Advice for worried parents

The university experience is an exciting time for all involved. Moving away from home for the first time, embarking on the course you have been looking forward to for some time and the final step before your career, it is regarded by many to be the time of your life.

Whilst this is true and your time at university should most definitely be cherished, there will of course be concerned parents across Portugal worried about their pride and joy leaving home. Although they will of course be very proud indeed, this step can be scary at times especially if this will be the first time their son or daughter has been away from home for a considerable amount of time.

Here at Collegiate, as well as offering some of the finest student accommodation you will find anywhere in the country, we are committed to bringing students and parents all they need to know about the university experience. Whether this be in the form of student advice guides, study aids or information about the very best accommodation, we have you covered. So if you are a worried parent, read on to find out how you should be approaching this exciting time.

Try not to worry

Perhaps the best piece of advice we can give you, is to not let any worry or anxiety you may have about your child’s university experience show too much. They may be feeling a little trepidation themselves and this could hinder their chances of enjoying the experience and indeed, making the most out of it. It is perfectly natural for you to be concerned about your child flying the nest, but try to put your message across calmly.

Respect boundaries

The most popular way this concern tends to manifest itself, is in parents calling students too often. You may well have an excellent relationship with your son or daughter and this is a great thing, and something they will be very appreciative at times during their university experience. However, try to remember that they will be in the process of making new friends and trying to get into the rhythm of their studies, so respect their boundaries as much as you can.

This isn’t to say that you should never call your child when they are away at university, but try to keep weekly rather than daily or they could feel a little bit suffocated and it could adversely impact their ability to make friends and progress academically.

Prepped up with contacts

Whilst it may be frustrating that you can’t see or speak to your child whenever you like in order to check they are okay, there are certain things you can do to put your mind at rest. One such thing is to ensure that they are packed off to university with all they need and this could come in the form of a comprehensive contact list.

Most students will have all the latest gadgets such as tablets and smartphones, but these can go missing, so why not put together a backup list of crucial contacts and key information should there be any disasters. Although these are unlikely, accidents happen and being able to access bank accounts and of course, speak to you in the event of an accident will put everyone’s mind at ease. You can keep a copy for yourself to be certain too!

Rest assured with Collegiate

Finally, if you are concerned about your child heading off to a different country for your university, then we recommend you opt for superior quality, outstanding student accommodation. Residences such as ours come with a security guarantee and ensure that safety is paramount, not to mention the range of extras that come with accommodation of this kind. You can find out more about these features by exploring the rest of our site.