Tigers come home for the holidays

Meet Waite Reeves. He is a sophomore from Lafayette, Louisiana and is majoring in Marketing with a Concentration in sales and a minor in Psychology. Waite is involved with LSU Ambassadors and served as an Orientation Leader for University College: Center for Advising and Counseling this past summer.

As the semester draws to an end and finals are approaching, I find myself looking forward to the holidays so much more than before. Coming to LSU was never my first choice, but when I came to campus I realized that there was no better place for me out there. The atmosphere on campus really does make LSU feel like a home away from home, which is so great because it helps for a good transition for freshman but can also make traveling home that much more difficult. The newly discovered sense of freedom that accompanies becoming a college student is something to take advantage of and get caught up in. Personally, I wanted to get so involved on campus that going home was just an afterthought because I had school throughout the week and events almost every weekend. I didn’t realize it then because I was having the time of my life getting to know campus and the fantastic people that I’d met, but going home was something that I NEEDED to do.

Between school, work, and LSU Ambassadors, this semester has been one of the roughest for me yet. In between planning out every second of every day, multiple breakdowns/spiritual awakenings, and just the uncertainty of college, my family was one thing that always remained constant. I never realized just how fantastic having such a great support system that was removed from my immediate college experience could be. With that being said, every student comes to this conclusion at a different time in their lives, whether it’s two weeks after moving out or four semesters into their college career. This in no way means that your students don’t want to come home and spend time with you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; we want to come home just as much as you want us there. Going home practically becomes a vacation once you’re in college because it gives you a break from the stress of school and provides ton of relaxation time.

Some of the best advice that I can offer to parents and students is to just be understanding and keep an open line of communication with each other. So much gets lost in translation, and the separation after eighteen years of living under the same roof can seem like too much to handle. But don’t fret! Feel free to talk to your students as much as you want, but don’t forget to give them their space too because college is such a growing experience. When the holidays come around, make sure to make time to spend as a family, but also leave some room for visiting old friends from home and just allow everyone to indulge in a little bit of R&R.