In my job, I see a lot of kids transition from high school to college. Invariably freshmen experience one of 4 things that present huge challenges: 1) biting off more than they can chew, taking on too much academically 2) break up with significant other from high school sometime during first term , the so called Thanksgiving “dump” 3) catching the flu or mono and physically feel challenged to manage all that’s on their plate and 4) roommate issues, having too high expectations of the roommate or a mismatch.
Transition to college is a huge adjustment. A fifth one I am finding out about is the newly found freedom to abuse alcohol and drugs. My daughter tells me on a regular basis, freshman students are “carried out” on a stretcher and shuttled to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
It can’t be overstated: do as much as you can to help your student mitigate these challenges. Put together the emergency medical kit for their ready, tell your student that there’s a lot of adjustment living independently, and not to take on too much academically first term, advise students to let significant others and they agree to see other people before trekking off to college, have the discussion that your roommate is not necessarily going to be your best friend, and look for friends in your clubs and classes where you’ll meet others who share the same interests.
Not to take away from anything the OP states here. The best thing is just to love and support your student and empower them to advocate for themselves. Hang in there parents the first semester for all our freshmen is almost under their belts!