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College students often find themselves precariously poised between their new life as a university student and their old, familiar life at home. It is normal for students to feel some difficulty adjusting at this time. Leaving an intact, well-functioning family is hard enough, but when students leave homes in which there are problems, they frequently transfer their feelings about their families to their lives at Wake Forest. The most common family issues that students experience during their college years are parents' marital problems (conflict, separation, divorce); concerns about a sibling; family financial difficulties; or family illness/death. All of these stressors upset their equilibrium, and even though they think that they are coping well and have everything under control, they are often surprised by the intensity of their feelings about family changes, and are not at all certain about how to deal with these situations.
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Family issues are a more subtle concern for students, as frequently they feel that they should be able to handle significant changes in their family life without informing their professors, coaches or friends. However, you should be aware that this is one of the most frequent stressors for students, and family disruption can be one of the most difficult problems for students to deal with. Occasionally students may feel comfortable enough with you to approach you with a family problem, explaining their lack of participation in class or their lateness with an assignment.
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