The Dean weighs in on whether a college freshman should visit home every weekend. https://insights.collegeconfidential.com/freshman-come-home-every-weekend
IMO, I think that students should stay on campus to experience college life, outside of class. I mean, they’re paying for a dorm/apartment, depending on the situation, so why go home when they should be adjusting to living away from home?
Even though there’s some exceptions, I feel like there’s more to staying on campus during the weekend, outside of partying.
No
Students need to acclimate. Going home is a mistake.
One of my mentees (first gen) goes home every other weekend and I had to encourage her to even get it to that as her parents wanted her home every weekend. It frustrates me, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
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NO! Research has shown that students who go home at weekends do not assimilate or adjust as well to college life. Going home at weekends is a great way for a student to not make friends and end up transferring or dropping out.
No
No. I’m not sure if the bigger problem is the kid coming home or the parent thinking nothing of it.
What’s the point of going away to college if you come home frequently? Personally, Thanksgiving break and that’s it until Christmas break. That’s why fit is important.
One of the big reasons we did not want our D (a single child) to go to school down the street. Living on campus, with roommates, away from us, was, we felt, very important to her personal development. She is 1 hour away (with no car), but in addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break (plus us going to see her - homecoming, etc.), she also managed to get home several other weekends over her freshman year. There was nothing at home other than us and her old room - it was just a physical and emotional break from a very demanding academic experience and challenging roommate situation. Now a senior (with out-of-state summer internships under her belt), she’s in a great roommate situation, much more social, busy with school and job and research and adulting. We miss her more than she misses us, which is the way it should be at this point.