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JANUARY 2018, ISSUE NO. 13
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Happy New Year from Miami! We hope you have had a great Winter Break, including plenty of time with your student. With temperatures well below zero, Winter Term classes are underway for the fifth time in Miami's history. Students are taking courses online, on-campus, and around the world over the next four weeks.
The weeks of Winter Term bring unique challenges, both for students engaged in a class or other significant activity, and for those spending the additional time at home. This special issue of Miami Family Focus provides an overview of what we learned about students during previous Winter Terms, information regarding roommate issues that may arise after an extended time away, and tips for Study Abroad planning. Review all previous issues on our Stay in Touch page.
Love and Honor,
Mark W. Pontious
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| Challenges Experienced by Students During and After Winter Term Going into the Winter Term and the ensuing rapid transition to Spring Term, families and students should be prepared for some of the common stressors that were reported from the last few years. While we have just started Winter Term, there are two common reactions, depending upon whether or not a student participated in Winter Term activities, and it can be useful to plan for them now.
For students who participated in significant Winter Term activities such as an on-campus, away, or online academic course, an internship, or another commitment that requires a fair amount of work, we learned that there may be an unexpected strain that emerges in late February. This strain comes in the form of feeling tired, stressed, and ready for a break - normally seen around Spring Break. However, having resumed academic work in early January and moving straight into Spring Term without a break, students who participated in Winter Term may begin to feel tired and need a break well before Spring Break in late March.
To combat this, it can be helpful to simply mentally expect it and find the persistence to push through the weeks before Spring Break. It can also help to plan a short break in late February, such as an extended weekend away from the stress of academics. Students may also consider going home for a day between Winter Term and Spring Semester, if possible.
The second unexpected strain reported by both students and families involved situations in which the student stayed home for the Winter Term. While this worked well for most families, a sizable number unexpectedly struggled with the additional time students had at home! The re-immersion of the student back into the family that usually takes place in May occurred in December and January. This six week period of time together is enough time to enjoy being together again, but also enough for the typical strains to arise. Students have developed new habits which may clash with the established routines of their family. We recommend that families have conversations in which they negotiate the needs and preferences of everyone involved. Parents may also find helpful hints as to how to balance their desire to engage with their student without triggering their student's annoyance buttons by learning how to be a "potted plant parent", as described in this article.
Finally, students who stayed at home for Winter Term may feel disconnected from their Miami friends, and even experience a feeling that they are missing out on activities of their friend group. Encouraging them to intentionally reconnect with friends from home, while also staying in touch with their friends from Miami, will assist with this challenge. Reminding them that the majority of their friends are also away from Oxford may also help.
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| New and Revitalized Roommate Relationships
As students prepare to move back to the residence halls for the start of spring semester, now is a great time to think about their roommate relationship. Most roommate relationships at Miami are successful and students have reasonable expectations that promote mutual respect and good communication. But sometimes, roommates need assistance from the Residence Life staff to be successful and, every once in a while, roommates decide that it would be best for them to change their pairings. Whether a student is returning to the same roommate or has a new roommate for the Spring Semester, below are good steps to take to support new and revitalized roommate relations.
Reflect on Fall Semester: Roommates should ask themselves a variety of questions to help prepare for the new semester. How did things go between us? Do we have the relationship we both want to have? Were there any incidents or situations we need to talk about? How did we do academically? Talking on the phone during the break, or having a meal with each other as soon as they return is a great step to talking about fall semester with each other and addressing any issues.
Plan for the Spring Semester: It can be helpful for each roommate to have a sense of the other's coming semester. Are either making changes to study habits? Are either planning to join a student organization, including a sorority or fraternity? Are either getting a job on campus or in Oxford? Have personal relationships changed in any way that may affect the roommate relationship? When roommates share goals for the semester, they can help each other achieve those goals.
Revisit the Roommate Agreement: When students were asked to complete the Roommate Agreement in August, they were reminded that it is always subject to change. Now that they've had a semester of experience living in a room with another student, this is the perfect time to review and revise expectations for how roommates will succeed in a shared space. Roommates can revisit the Roommate Agreement by logging in to their MyCard page, where they can see the responses they previously submitted, make changes, and approve changes made by their roommate.
Winter Break is a great opportunity to celebrate success and make changes to promote future success. This not only pertains to academics and involvement, but also to roommate relationships.
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| Study Abroad: Planning Starts Now Believe it or not, January is not too early for first-year students and their families to start thinking about studying abroad! Miami offers a large number of abroad opportunities; in fact, about 42% of Miami students study abroad before they graduate. The majority of students go abroad in one of Miami's faculty-led programs. However, students also have the option of studying at the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in Luxembourg or studying with one of the 350+ sponsored, exchange, or co-sponsored programs with non-Miami study abroad providers.
Parents play an important role in study abroad planning. Families are in unique positions to empower and encourage students to embark on what may be one of the most impactful experiences of their college years. Planning and implementing an abroad experience can take up to a year and requires research, goal-setting, and attention to detail. We encourage families to let students know they have support, but also let the student take the lead. Owning the entire process is an accomplishment that helps prepare students to be independent and successful, both while abroad and beyond.
Students interested in studying abroad should visit Miami's Study Abroad site to explore programs, learn about financial aid for study abroad, and schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor. Study abroad is a formative experience with long-lasting benefits. We look forward to advising and supporting students as they prepare to embark on this journey.
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