Allow your student to make his or her own mistakes and be fully aware that he or she will make mistakes.
Obviously, nobody is perfect. Who your student was in grade school and high school may not necessarily determine who he or she becomes in college – people make all sorts of decisions when independence is suddenly thrust upon them.
Simply encourage that he or she stay true to themselves and, as you keep in contact with them, try to check in on their grade progress and behavioral changes to ensure everything is under control (without being controlling – you just want to make sure they’re safe).
Many students have difficulty adjusting to college courses and their grades suffer as a result. Students who are over-achievers or who were straight-A students in high school can have difficulty accepting such realities.
Focus on your student’s efforts and not on the grades, letting him or her know that as long as he or she is trying her best, you are always going to be proud.
More often than not, the stress of disappointing a parent is at the root of a student’s anxieties (without the parent even realizing it) and a parent’s words of comfort can make all the difference in the world.