Hi Everyone!
After reading the amazing blogs that Jess had posted over the last 6 months, it looks like I have big shoes to fill! Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Kim Duggan and I am a senior at the University of Tampa majoring in Sociology. I am originally from Canton, Massachusetts where my mom, dad, and 2 sisters still live. Once I receive my diploma in May, I plan to stay in Florida while exploring my career options. I am currently interning with the admissions department at the University of Tampa and getting a "behind the scenes" look at how high school seniors become college freshmen.
When I first decided that I wanted to come to UT, I had a few issues to take care. First and foremost, I had to figure out a way to tell my parents that I wanted to move 1,200 miles away to go to college. Although some of you may not see this as a problem, others can probably understand where I'm coming from. As a disclaimer, I'd like to say how much I love my parents and that I think they did an amazing job raising me and my sisters. My mom and dad, however, are helicopter parents. For those of you who have never heard that term before, "helicopter parents" refers to parents who hover over their children's every move. Even though helicopter parents typically have their son or daughter's best interest in mind, they tend to hinder the individual growth of their child by not allowing him or her to deal with life issues on their own.
In my case, my parents had always been around to help me through any sort of tough spot I was put in, but they also made me check in with them multiple times a day. My mom would be concerned about where I was, who I was hanging out with, if I had gotten all my schoolwork done, and other annoying things most parents want to know about. I understood why my parents wanted me to call or text them every so often during the day, but I also felt like I was 11 when I was really 18. I decided that when I picked a college, regardless of the school's proximity to my home, I was going to become more independent and shoo my helicopter parents away. When I explained to my mom and dad that I had chosen UT for my undergraduate degree, the first thing my mom said was, "Tampa is so far away!". I later explained how close Tampa International Airport is to campus if I ever needed to come home as well as how safe the UT community is. With her mind at ease a bit, my dad mentioned that he was concerned about me partying too much instead of studying since he and my mom wouldn't be around. I told them about UT's Academic Center for Excellence, which provides free student tutors in many different subjects, as well as the other educational facilities students have access to on campus, including the Library and multiple computer labs.
Although my parents may still want me to call them once a day to let them know how I am, they no longer ask me if all my homework is done or who i'm hanging out with. Moving away was a huge deal for me and my independence. The moment my parents left after helping me move on campus the first day I felt a sense of responsibility as well as relief. I could finally start to become my own person (that's part of going to college too, right?) and make my own choices without having to check with an authority figure beforehand.
Students face many different issues when it comes to moving away from home for the first time, but hopefully through this blog, students, as well as their parents, will be able to see that life at UT isn't as daunting as you may think. I will try to share my experiences about the inital move from Mass to Florida as well as my life at UT for the past 4 years in hopes that I can put your minds at ease a bit during such a stressful time. I hope all perspective UT freshmen and parents can gain insight from reading!
Hope everyone has an awesome Thursday!
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