It's time for students heading off to college to get moving.

FOX's Lisa Brady reports: 

August is an exciting, but anxious time, for college freshmen and their families:

(Burk) "You know he was sort of cutting off the apron strings and I was putting them back on as fast as I could."

Jean Burk, CEO of College Prep Genius, remembering when her son went off to college 13 years ago. She urges families to hug each other, a lot, in the run-up to the big day.

Among her tips for incoming freshmen: reach out to your roommate before school starts:

(Burk) "You're going off on your own in a new place, in a new setting and at least if you have some kind of familiarity with that person it's certainly going to be easier."

But she also says don't try to coordinate things like comforter sets, because it's common to end up changing roommates.

And don't bring more than you could fit in a VW bug. Burk also says it can help the newly-independent for parents to limit contact the first few weeks:

(Burk) "Give the student time to breathe, give them time to establish themselves."

So they'll be more motivated to go out and make friends. And she urges freshmen to think, from the beginning about how to make the most of the next four years.

With FOX on Family, I'm Lisa Brady.

Burk also offers a tip from her son, who's now a law school grad, so he's been a freshman twice. He says walk around campus and get involved; don't sit in your dorm room, especially in the first few weeks.


Follow College Prep Genius on Twitter: @collegeprepgeni
Helpful hints on College Prep Genius YouTube page