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It’s the summer before freshman year of college, a time your student has anticipated for months (or even years). You’re both busy ticking things off checklists — they’ve filled out umpteen required forms and been in touch with their new roommate; you're starting to outfit the residence hall room.
And then your student decides they don’t want to go to college — at least not now. Where did these second thoughts come from?
"Summer melt" is the term colleges use to refer to students who have applied, been accepted and sent in a deposit but who do not enter college in the fall. They seemingly melt away. Although students in lower economic brackets and first-generation college students have higher levels of melt, according to a Harvard study, up to 40 percent of incoming freshmen may melt over the summer, so any student may be at risk.
It can be hard at first to understand why a previously motivated student might suddenly change their mind, but there’s a lot going on this summer.
Your student may simply get cold feet. They worry about money and loans, about academics, about moving away from home.
Everyone talks about how awesome it is to start college. No one talks about second thoughts or being downright scared, so when anxiety happens, your student assumes this means they’ve made a mistake.
Your student wonders what the residence hall and living with a roommate will be like, whether they’ll make friends, how they’ll spend their time, whether their major makes sense, even if they’ll like the food. There’s nothing familiar to hold on to.
Your student worries about failure and their ability to succeed. Maybe the college made a mistake and should not have admitted them!
Starting with a blank slate in a new place is hard. Recreating and establishing themselves might feel like more than they can handle.
The college keeps sending new information all summer — forms and questionnaires; requests about housing, meal plans, schedules, financing; at home there are appointments to make for check-ups or car insurance or bank accounts. Sometimes just navigating the process may feel like too much.
Maybe it would be easier just to stay home.
Be proactive. Help your student prepare for feelings like these and work to stay positive and in control.
It is the summer before college and it’s natural for your student to have second thoughts. Everything is about to change. Be patient with their concerns and provide plenty of reassurance. Listen a lot.
Keeping your cool may help your student avoid summer melt.
Helpful reads for the summer before freshman year:
Summer to-do list for new college students and families
Last best summer
Transition talking tips
How much spending money do college students need?
Academic advising and course registration