Talk isn't cheap.

Research has found that parents can have a powerful influence on a student's successful transition to college life. Talk to your student about alcohol and cannabis/marijuana before they start college, and keep talking to them while they’re here. Your input matters — and helps UNL set the trend for responsible use of alcohol and abstaining from cannabis/marijuana.

As a parent, you have already done a great job helping your student make better choices. However, your responsibility doesn’t stop just because they’re headed to college. Studies have shown that college students give parents a great deal of credit for guiding them towards less drinking or abstaining from drinking and cannabis/marijuana.

You can ease the transition.

When young adults begin their college experience at UNL, they’ll face a number of life changes and new experiences like:

  • managing finances,
  • attending class,
  • balancing academics with social activities, and
  • deciding whether or not to drink alcohol or use cannabis/marijuana.

You can help your student during this transition by communicating your expectations and encouraging them to think through the outcomes of different choices.

Parents also can have an impact on the misperceptions of college life, including alcohol and cannabis/marijuana use, while providing information about campus resources to their student.