Advice for Families During the College Transition
The transition to college is difficult for not only students, but parents and families, too. That is why we’ve put together a resource guide with advice for families.
Hear from some of the Champlain College staff who support your student and help them make the most of this new experience. We asked them:
- What general advice would you give to families who are dropping their student off at college?
- What is a Champlain-specific piece of advice you would give to families who are dropping their student off in Burlington?
Champlain staff are full of good advice, and are always eager to share that insight with students and families in order to ease the transition to college. Meet our experts below!
Anthony Rivers (he/him)
Program Coordinator, Office of Diversity & Inclusion
General advice: “Be open to learning, meeting new people, and hearing new perspectives. Find the spaces on campus you feel most at home and spend quality time with the people that encourage you to be who you are and help you strive to meet your goals.”
Champlain-specific advice: “The Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) is a safe and inclusive space ready to welcome you. Stop by, meet our staff and student Diversity Ambassadors, and settle in. We provide one-on-one support through intentional conversations and campus-wide support through educational and social programming. Everyone is invited to join us at our events centered around community, education, food, culture, and more. Make sure to stay on the lookout for dates for our Sisterhood and Brotherhood brunches. We are happy to connect you with the many resources available as you seek out the support you need to navigate and thrive in this new environment!”
Bonus advice for families: “Encourage your student(s) to find their people, explore their interests, and push themselves out of their comfort zone a little bit. If you want to know more about the many events hosted around campus, check out The View events hub!”
Skip Harris (he/him)
Director of Champlain College Counseling Center
General advice: “Encourage your student to get involved! It’s important to understand that we all feel a bit awkward and challenged when trying something new. We might feel a bit nervous and possibly anxious, but students need to understand that the person sitting next to them at Orientation is feeling the same way. I would also make sure your student understands the resources on campus. Sometimes the hardest thing is asking for help, but I would encourage your student to ask for help from a peer, academic coach, faculty advisor, a clinician, etc. There are many people on campus who are here to help but we can’t help if we don’t know if someone needs something.”
Champlain-specific advice: “Go to the Activities Fair and sign up for as many clubs that interest you. This is a very organic way to develop friendships and create community.”
Erika Lea (she/her)
Coordinator of First Year Transitions & Wellbeing Initiatives
General advice: “Change is hard, even when that change is a very great thing. Some of the most wonderful milestones in life also come with a great deal of anxiety — birth! marriage! a new home! — because there is so much unknown. Anxiety feeds on uncertainty. Transitioning to college is a wonderful, significant achievement and so much is still unwritten. It is normal for everyone involved to experience highs, lows, and everything in between. Anticipating this roller coaster of emotions can help everyone get through the transition of drop-off.”
Champlain-specific advice: “Talk to your student about the next time you expect to communicate. You will want to know how they are doing, yet communicating too early and too much can be an obstacle to their transitioning smoothly.”
Bonus advice: “‘The W-Curve and The First Year of College’ is something we will be covering in the first few workshops of Champ 101, and it’s a good thing for families to be aware of as well. While the W-Curve isn’t written in stone, and each student goes through their transition to college at their own pace and in their own way depending on a variety of factors, the takeaway is that good days and hard days are to be expected.”
Heidi Lebrun (she/her)
Director of Annual Giving and Engagement
General advice: “Keep the conversation light on the day of drop off. Spend time prior to drop off discussing how the day will go. Ask your student what they would like: Do they want help making their bed or setting up the room? It seems silly to plan ahead, but it’s not uncommon for students to feel completely overwhelmed on move-in day. This will hopefully help alleviate some stress. Say all the things you want to say before the day of. It’s hard to think in the moment.
When it is time to leave, keep it quick. Focus on the the next time you will see each other— let them know you will see them at Champlain Weekend in just a few weeks. Write a note encouraging them and telling them how proud you are and leave it with them. Tell them not to open it until later. It will be nice for them to have some words of encouragement after you leave.”
Champlain-specific advice: “Encourage your student to make an effort to meet people. Champlain has a number of clubs and activities — it’s a good way to meet people. The faculty and staff really care and want your student to succeed — I’m not just saying this as a staff member — I’m a Champlain parent, too!”
Bonus advice: “Stay connected! Join the Parent and Family Facebook Group and sign up for the Family Newsletter by emailing parentrelations@champlain.edu. Plus, find more information for families here.”
Vice President of Student Affairs
General advice: “Lead with listening, not solutions. When your student calls sounding urgent — a too-hot room, Orientation exhaustion, a roommate raiding their snacks — resist the instinct to solve it. Most of the time, they don’t need a fix. They need to be heard. Let them talk it through, offer a resource or two if it’s genuinely useful, and then step back. You’ll often find they’ve already solved it themselves by the end of the call — because they did the work, not because you handed them the answer.”
Champlain-specific advice: “Turn Burlington into part of the welcome. Champlain’s setting is one of its best teaching tools. Rather than asking ‘how’s it going?’, try questions that invite a story: What’s been the best part of Orientation so far? What would your perfect evening here look like? Is there a club or group you keep thinking about? Then nudge them outside their dorm room — toward Church Street, the waterfront, a sunset, an Orientation event. In a walkable college town, the city itself becomes an extension of campus.”
Bonus advice: “Show interest in the classroom, not just the campus. A few weeks into the semester, ask what’s clicking academically: Which class or professor have you connected with? Has anything caught your interest more than expected? And point them toward the people built into their support system — their Champ 101 employee and peer facilitators — with questions like Who’s felt most helpful so far? What do you still want to ask your Champ 101 team?
Trust the foundation that’s already there. Your student didn’t end up at Champlain by accident, and they’re not starting from zero. They bring real strengths to this transition. What they need most from you isn’t intervention — it’s steady belief that they can handle it, paired with your willingness to listen when they need to talk it out.”
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