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As a parent, sending your child away to college comes with a number of questions and concerns. One of your concerns may be regarding campus safety. While this is a legitimate issue, it shouldn’t be a constant worry. Here are some tips to help you feel more secure about your student’s college experience:

1. Talk to your student. Remind your child that there is safety in numbers, and that instincts are to be trusted. Tell your student that it’s never a bad idea to leave an uncomfortable social situation.

2. Take a walk through your student’s day. Start at the dorms, go to class, the cafeteria, athletic practice, and so on. Make your student aware of any potentially risky situations that you might anticipate or locations where you would be on guard.

3. Talk to campus security about their services. Many colleges provide escorts to the dorms from night classes and posts around campus for emergency help. Ask about these and other possible services.

4. Encourage self-defense education. Chances are good that the school or the surrounding community offers a self-defense course. Completion of the course will make you both more confident.

5. Caution online activity and sharing. Advise against posting class or work schedules, addresses, planned events, or other personal information online.

While no campus is always completely safe, proper awareness and preparation will go along way to help in many situations.

If there’s one thing that parents and their kids can agree on, it’s that preparing to go away to college can be an anxious time.  As the tail end of the baby boom generation send their kids away to college, increased academic competition and a faltering economy have led to even greater stress for entering college freshmen.  Fortunately, there are many things that you can do as a parent that’s mutually beneficial.

The modern American couple is having children later in life, and the size of the average family is declining.  While this can lead to parents who have the time and resources to prepare their children for academic success, it can also lead to anxiety from parents about “doing it right.”  Make sure that you don’t stifle your children with your expectations about what they’ll get out of their first year of college.  Even though you may be footing some (or all) of the bill, it’s still their life to lead.

According to Karen Levin Coburn, an assistant vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, “Parents want their children to get into the most selective colleges … and are concerned that they get good grades and develop resumes of the perfect combination of extracurricular activities and summer internships.”  As a parent, finding the right balance can be a fantastic way to remain an integral part of your child’s lives while allowing them to flourish in their new environment.

College can be a time of changed expectations and greater self-reliance.  Prepare your student by discussing  the issues they may run into during their first term on campus.  The greater freedom that college affords can wreak havoc on those who are unprepared.  Whether it is budgeting or academic goals and expectations, any positive input can help put your student ahead of the curve.

As a parent, perhaps the biggest challenge that you will face is learning how to let go.  Though it may be difficult, you should understand that college students will often call their friends to share exciting news, while using their parents for reassurance in the face of disappointing news.  As college can serve as a transition from the sheltered world of living at home to the new challenges of the “real world,” you can help your child become independent by referring him or her to the appropriate campus resources, rather than being the all-purpose “problem solver” you’ve been in the past.

Rest assured, you will remain an integral part of your child’s life if you find the appropriate balance between “coaching” them and giving them more independence.  Just remember that they’re on an emotional roller coaster.   It won’t always be easy, but the challenges will help your college-bound student transition into a self-sufficient adult.

You may have recently invested in a new PC for your college-bound son or daughter, but it’s also a good time to refresh your own computer at back-to-school prices.  Think your current computer is good enough for what you do?  You don’t know what you’re missing:

The Phone Just Isn’t Enough – Sure, you can text, email or talk to your children while they’re living on campus, but you could also be taking advantage of FREE video conferencing technology such as Skype, Oovoo and Vsee.  Your student’s laptop probably includes a webcam and microphone, so they’re already set on their end. By refreshing your computer to one with a webcam and microphone, you’ll be equipped with everything you need to see and speak with your loved ones virtually.

Ready to Retire Your Old Stereo? – If you can’t remember the last time you purchased a physical CD, welcome to the club.  Many people download music on their PC and mp3 devices making them the new stereo.  And with free online services like Pandora, which stream a custom music selection based on your personal preference, your new PC could be your replacement stereo.   You can easily connect to your existing amp and speakers and HP’s new Beats Audio system on select PC’s like the Envy (pictured to the right) brings studio quality sound.

What About All Those Photos and Videos? – So you have a digital camera, but what are you doing with all of those photos you’ve taken?  How about your camcorder…do you still record to tape or have you also made the switch to digital videos?  Snapfish and other online photo sites offer the ability to do some minor editing and unique printing projects.  But if you want to store all of those pictures and videos securely at home or edit them using powerful software like Adobe Photoshop or Premiere, you’ll want a computer with much more storage, more processing power as well as a large screen.

Windows 7….It’s Time – If you’re still running Windows XP at home, consider that you’re running an operating system first launched in 2001.  Windows 7 has been proven as a strong and reliable operating system and there are many advantages for the casual computer user.   Speed, performance and boot-up time are greatly improved.  Plus, the overall design is much more user-friendly making it easier to create and manage a home network, find and organize files on your computer, and even use touch integration that’s available on HP Tablet PCs and touch-screen desktops such as the TM2T (pictured to the left) and TouchSmart 300z.

As a parent, you can take advantage of the education discount offered by HP Academy.   We offer most of the products mentioned in this article at a special discounted price for you! Visit our website or call (800) 632-8251 to get expert advice on the best solution for your needs!