In mid-March, thousands of college students leave their schools to take a break from their studies. During a traditional Spring Break experience, students travel to warmer locations such as Florida and Texas to blow off steam and relax. Parents often worry about their students joining thousands of others in resort locations with little supervision. There are risks associated with attending Spring Break, but there are also ways to minimize the risks and anxiety.

When we pack our kids off to college, it’s easy to imagine them pursuing the academic side of school life. But thinking of teens in full party mode, pounding shots and chugging beers, can be the source of much parental anxiety. Alcohol abuse and binge drinking (consuming four – five drinks on an occasion) peaks during the college years, according to Dr. Frances E. Jensen, chair of the neurology department at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and co-author of “The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults”.

Talking about drinking need not be taboo. “Detoxify” the topic. You can assume that your child has experience with high-risk drinking situations. Even if your child doesn’t drink, they most likely know people who do and/or they have been offered alcohol. Here are ideas on “starting points” for conversations, but it is OK to be more direct and ask about opportunities they might have had to drink or situations where drinking occurred.

College administrators, faculty, and parents place a lot of emphasis on the transition to college and the first-year experience. We all know that these new college students will be undergoing a tremendous change in their lives as they enter the world of college.

College life is a non-stop moving train; students may start to lag and get overwhelmed at some point. Among the top mental health issues affecting college students are depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. These can be disruptive and hard for students to manage independently, which can negatively affect their performance in school, and their physical health. It can be challenging to understand your students’ struggles when they’re away from home and how you can best support them. Here are some suggestions:

It is that special time of year again when our Jefferies’ offices swell with super talented, ambitious, hard working and youthful interns from college and graduate schools.  This year, we hired 163 potential future superstars from thousands of qualified candidates.  Thinking (way) back to our intern days just a few years (decades) ago, we thought we would share with all of you some of the wisdom and perspective we wish we had back then.

Being lonely in college is normal, especially if you go to school in a new place that isn’t your hometown. Here are some stories from college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates, on how they overcame loneliness and some advice to help get through it.

I graduated from college with good grades, but not straight As. Part of the reason was, I worked two or three jobs every year of my college life. I worked as a cook in a country club, I worked part-time in the library, I worked as a part-time youth director, and I worked at a fast-food restaurant.

It’s winter. In many places in the country it’s cold, and it’s dark a lot. The holiday break is over. The novelty of being a new college student has worn off. May, and summer vacation, seem a long way off. And now it’s time to get started with a new semester.
Is it any wonder that your student may have a case of the “Second Semester Blues”?

There is a wealth of literature available to help parents cope with the transition to college and the changes that occur throughout the college years. College Secrets of Highly Successful People is an excellent book for both students and their parents to read. It is ideal for students about to head to college, but is also valuable for those who are already there.