Zombie Apocalypse or Midterm Mania?

Three tips from Wake Forest University to weather the fall break return of your students.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Oct. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- They move slowly, with a blank stare, shuffling into your home. Before you download the Center for Disease Control's zombie preparedness guide, relax. They're not there to eat your brains. They're just your college students, home for fall break and desperate to recuperate after their midterm exams.

So what's a parent to do? Mary Gerardy, Dean of Campus Life at Wake Forest University, offers these three tips:

1.  Give them some space. After staying up late to study, dashing from exam to exam and writing endless papers, your favorite zombie may want to just sleep for the first day. While they're sleeping, consider doing all their laundry. They'll be grateful when they wake up.

2.  Give them advice - but only if they ask for it. It's the beginning of the transformation from your teenager to the adult they are becoming. Be willing to listen, consider new perspectives and experience college through their eyes.

3.  Give them healthy meals and plenty of nutritious snacks to take back. Chances are they've been stumbling around on caffeine, energy drinks and pizza. Refueling with the right protein, vegetables and fruits gets them back on track.

This time of year is scary enough with Halloween right around the corner. Don't let your walking dead, umm, we mean ... college student's return find you unprepared. Stock up now on yummy treats, fluff up their pillows and get ready to welcome your newly adult children with open arms.

About Wake Forest University:
Wake Forest University combines the best traditions of a small liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university. Founded in 1834, the school is located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The University's graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity school, and nationally ranked schools of law, medicine and business enrich our intellectual environment. Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu.

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SOURCE Wake Forest University