How many of us remember that Maxwell House coffee commercial when the college student returns home for Christmas early in the morning?  The parents awake to the aroma of fresh coffee brewing and run down to the kitchen for a wonderfully heart-warming holiday surprise.

Aahhh, the magic of television.

When your students arrive home from college for the holiday break, chances are they are going to be a little different than when you dropped them off in August.  They have experienced independence and freedom on campus, keep late night schedules, eat and sleep whenever they choose, and may have a few new opinions and views on life.

Understand that when students come home there can be a period of readjustment.  They have been used to the freedoms and autonomy campus life offers.  There may also be some readjustment for siblings as well.  They may need to recall what it was like to share space, the television, and your attention.

Therefore…there might be some readjustment for you too.

One of the best ways to prepare for this is to have some conversations with your student before they come home.  To make the transition go smoothly you may want to consider discussing the following:

• Ask them is there anything you should know before they get home.  What color is their hair? Are there any new tattoos or piercings you should know about?  New relationships?  How about their grades?  Getting these items out and on the table early makes for a less tense holiday dinner and more relaxing break.
• Share any holiday plans upfront so that everyone is on board. Is family coming to visit, or are we all traveling to visit Aunt Sally in Minnesota?
• What are some of their favorite traditions that you want to make sure you do?
• What are their plans for the break?  Will they be working a job?  Visiting friends?  How are you going to share the family car?
• Are there appointments that need to be scheduled?  Break is a great time to schedule overdue doctor or dental appointments.

It’s also helpful to discuss and negotiate the ground rules for over break.  Many parents subscribe to the idea that “Nothing good happens after midnight”, but students are used to starting their evenings when you are probably going to bed.  Will you have a reasonable curfew for them?  How late is too late to sleep in the morning?  “Can I order a pizza at 11:30 at night?”

Equally important is to ask and listen to what their semester has been like.  It doesn’t matter if they are a freshmen or a senior, the chances are they have some great stories and experiences to share.

We here at Southern Vermont College wish all of our families a happy and safe holiday season and an enjoyable semester break.  Enjoy the time to get to know the person your student is becoming.  The changes might be slight or major, and you might be proud or a little confused.  Be sure to acknowledge what you see, especially the positive growth and achievements.

Who knows, maybe they will surprise you with freshly brewed coffee and warm muffins in the morning.

Mid-term exams have just finished and students are settling in for the last half of the fall semester.  Hopefully many of you are hearing from your students and are receiving news about academic successes or struggles at this half-way point.

All students have confidential access to the SVC Scholars Portal where they can log into a College website and find their mid-term grade for each class.  Students are reminded that this is only a reflection of where they stand as of mid-semester.  Having this information lets a students know where they are at and if they need to “step-up” their studying in any particular area.

The second half of the fall semester always appears to be more stressful than other times of the year.  The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, the holidays are getting closer, and paper and project deadlines begin to loom larger.

Now is the best time of year for family members to check in with their students a little more regularly.  A consistent boost of encouragement and occasional care package from home can make a big difference to a student hitting the mid-semester blues.  Discuss plans for Thanksgiving and end of the year holiday celebrations, giving them something to look forward to.  If your student commutes to campus, an extra conversation about how classes are going and how campus life is treating them can go a long way.

Starting the week of November 7 students will begin the process of registering for spring classes, making appointments with academic advisers and discussing what courses are the best fits for next semester.  After meeting with their advisers, students then return to the Scholars Portal and register for those classes online.

See…spring is just around the corner!

Everyone feels that extra pinch during this time of year.  The Mountaineer Events Board and Office of Student Life offer additional programming and activities for students to relax and let off steam because we realize what this time of year can be like.

As always, if you have any concerns about how your student is fairing on campus, do not hesitate to contact the Dean of Students Office or Counseling Services.

Next Month:  Coming Home for the Holidays!

And what a great start it’s been.  Along with SVC’s largest incoming class ever, returning students were welcomed back to many campus changes as well.  Our Library received a fantastic make-over, with a more contemporary looking space, meeting the growing need for study groups and social learning.  The College has purchased a number of new vehicles for athletics and student life transportation, adding not only safety factors, but air conditioning as well for all those long trips!

By the end of September, Hunter Hall will have a new café available for light meals and snacks every evening until midnight.

But the most exciting news this time of year is always hearing about how students spent their summer months.

Business and Criminal Justice majors share their experiences working internships. Nursing students discuss their clinical practicum at hometown hospitals.  Some students talked about working on farms for the first time in New York and Vermont, life guarding from the coast of Maine to the Jersey Shore, and others served as camp counselors across the country. One student returned to China this summer for a month after having spent a semester internship there last fall.

Then there are all those students who remained on campus over the summer mentoring dozens and dozens of high school students; running SVC’s Upward Bound Program, coaching a variety of sports camps, and coordinating our Healthcare Academy Program, sponsored in partnership with Wheelock College in Boston.

For many students, learning continues after the end of the academic year.  Most of this experiential learning is not connected to academic credit.  Students seek out and take advantage of these opportunities because of a driven desire to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it into the real world.

This is what is exciting about education – putting together what we’ve learned into practical use.  It makes coming back in the fall to all of those classroom hours, exams, and papers worthwhile.

Here’s to another fun and exciting academic year.  Cheers… here we go again!

This reaction is totally normal.  If a student wasn’t at least a little nervous about starting this new chapter in their lives, then we would be a little concerned.  During New Student Orientation Weekend at SVC, we will address many of these concerns, and have put together a number of events allowing students to get to know each other in a supportive atmosphere.  There are also a number of supports available throughout the school year,  such as our Residence Life Staff,  The Academic Success Center,  and Counseling Services to name just a few.   Below is a link to our latest New Student News and Notes newsletter.  Written by SVC’s Director of Counseling Services, Mike Goodwin, many of these concerns and supports are discussed.

If you have any questions regarding your student’s struggles in finding their place here at Southern Vermont College, please never hesitate to contact my office at (802) 447-6323.

http://www.svc.edu/student/Newsletter-V1-Issue2.pdf