In this podcast episode we had an opportunity to talk with Laurie Hazard and Stephanie Carter, about their book Your Freshman Is Off to College: A Month by Month Guide to the First Year. This book should be on every new college parent’s bookshelf.  Laurie and Stephanie highlight information about healthy transitions from high school to college, how to support students in their growing independence, and how parents can shift into their new coaching role. Listeners will not want to miss the wealth of knowledge and experience that these professionals share.

Our conversation with authors Laurie Hazard and Stephanie Carter covered their book Your Freshman Is Off to College: A Month by Month Guide to the First Year, but we also covered a wide range of topics about First-Year students and their transition to college. Laurie and Stephanie have so much wisdom to share about these students and the challenges that they face!

It was fun to hear about the birth of Stephanie and Laurie’s book and how they chose to parallel the first year of college to the first year of raising a baby. Parents need support and advice at both of these essential stages. It’s an analogy that works and parents will have the information and tools that they need to coach their student through this first year.

Read our review of Your Freshman Is Off to College to learn more about the book.

We talked about the six stages of adjustment that students need to go through during this first year of college and the resources on campus that can address all of these stages.

So much of what Laurie and Stephanie had to say had to do with the importance of the partnership between institutions and parents. Their advice will help parents know some of the important conversations they need to have with their students.

There’s a lot in this interview that will reassure parents that they and their student will be OK, including examples and tips that you can use right away.

Laurie and Stephanie recommended some of their favorite books for college parents.  If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check them out.

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level by Saundra McGuire

A High School Parent’s Guide to College Success: 12 Essentials by Amy Baldwin

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