For rising UNC sophomore Luisa Peñaflor, daily photos of her cat and phone calls from her parents kept her grounded when she started college.
Julia Contreras, Peñaflor’s mother, said that she would text pictures of the cat every day to Peñaflor to assure her that everything was taken care of at home and she could focus on her schoolwork.
Along with photos of her cat, the family created a phone call schedule to best communicate while Peñaflor was on campus.
“Keep it consistent,” Peñaflor said. “Have a lot of communication between how much is too much. I know some parents calling twice a day might be too much for some people, while for some it might be too little.”
Adjusting to life at UNC
Though caring for a student from a distance looks different for each family, psychology and neuroscience professor Andrea Hussong also suggested creating a communication schedule depending on what times work best for everyone.
In addition, Hussong suggested that parents develop an emotional radar to determine if communication needs to be increased. She said that some students might experience adjustment issues as they begin college or might need more support due to mental health concerns.
“If you're getting feedback from your child or you're getting feedback from their friends that things are not going so well, then I think stepping up communication is absolutely appropriate,” Hussong said. “Not to come in and save the day, but to help them.”
Incoming first-years and parents of UNC students have faced new challenges due to the pandemic.
