Starting Over, I don't have children so never had to send one away to college - but there are other people's children in my life who I've known since they were babies and who are now in university/college. The same sort of thing is happening with them, and the common denominator seems to be an overwhelming combination of homework and social activities that they're involved in - they simply have no time leftover for anything else. One young friend of ours almost dropped out after only a few weeks last year because she couldn't get into the rhythm of juggling classes, the mounds of homework/reading, a part-time job, social activities in the dorm AND trying to placate her Mom who called almost every day. She finally did work out some kind of balance but went through the entire year feeling like she was constantly falling behind in everything.

I think if it's your son's first year, some of that might be true for him too...a whole new world of juggling responsibilities and demands. He just might need time and space to figure out the juggling act.