Campus administrators call them "helicopter parents" -- high-maintenance mothers and fathers who seem to hover over their children's every step toward a college degree.
To faculty and staff, such parents are often viewed as a buzzing annoyance. Yet a surprising number of first-year college students are now reporting that they're quite OK with their parents' academic doting.
According to a UCLA survey released today, a whopping 84% of college freshmen nationwide reported that Mom and Dad showed the right amount of involvement in the decision to go to college. Of those, 80.5% said they were fine with the amount of input their parents offered in choosing a school.
"What we might have expected to see, given all the media attention about the helicopter parents, is that maybe a bunch of students would be saying there's too much parental involvement," said John Pryor, director of the annual freshman survey by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute.
Instead, only about 10% complained that their parents' involvement in the application process was over the top.
The survey's findings are contrasted sharply by the anecdotes of college administrators who, Pryor said, bemoan "the mother who calls up the chief of security to say that it's cold out and can you make sure Susie is wearing her sweater."
Academics complain that baby boomers -- known for independence during their own teen years -- keep their own children on fairly short leashes. Though they might have called home once a week from a dormitory pay phone in their college days, helicoptering boomers are keeping close tabs on their progeny via e-mail and cellphones.
Instead of inspiring resentment, many of the freshmen interviewed on local campuses Wednesday said they welcomed their folks' frequent checking in.
USC freshman Charles Hu of San Jose said his parents insisted on talking via web-cam with him twice a week at the beginning of the school year, asking about his grades and nudging him toward a major in business.
"I think it's fine; it's not too bad. I can get away with not telling them stuff," said Hu, 18, adding that his parents are less protective than when he was in his teens.
Elijah Scott, a Cal State L.A. freshman from Monterey, Calif., said he finds himself wanting his mother's input more now that he is away from home and facing bigger decisions.
"I call her a lot, saying, 'Mom, how do I do this?' " said Scott, 18. "Now that we have our own responsibilities, we appreciate their involvement more."
