Finishing Strong Before Heading Into Summer

The New Student Academic Services unit housed within Student Housing and Dining Services is comprised of Orientation and Residential Academics.  Our team is dedicated to supporting your student's transition into and through the first year at UC Davis. 

There are just a few weeks left in spring quarter and your student’s summer will begin.  In last month’s newsletter we discussed your student’s options for summer and factors to consider.  If you or your student are still planning for summer, take a look, you might find exactly what you need.

This year has been filled with many transitions, big and small, for both you and your student, and summer will give you another opportunity to navigate transition.  Students choose to do many things over the summer, and the decision is very personal to each student and their family.  Your student might be coming home, working, studying abroad, or all of the above. They might be living in another part of the state, travelling the country, or staying in Davis to take summer classes.  Regardless of their plans, this will be a transition from their current routine, which can bring up many feelings. How do they develop new routines? How do they navigate their new found independence and autonomy living with family? Although this is really common, it can make the end of the year hard for your student, because they want to finish the year strong, and have a lot to do, yet they are navigating complicated thoughts and feelings in trying to prioritize their academics.  This month, we are going to discuss some of the summer transitional issues your student might be facing and how you can support them, while also taking your family needs into consideration.

Transitional issues your students might be facing include:

Stress over finals and finishing the year strong

Your student has been working hard all year, and the end of their first year is in sight, but there are still midterms (even in week 9!), papers, projects, and finals standing between them and their summer.  Your student might be tired from all the hard work and they might be experiencing a buildup of stress from the year, which can culminate in the spring.  Expect students to need a break and rest as soon as the quarter concludes.

Spring time distractions and academic motivation waning

Spring time brings warm and sunny weather to Davis, and there’s a buzz of excitement that can be felt.  In the spring, campus is busy with many opportunities for social engagement, events and activities.  This can make it hard for students to focus as heavily on their academics and they may start to feel less academically motivated. The combination of beautiful weather, social opportunities, and lack of motivation can be difficult for students. Ask your student how they are balancing their classes with the social activities (both are important). 

Pressure over finalizing summer plans

Your student may be feeling pressure to finalize their summer plans while also trying to maintain focus, and finish the year strong.  This is often challenging for students to balance, especially when they feel the pressure from family or friends, or feel left out because all of their friends have their plans lined up. Check-in with your student and be patient as their plans continue to unfold. 

Sadness of leaving friends or a significant other

Your student may have made some really great new friends, or found the love of their life this year, and now is the time they might be realizing that they will be leaving these people for the summer.  How will they navigate their daily lives without these important people around? They may also worry their relationships may look differently after the summer. Listening and empathizing with your student will be important to understanding how they may be feeling. 

Apprehension about transitioning from being independent to moving back home 

Let’s face it, you might be ecstatic if your student is coming home for the summer, you’ve missed them so much.  Your student might be excited too, but they also may be feeling apprehensive.  They have spent almost an entire year learning, growing, and living independently from family.  They have created new routines, and lived with different rules and expectations.  They may be wondering what to expect when they get home; will they still have a curfew, will you all get along, what if it’s not what they expect, will they feel welcomed and accepted? 

Disappointment that what they want to be doing this summer is different than what they will be doing

Your student might have wanted to travel this summer, but they don’t have the means and have to work over the summer.  Maybe they are coming home to help care for the family, but they were hoping to stay in Davis and take summer classes.  Whatever the situation is, when this happens it is normal to feel disappointed, but your student may also feel guilty for admitting it or be hesitant to talk about it.

Change in routine of being a full-time student to their summer plans

Your student’s summer schedule will be different than their academic year schedule, even if they are taking summer classes.  Their academic year routine will soon be disrupted, and they will have to create a new routine.  For some students this is a welcomed change, for others it can be really challenging.  This is also something that can pose challenges for family members, especially if their student moves home for the summer.  

Being aware of what your student might be going through as the summer approaches and how it may be impacting them is the first step in supporting them through it.  If you have read this far, you are already one step closer to supporting your student through this transition.  Other ways you can support them is by asking them:

• How are they feeling about each of the issues listed above, and what is one (or two, or three..) things you can do to support them?
• How are they spending their time and balancing the nice weather and social engagements with their academics?
• What are they most excited about and most worried about for the summer?
• What are some things that helped them be successful when they transitioned into UC Davis?  Can they apply any of those to help make the summer transition easier?

If you have this conversation with your student, validate their feelings and concerns, and be honest in how you can support them in this process. This can also open a more in-depth conversation about summer expectations so that you both feel more prepared when the summer begins.

If you feel that this transition is weighing heavily on your student, and it is affecting their mental health, wellbeing, or academics there are resources on campus that can help.  If you think they would benefit in talking to someone before they come home to process the transition, you can refer them to Student Health and Counseling Services.  Counselors are licensed and trained to help with issues just like these.

If your student needs assistance and lives in the residence halls or The Green, they should connect with their Residential Academic Peer Mentor.   Our Academic Peer Mentors have been through this transition and can help your students feel less alone, and share how they have balanced their academics during this time.  They can also help with finals study tips and tricks, and get them connected to campus resources to help with their needs.  We are here to help your student succeed all the way through their first year!

We’ve talked a lot about the transition for your student, but this is a transition for you too, and you might have the same feelings as your student.  You might be excited yet apprehensive.  You might feel proud of your student for finishing their first year, but nervous or stressed about their undetermined summer plans.  You might have missed them this year, but also created a new routine for yourself that serves you well, and you are worried about how it might change over the summer.  You might be confused about how to communicate or set boundaries and expectations with your student, and more.  All of this is completely normal.   Just like we are encouraging your student to think about their transition, we encourage you to do the same before the end of the year.  

Things to consider for yourself

• What are you most excited about and most worried about for the summer?
• What has changed for you over this past year while your student has been away?
• How will your student’s summer plans affect you and your routine?  
• What parts of your routine do you want or need to keep for yourself
• What parts of your routine can easily change?
• If your student is moving back home, what expectations do you have for them and for the family?  
• What is your plan for communicating or discussing these expectations?
• Who else might be affected with your student’s transition and is there anything you can do to help them prepare?
• What did you do that helped you when your student transitioned into UCDavis?  Can any of those things be applied to this summer transition?