As students go off to college this summer, local counselors have some advice to helps students — and their parents.

Many graduates-to-be come down with a case of “senioritis” at this time of year, and it’s important they cure that by the time they start college, said area guidance counselors.

Stan Kiehl, a counselor for Kings Local Schools, in Warren County, said the seniors he’s talked to are abuzz about being independent for the first time.

“I think they’re looking forward to it. There’s excitement at the opportunity to be out on their own,” he said. But that excitement may be tempered once the students realize just how much work college entails.

Kathy Graff, a guidance counselor for Edgewood City Schools said, “We tell the kids they can’t rest on their laurels. They need to go and work hard all over again.” That’s why they need to take advantage of the multiple opportunities colleges offer to help them with their work, the counselors said.

“If a professor puts up a sample test, work on it. Go to a study session,” Graff said.

Kiehl added, “Students have to mentally prepare and be aware that they have to be time mangers. There’s not always a teacher saying ‘This is due.’ They’re expected to be getting things done in a timely manner. “

One of the toughest parts of college life is “eight o’clock classes. With the freedom, they have nobody there to make sure they get up,” Kiehl said.

Graff advises students to stay on campus for a couple of weeks and resist the temptation to come home so they’ll have a better time adjusting to the new pace.

And if the students feel overwhelmed at all they have to absorb, there is some consolation in the fact they’re not alone. At Miami University in Oxford, where orientation sessions are under way, as many as 600 people can pack a single session, said Elizabeth Stoll, the director of new student programs.

However, it’s not only the kids that are going through an ordeal — it’s the parents, too, as they face the “empty nest” syndrome.

“It’s hard, especially if it’s the first child going off to college” Barb Krack, a Ross Local Schools counselor, said. “It’s kind of scary to see them go. It’s like homesickness in reverse.”

Edgewood’s Graff had some simple advice for parents.

“We tell the mothers, ‘When they leave to go to college, shut the door to their room and don’t go in there for awhile.’ ”