Dear Concerned Parent…

Dear families and friends of soon-to-be Carls:

As college decisions quickly approach, it might just now be hitting you that in a few months, you will drop off your high schooler for college, and put them out into the real world. If you are anything like my mom was when I first abandoned the nest, you might be worried sick about their future without you being by their side. Well, I am here to tell you that the transition to college life does not need to be scary for anyone involved! Here are a few things that will hopefully give you some peace of mind as you and your future Carl prepare for Carleton.

They will never be entirely alone.

Your child will still have tons of support at Carleton! From the moment they confirm their enrollment, they will have access to a myriad of resources and people more than ready to step in with anything they might need. Came down with a cold? SHAC is here to help! Want to explore your faith? Come by the Chaplain’s Office! Having trouble keeping up with academics? From the Writing Center to the Quantitative Resource Center, we’ve got you covered.

They will be safe.

I know one of my mom’s biggest fears was that something would happen to me while in college. Well, as an older student told her at the time, fear not! Northfield is extremely safe. Home to two colleges, our little town is relatively quiet and uneventful. I have never been afraid to walk back to my room alone at night or bike to church early in the morning. Besides, Carleton’s Security is always one call away (though I’ve only ever had to call them to let me into a room I locked myself out of).

They will find a community.

Both on and off-campus, I guarantee you your future Carl will have no problem finding a community of like-minded people, whom they’ll be happy to call their family away from family. Whether they bond with their roommates and floormates, make friends at a student club, or even establish lovely relationships with families in town, they will always have people who care about them around.

They will be healthy.

Though I will not deny that we occasionally indulge in a pizza dinner or skip a breakfast or two when we are running late to class, you can trust that our good habits from home carry into college. With two well-stocked dining halls as well as three cafes around campus, we will rarely be hungry. In addition, with Carleton’s PE requirement, we are guaranteed to be exercising at least semi-regularly, and a lot of students (whether varsity athletes or not!) will choose to continue being active outside of class.

They will grow.

I know that as much as it killed them knowing that they were not going to be there for every bit of it, my parents were excited to watch me grow into the (coming-up) adult that I am today, even from a distance. College is a time for us to explore who we are outside of home, discover new interests, and realize that the world is a bigger place than we thought, filled with amazing opportunities and great people; we only have to let ourselves meet them.

I have no doubt you are still full of questions and concerns, but rest assured that they will slowly clear off, and by the time move-in day comes, you will realize that you have done everything you could have to prepare your future Carl for post-high school life. And I am sure they will learn to appreciate it too.

PS: you don’t have to wait for the holidays to see your college student! Come to Family Weekend if you can! Or just stop by any time. We miss you guys as much as you miss us.

After a trimester abroad, Guatemalan sophomore Fátima (she/her) is looking forward to continuing her pursuit of a SOAN major and an Educational Studies minor. In addition to blogging, she works at the Admissions Office and the Spanish department. Outside of class, Fátima can be found watching cartoons, poorly playing the piano, attending Bible studies, or desperately missing her dog, Cosmo.  Meet the other bloggers!