Depression & College Students:
How parents can help.
Tuesday, November 11, Airs @ 7:00 p.m.

Our experience at NC State tells us that November is the most stressful time for students. Even though final grades officially come out in December, most students know now what those grades will be. If there has been an academic problem during the course of the semester, the anxiety of telling mom and dad about a poor "report card" is mounting.

Most of our students did not experience low grades or failure during high school. The average high school GPA of this year’s freshman class is a 4.17. The average SAT score is 1176. However, many students do not do nearly as well their first semester of college. Last year, over 50% of first semester students achieved less than a 2.95 (about a B average). About 25% earned less than a 2.0 average (C average). For many students, such grades are a significant disappointment. Additionally, many students may experience disappointment if their semester has not met their social, personal, or work-related expectations. This disappointment can lead to depression.

Fortunately, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday break presents a great opportunity for parents and families to reach out to students. Please join the NC State Counseling Center and the Office of Parents & Families Services for a live discussion via the web about depression and how you can work with the university to support your student.

Meet The Presenters

Submit A Question | View Responses

Responses will be available by
Friday, November 14.

This Webcast has been prerecorded. Please click on "Watch the Webcast" to view the program.

You may submit any questions you have via the "submit button," and a member of our staff will forward it to the appropriate panelist. You may also email your questions to ncsuparents@ncsu.edu.

Handouts

• Wheel of Balance
• Stress Symptoms Checklist

Referenced Websites

Counseling Center - services, hours, location, & appointment information

Depression - symptoms, online screening

Academic Concerns - study skills, stress management, test anxiety

Course Drop Policy - deadlines, procedures, exceptions

Withdrawal Policy - current & previous semesters

First-Year Course Repeat - forgiveness policy that allows first-year students to retake up to two courses without penalty

Suspension/Readmission Policy -
for students eligible to continue and academically suspended students

Office of Advising, Support & Information Services - advising for changing majors, pre-law, transfer students

Tutorial Center - physics & math, appointments, supplemental instruction, writing & speaking

Career Center - majors & associated careers, resume development, internships, jobs, career assessments

Women's Center - programs/services for women's issues

Student Organizations - list of 500 student organizations

Jennifer N. Bell, M. Ed. (facilitator)
Associate Director,
Office of Parents & Families Services
Ms. Bell completed her undergraduate degree at NC State in 1994 with a BA in Communication and returned to complete her masters degree in 1998 with an M.Ed. in Counselor Education. As a graduate student, Ms. Bell co-led the efforts to write a proposal for the establishment of a parents program at NC State, and subsequently, was hired as NC State's first Parents & Constituent Services Coordinator. In her current position as Associate Director of Campus Activities, Ms. Bell is responsible for directing Parents & Families Services which provides programs and services, such as the Parents' HelpLine, Parents' Orientation, and Parents & Families Weekend.

Angel Johnson, M.Ed.
Counselor, Counseling Center
Ms. Johnson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Board Certified Counselor. She has been a member of the NC State Counseling Center staff since February 2006 and serves as the coordinator of outreach services. Her previous positions include Assistant Director of the Meredith College Counseling Center and graduate intern at Wake Forest University Counseling Center. Ms. Johnson’s special interests include depression, healthy relationships, perfectionism, body image/eating disorders, time/stress management, self-esteem and improving general mental health awareness on campus.