It's Been a Long Year . . .

Beth Harrison, Ph.D., Director,
University Learning Center

And we’re all ready for summer vacation. Except that not all of us get one, do we? Sometimes I wish I were back in college with all that “free time” to do as I please, to read the books on my shelf, go to class when I want, sleep whenever I feel like it—like all day after I’ve stayed up all night to write a paper . . . Well, maybe not.

Right now your student is in the thickest, densest, most high-stress part of the semester and, in fact, the school year. Final papers and projects are due, and final exams are on the near horizon. Many courses seem to be scheduling their final exams during the last day or two of regular class rather than during exam week, which means the first week and a half in May will be the watershed. After that it’s a few exams, graduation and a new life for some, summer school and summer jobs for others. No stress there, right?

I know that your year as the parent of a college student has not been without its stresses as well. No matter how hard we try, it’s hard for us to let go of our hopes and dreams for our students (even when it’s not so hard to shoo them out of the house!). Between the bills, if we’re footing some of them, and the questions we may have about how it will all turn out, it HAS been a long year.

All of this makes right now a really good time to stop, take a deep breath, and reflect on what we have learned this year. What do you now know about your student and his or her thoughts, hopes, and dreams for the future? What do you now know about yourself—who you (now) are, what you want to do and where you want to go next in your life? What have you learned this year that will help you make next year better for you?

As you give your student your support through the end of the semester (with a phone call, a care package, a card), help him or her take a breath and reflect on the year as well. Many, perhaps most, college students can’t yet see what college is about: the details they’ve memorized for a course may help them on a final exam, but it’s what their courses and their experiences during college have taught them about themselves that will change their lives.

Congratulations on a good year, and have a great summer!