The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

84 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 8 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT tant, especially for the student who is far away from home! Most students equip their dorm rooms with mini- fridges, microwaves, televisions, rugs, printers, etc., often dividing up the “must have” list with a roommate. Keep in mind that too much stuff can be a burden: whatever is acquired dur- ing the year must be dealt with at the end of the year. One final note about dorm rooms: every Foreign Service student needs to pay special attention to safeguarding valuables like passports, tickets, credit cards and money throughout the year. It’s important for students not to be too trusting of others, and to ensure that there is a secure place for these items. Settling In College can be “the best four years” of a person’s life, and often is. But the adjustment is usually not as easy as the hype would have one believe. For Global Nomads who have grown up around the world, being in the U.S. for the first time without family can be a lonely and alienating experience. Coping with reverse culture shock without family and friends who under- stand international living makes the adjustment even tougher. Recognizing the symptoms of cul- ture shock can be very important in dealing with it. Some students report feelings of: • Homesickness • Alienation from the home culture • Not fitting in • Fear they’ve made the wrong col- lege choice • Confusion • Missing old friends • Loneliness • Boredom • A sense of loss For most, these feelings pass with time as they settle into campus life. They eventually find new friends, clubs, sports and activities, or create the kind of on-campus organization to which they would like to belong. Many find a bond with other interna- tional students, who understand auto- matically that the question “Where are you from?” has both a short and a long answer! The most important thing is for students to draw on the same cop- ing and adjustment skills they have used to adapt to international life. That means looking for the good in people and situations, and acknowl- edging and celebrating people for their individual and cultural differ- ences. Seemingly “boring” American students have a culture, too, and it pays to try to understand where they are coming from, as well. Most stu- dents have some challenges adjusting to life at college, but many of them have never moved before and there- fore have no experience in coping with change. The Foreign Service student’s strength is the resilience they have developed over years of moving around the world. One of the things I hear a lot about from Foreign Service kids is how hard it is to be so far from home — any home. They long for a sofa to flop on, downtime to relax, a home-cooked meal and some tender loving care. If they can find a relative, family friend or even a professor who will take them home from time to time, it can really help them get through the rough patches. Some students have an especially difficult time. If things do not go well for an extended period of time, and your child seems to be slipping into apathy, despondency or depression (or you don’t hear from them for an extended period), urge them to check in with teachers, advisers, deans or mental health professionals on cam- pus. The worst scenario is for a stu- dent to fall into a slump without reach- ing out for help. Health and Wellness Concerns Students also need to be aware that they are in charge of their own physi- cal well-being. Often, young people think they are invincible. But seem- ingly minor medical issues can quickly become major if they are not taken care of. What seems like “just” a cold, flu or cough can develop into a dan- gerous secondary infection or even pneumonia. Sore throats and fevers can easily turn into mononucleosis in a dorm setting. The university health center is a student’s first line of defense, and health care personnel can refer a stu- dent to local doctors when needed. Students who depend on medication need to remember to refill the pre- scription before it runs out; also, con- Resources: Love this for students: Been There, Should’ve Done That II: More Tips for Making the Most of College, Suzette Tyler , Front Porch Press, 2001. Excellent resources for parents: The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life , Laura S. Kastner, PhD., Jennifer Wyatt, Ph.D., Three Rivers Press, 2002. Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years , Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2000. A Web site on the transition to college for parents: www.mnsu.edu/fye/parents/familyguidebook/collegetransition.html Evergreen books, really good for understanding your young adult: Ready or Not, Here Life Comes , Dr. Mel Levine, Simon and Shuster, 1995. Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties , Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Oxford University Press, 2006. To keep our kids safe: Security on Campus, Inc .: www.securityoncampus.org/ Campus Safety Tips and Evaluation Brochure : www.securityoncampus.org/students/tips.html To understand who our kids are and what they might be going through: Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds , David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2001. — Rebecca Grappo Continued from page 78 Continued on page 87