Parents & Family Resources
The decision to attend college is often a family decision. Whether you are supporting your son or daughter financially or helping them navigate their college education by offering advice from a distance, you are a crucial part of your child’s success.
Studies show that students whose parents are actively involved in their children’s education – even in college – do better academically. We want to be your partner. While we will work with your child directly in most situations, we are available to answer your questions.
Feel free to contact us at 580-327-8546 or recruit@nwosu.edu if you have questions about Northwestern.
Advice for Parents
For some students, going to college may be the first time they have been away from home for any extended amount of time. You and your child may face various challenges through this transition as they get their first taste of independence. You both may experience the need to “let go,” possibly with a combination of excitement, discomfort, confusion and fear. But, that does not mean the end to a parent-child relationship. That relationship is changing just like your child.
Some students will adjust well to college life and others may have feelings of homesickness, so we ask you to encourage your child to get involved on campus so they can meet new friends who also may be experiencing the same feelings.
Young adults often call parents when they are “down” and call friends when they are “up.” Therefore, parents may receive a skewed view of the psychological well-being of their child.
And, don’t be alarmed if your child ends up changing their major three or four times during their college career. As they experience new ideas and new ways of thinking, their goals for the future can change. Just because they’ve talked about becoming a doctor, teacher or lawyer since they were 15, doesn’t mean it will happen.
Northwestern’s faculty, staff and students can be valuable support systems to your child as well, and if times really get rough, your child can visit with our Director of Student Life and Counseling.
And remember...it never hurts to send a care package from home!
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Subscribe to the electronic newsletter to keep up-to-date on what’s happening at the university. If you would like to have the newsletter sent to your e-mail address, please send a message to Valarie Case at vcase@nwosu.edu.
Northwestern also has a weekly campus newspaper produced by students in the Mass Communications program, as well as weekly television newscasts on NWTV. Subscriptions to the Northwestern News are $12 per year or $6 for one semester. Please contact Melanie Wilderman, newspaper adviser, at mgwilderman@nwosu.edu if interested.