Many students focus on more than choosing classes and buying supplies before leaving for college. Students are busy preparing for the day when they will be on their own. As students get ready to head off to college, they will be responsible for creating a daily schedule, managing their finances, taking care of their bodies, and making decisions. To successfully become more independent, students will need to develop many skills. Skills such as budgeting, taking care of one’s physical health, and decision-making are just a few examples of the many skills that can aid in becoming more independent.
In many cases, the parents of college-bound students will also be financially supporting their child while in college. However, while the parents are paying the bills, the child is responsible for managing the finances and making key decisions about spending the parents’ money. The college student is also responsible for taking care of themselves by eating well to maintain proper health. All of these realities of college life suggest that there are three key things a student should learn to do well before leaving for college: budget, take care of themselves, and make good decisions.
Learning to Manage Money Before Leaving Home
By the time that many students enter college, they will be responsible for making many financial decisions on a daily basis, and it is best for them to practice managing their money before they leave for college.
The first step a student should take in preparing to go to college and manage money while in college is to create a budget. The typical perspective that most people have about creating a budget is to make a list of yearly college expenses. The two biggest annual expenses for college are tuition and where you will be living for the year. These two items are the typical perspective that most people have about the costs a student must pay to go to college for the year. However, there are many annual expenses of college that a student must also take into consideration. Some of the other typical annual expenses for a student in college that a student would need to include in their college budget would be for items like your groceries for the year, for how you will be getting around from place to place for the year, for your textbooks for the year, and for school supplies for the year.
Also, there are many annual entertainment expenses a college student must include in their annual college budget. Items like going out to eat for the year, going to the movies for the year, going to concerts for the year, buying video games for the year, going to amusement parks for the year, and many other annual entertainment expenses for a student that a student must save up for during the year also.
To get a grip on this before college starts is half the battle of managing money in college. By tracking how a student currently spends their money for a few months or so, they are able to see exactly where it is going. Then, within the different categories for spending, they can set limits for themselves and decide which things that they spend money on are things that they need to buy with their money and which are things that they can buy with the remaining amount of money that they have to spend after they have spent the amount of money that they allowed for the things that they needed to buy.
Understanding Credit and Financial Responsibility
College brings many new financial decisions for the young adult. They will likely have to consider student loans, rental agreements, and possibly even their first credit card. Understanding how credit can be used before they enter into these agreements can help them make wise financial decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
Credit is more than just getting approved for a loan. It also can measure a person’s bill-paying history, how they manage accounts, and their overall financial responsibility. It is very important for college-bound students to understand how credit works before signing for student loans, renting an apartment, or receiving their first credit card. By understanding the role credit plays in their financial lives, students can avoid costly mistakes and make smart, responsible financial decisions.
Check Credit Score as Part of Financial Preparation
Students can check credit score information as part of learning how personal finances work. Reviewing credit information gives young adults a better understanding of their financial standing and helps them become familiar with the factors that influence credit.
A credit score check can also be a useful educational step for students who are preparing for future financial responsibilities. Knowing how payment history, account management, and borrowing habits affect credit can encourage responsible decisions from the beginning.
Developing Everyday Self-Care Skills Before College
Teaching your teen everyday household tasks such as laundry, cooking, cleaning up after meals, and taking care of their personal items is an important self-care skill for your college-bound teen to learn. If your child can learn to do these simple daily tasks, then they will be able to focus on their schoolwork and any outside work or activities that they may have.
While some skills can be learned in college, a student is more likely to succeed in college if he or she has learned to take care of himself or herself before entering college. Students can learn basic self-care skills in high school and, as a result, be better prepared to deal with the daily responsibilities of college life.
Prioritizing Physical and Mental Well-Being
Students should also learn how to take care of their physical health while in college. To start preparing them for college, students should start practicing healthy habits before they leave for college. This could include things like getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, exercising regularly, and learning to manage stress. These habits will give students the energy they need to focus on their studies and be productive.
Strengthening Decision-Making Skills Before Moving Away
While in college, students are given more freedom and are expected to make choices regarding their time, responsibilities, and other situations. Therefore, it is very important for students to learn how to make decisions before they leave for college.
It is ideal for your teen to practice problem-solving and learning from mistakes before they leave for college. As your teen gets older, give them more independence to make decisions regarding their responsibilities. For example, create a monthly budget for your teen to manage or have them plan out their schedule for the day. This will allow your teen to practice being responsible for managing their time and finances before they leave for college.
Learning to Evaluate Choices and Consequences
Learning to make good decisions is a major component of preparing a student for college. This does not mean that they will always make the “best” decision, but that they thought through the possible consequences of their actions beforehand. The student needs to be able to look at a situation and anticipate both the positive and negative effects that their actions will have in the short term and in the long term.
Helping your teen sort through the choices they can make and understand the consequences of each choice is important as well. For example, a college student might have to choose to spend money they have to go out for a night on the town with friends or to save that money for future semesters of college. They would also have to figure out how to handle a conflict with a roommate. They would have to figure out how to balance the time that they spend with their
Building Communication and Relationship Skills
Communication is another skill that students need to master while in college. For a student to have a successful college experience, they must be able to effectively communicate with faculty, staff, and fellow students in a multitude of settings. Students will need to learn to clearly answer questions posed by college faculty and staff, as well as clearly communicate with professors and Teaching Assistants. Likewise, the college student must be able to clearly communicate with peers, and also effectively communicate with co-workers when they are employed. Students will need to be able to ask for assistance when they need it, as well as express concerns and/or frustrations.
As your child prepares to go off to college, it is essential that they can establish and maintain healthy boundaries and separate their life into work, school, and play. As they enter into new social situations and environments, it is crucial that they be able to say “no” when necessary, set limits with others, and protect their time and priorities. This will allow them to make healthy choices and maintain focus on their goals in college.
Creating a Plan for Independence Before College
It is very important that preparation for college happens gradually, by introducing one or two new responsibilities at a time, so they can practice using them before leaving for college. In this sense, it is very important for the teenager to learn to manage a personal budget, prepare meals, complete household routines, make decisions independently, and so on. By practicing these tasks before leaving for college, the teenager will be much better prepared to face responsibilities that college students have to manage.
Preparing your student for college involves more than preparing them for the classes they will be taking. The college-bound student also needs to be prepared for the financial responsibilities of attending college, for opportunities for self-care, for the life skills that are needed for health and productivity, for thoughtful decision-making, and for becoming an independent individual, ready to take on the world in all of their college-bound endeavors.
