The process of looking ahead to college/university — for both students and parents — is a complicated ball of emotions. On one hand, it is exciting, and so many have been looking forward to it for so long. But on the other hand, it can be anxiety-provoking, leaving the familiar and moving on into the unknown. That being said, confronting our hopes and fears is an essential component of this process, and the earlier that students and parents confront and then share their thoughts, the more time there is to reconcile them. As such, this week we encourage students and parents to consider the following prompt:

What are your hopes and fears looking ahead to university?

Here are some additional prompts to flesh out your thinking:

• What do you hope for from the college experience?

  1. What do you fear the most?

  2. What sorts of experiences are you most looking forward to in the first year?

  3. What kind of relationship do you hope to have with your roommate?

  4. What would a lonely day look like for you in college? Is there anything you can do to minimize those?

  5. What kinds of classes are you most excited to take?

  6. What is the biggest thing you hope to have learned by the end of your first year?

  7. Alumni Advice: It is very normal to have some worries as you transition to college. Be sure to know in advance who you can talk to about these worries at the college. There are always people there to help.

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.