Tips from the parent

Julie Hutchins lives in St. Louis, Mo. and her daughter Sarah is the editor of the IDS Orienter.

Q What was your biggest worry for Sarah’s first year?

A Safety, but that’s always my biggest worry. Remind your student about basic safety tips like not letting someone in the dorm without a key card if they aren’t absolutely certain they belong there, don’t walk alone at night, don’t leave your glass at a party and then return to it later, be aware of your surroundings.

Q What was the move-in experience like? 

A The process itself was very smooth and there were plenty of people on hand to answer questions. The hardest part was carting everything up the stairs in a dorm with no elevator and no air conditioning. 

Q Do you have any advice for parents about how to better prepare to move into the dorms? 

A Be the first ones there. We’ve found that we have the dorm almost to ourselves if we get there at the earliest hour. This makes move-in so much easier when you aren’t fighting the crowds.

Q Was it hard to leave that day? How did you deal with it? 

A Yes and no. I was so excited for her to be starting this new adventure. The hard part was dealing with my own feelings of sadness. I was going home to an empty nest. I reminded myself that this was another phase of parenting and that there were a lot of new successes ahead to look forward to. I’ve found it to be a lot of fun to watch her become a successful adult.

Q How do you keep in touch?

A We use a lot of techniques to stay in touch. Cell phones, text messages, e-mail and Skype are the most obvious.

Q What was the first visit home from college like?

A The first visit home was Thanksgiving. I was really happy to see her! Of course, she wanted to touch base with several friends, but she also carved out some family time, too.

Q What’s one thing you think all parents of IU students should know?

A IU is a big, big school. Encourage your child to get involved in something that will make it feel smaller.