We were told that our student would likely complain a lot. But these complaints would not likely define her experience. Rather she would need someone to express all the negative emotions of college, moving away, feeling overwhelmed, etc. This was solid advice as we did not feel like we had to put out every verbal fire that came our way. And, as it turned out, the college administrators who provided this information were correct. She was mostly having a good time. However, she saved up all her frustrations for our weekly phone call. Yay, parenting…
We were also told that it was okay to tell our daughter she could remain the introvert she always has been. Just because “everyone” is joining clubs and doing activities does not mean she has to. It took her a few months to warm but she eventually got there. Taking away the initial pressure seemed helpful as it removed the idea that she was “failing” at the college experience. Now she is in clubs and involved with activities but it occurred during her time frame.