get stuck, take a look at one of these resources for advice and suggestions about how you can coach and support your student.
Online
- : Advice and ideas for supporting your student's growing independence.
- : Tools and scripts to improve communication with your college student, particularly around alcohol and high-risk drinking situations.
- : Many resources to help you recognize the signs of a potential emotional problem and help your student find the proper support and treatment.
- : Tips for helping college students who may be dealing with an anxiety disorder, depression, or other mental health conditions.
- Going to College: What Families Need to Know About Sexual Assault and Safety on Campus
- Collegiate Parent empowers college parents with the information they need to maintain healthy relationships with their student and provide support throughout their student's college experience.
- : A program that guides students and families through the social, emotional and mental health challenges related to the transition out of high school to college and adulthood.
- : A blog that offers a variety of parent and family perspectives.
- : Admission, campus visit, and other advice for parenting college-aged teens.
On Your Bookshelf
Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years. Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller. 2011.
Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before. Jean M. Twenge. PhD. 2007.
Getting to 30: A Parent's Guide to the 20-Something Years. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Fishel. 2014.
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. Julie Lythcott-Haims. 2016.
iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us. Jean M. Twenge. PhD. 2018.
I'll Miss You Too: An Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students. Margo E. Woodacre Bane and Steffany Bane. 2006.
Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years. Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Teeger. 2009.
My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Rebekah Nathan. 2006.
The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, 2nd Edition. Harlan Cohen. 2005.
Parents' Guide to College Life: 181 Straight Answers on Everything You Can Expect Over the Next Four Years. Robin Raskin. 2006.
Stop Parenting and Start Coaching. Carter Carol. 2003.
When Your Kid Goes to College: A Parent's Survival Guide. Carol Barkin. 2009.
Your Freshman is Off to College: A Month-by-Month Guide to the First Year. Laurie Hazard and Stephanie Carter. 2016.
You're On Your Own (But I'm Here if You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years. Marjorie Savage. 2003.