Emily Wang
Right now happens to be the time that rising college freshmen are on their way to college. With that comes the jitters of getting accustomed to living a life on their own and adapting to a completely different environment. My team at the Milwaukee Chinese Times has put together some advice just for incoming freshmen college students and those students’ parents. The advice has come from many current college students, graduate students, and their parents, and we truly hope that it helps. Having such a change of pace is tough, and we really want help to make this change as easy as possible for everyone in the family!
Books for incoming students
- “How to Win in College” by Cal Newport
- “Stuff Every College Student Should Know” by Blair Thornburgh
- “Deep Work” by Cal Newport
- “Chicken Soup for the Soul – Campus Chronicles” by Amy Newmark + more
- “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport
- “The Luster of Lost Things” by Sophie Chen Keller
- “Mastery” by Robert Greene
- “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl
Advice for incoming students:
- Get to know your professors, talk to them and get their help
- Make a big world small and focus on your interests
- Be confident, get out of your comfort zone, and try new things
- Enjoy the freedom and yourself during your college life
- Keep healthy eating habits
- Try to find your significant other
Books for empty-nest parents:
- “Letting go, A parents’ guide to understanding the college year” by Karen Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger
- “The UniversityParent Guide to Supporting Your Student’s Freshman Year ” by UniversityParent
- “College Financial Aid for Dummies” by Herm Davis and Joyce Lain Kennedy
- “The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only: Calling, Not Calling, Roommates, Relationships, Friends, Finances, and Everything Else That Really Matters when Your Child Goes to College” by Harlan Cohen
- “The Freshman Survival Guide: Soulful Advice for Studying, Socializing, and Everything In Between” by Nora Bradbury-Haehl and Bill McGarve
- *走入美國教育 – 藤兒藤女成長錄 – 作者 孙新岸
Advice for empty-nest parents:
- Trust your child and trust the foundation you built for your child
- Learn to step down and let your child be in the spotlight
- Adjust your mind set and shift your life balance
- Focus on YOUR life and find a group of friends who share the same interests and thoughts as you
- Look for new interest and join a club, like maybe a fitness club
We wish you all incoming students the best of luck, and hope that you all will be able to establish a healthy, new lifestyle! Also, a big thank you to everyone that provided the advice; it truly was incredibly helpful.
* “走入美國教育 – 藤兒藤女成長錄” is written by Milwaukee Chinese writer XinAn Sun. This book will be published in September 2018 and available on Amazon.com.
