How Are High School Grads Adjusting to College Life?

It's an anxious time on college campuses this fall. I was interviewed by Judie Hurtado about how students and their parents can make a healthy adjustment to college life. Freshman from four different colleges talk about their transition and how their high school prepared them. You can read the full article on the Maplewood Patch here, and read the excerpt below:

Tillman, L.C.S.W., is the founder of the Maplewood-based College with Confidence, a psychotherapy service that supports teens, young adults and parents throughout the college experience, and provides seminars, teleconferences and consultations for individuals and organizations about the teen-to-adult transition. Tillman said that students need to start the transition by making both academics and their health "number 1" priorities.

...Most students, said Tillman, are struggling first with a significant academic transition. Tillman advises them, "Do whatever it takes to get organized and keep on top of the material. This includes meeting professors during office hours, joining study groups, going to the writing center, getting tutoring or academic coaching." Tillman says you shouldn't be afraid to drop a course quickly if you know it is too difficult.

On the health front, if students have been receiving support at home for ADD/HD, learning disabilities or any illness, they will need to self-advocate and consistently follow through with those supports and medication in order to be successful.

Socially, adjustments can also be hard. Tillman recommends being proactive -- and patient. "Find your niche sociall by getting involved. Be open to meeting a lot of people in the beginning. Push through that loneliness and reach out. It will get better."

"Students need to recognize that finding close friends does not instantly happen. Patience is important," added Tillman.

Read the full article on The Maplewood Patch