Newswise — It's that time—college students arriving home in droves for the Holiday season—some for the first time since starting college just a few months ago.
Steve Langerud, associate dean for experiential education at Grinnell College, has a warning for parents of first-year college students—be prepared!
"College is a transition for both students and parents," Langerud said. "Parents have to remember their college days—longish hair, bell bottoms, polyester pants, platform shoes, beards and sideburns, music from groups like the Bee Gees, Abba, Grand Funk Railroad, the Cars, and Knack, and very strange eating habits. Some things never change, they just take on different names."
At Grinnell College, students may have been exposed to many different lifestyles and might have been introduced to students who are very active in the community and within the political arena.
"They may have met Grant Woodward '06, the president of the College Democrats of America and a member of the Democratic National Committee, or have been introduced to students who worked in the Green or Libertarian parties," he said. "And at Grinnell College, all of the concerts and art exhibits are free, giving students a view into music and art from around the world.
"It's almost like reverse culture shock," he said. "We, as parents, prepare them to go to school, but the students aren't prepared for returning home. They see things changing at home when they are the ones actually doing the changing."
According to Langerud, the student is in an environment where their peers are growing and learning, while their home remains the same.
"My research indicates that several things will never change," he said with a laugh. "Students are ravenously hungry for family food and they are exhausted—expect them to sleep a long time. They are also amazed at the inconvenience and expense of doing laundry twice a semester."
Grinnell College has prepared a list of some possible "changes" parents of first-year students (freshmen) might notice when their child comes home for the Christmas holiday season.
Coming Home for the HolidaysOrWelcome Home, I Think
1. Sleeping and hair-washing habits may have slipped a little. 2. Don't be surprised to see them arrive home sporting dreadlocks, a spiked hairdo, graffiti-inspired hair colors, or even no hair at all. These makeover rituals are most often performed not at the hands of trained professionals, but in residence hall bathrooms. Don't worry; most styles will grow out or morph into something entirely new by summer.
3. Expect to spend a lot of time doing laundry.
4. "You voted for whom," in the last election?
5. Anticipate sentences to be interspersed with words like "Indie," "Blogs," "Phat," "Dawg," "Holla," and "Wicked."
6. Look forward to home cooking being very important, again—lots of it. But don't expect them to stick around at the dinner table.
7. There might be some body piercings in some interesting places (belly button, eyebrow, nose, etc.)
8. Expect books with titles such as "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" or "Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity (Great Discoveries)."
9. The student might arrive home with "Frou Frou" on the iPod or raving about the "Measles Mumps and Rubella" concert in November.
10. Expect one of the first "heated" discussions you have to be on the question, "Why isn't our house wireless?"
11. Their favorite games could be "Texas Hold'em" or "Axis and Allies."
12. Hobbits, Lothlorian, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Sauron, are probably not foreign words, anymore. In fact, they may even have a "Frodo Lives!" button.
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