Get Your Kids Ready For College: It’s As Easy As A-B-C
It seems like only yesterday that we were singing lullabies to our kids, but now they’re almost all grown up and ready to start their freshman year at college. How times flies?
But college is a big change from the life they have been used to. Every moment up until now they’ve been guided by someone, whether it’s been you or their teacher. But once they start in college, all that changes. They have to learn to survive on their own.
As a result, it’s important that parents prepare their children for college. Think about the following:
Outline Your Expectations
Although your child might be on their own, it’s probably not a good idea to pull the rug out from under their feet completely. All their lives they’ve been following orders, being told what to do by people who are older than they are. It’s thanks to this that they’ve never been able to develop their ability to internally regulate their own behaviors, and it’s one of the reasons why so many freshmen drop out in the first few months. It’s a good idea, therefore, to keep the pressure on. Let your kid know what you expect from them when they arrive at college. Tell them that they have to achieve a certain grade-point average to stay on their scholarship. Let them know that you expect to hear from them once a week by phone and so on.
Discuss Money And Logistics
Going to college is a complicated and expensive business. Not only are the tuition fees extortionate, your child probably doesn’t have much experience budgeting. Because of this, it’s a good idea to have a conversation about how much money they should be spending from week to week. $100 a week might sound like quite a lot, but they need to remember that this has to pay for everything: food, books, and entertainment. Managing such a small budget can be hard.
It’s also a good idea to make preparations for moving. Storage companies give parents the ability to box and store their children’s stuff while they wait to move into new accommodation. It’s also a good place to keep all their extra things if they don’t all fit into their student digs.
Work On Independent Life Skills
When your child arrives at college, they’ll have to do a bunch of new things that they might not have done before. This includes stuff like doing their own laundry and taking public transportation. Cooking is an important skill too, without which it’s hard to keep costs to a minimum. Work with them to develop these important life skills so that they aren’t stranded when they arrive.
Be Empathetic And Share Ideas
Going to college can be a daunting prospect. Many kids thrive away from home, but many others don’t like it at all. It’s good practice to thrash out any issues in the weeks leading up to the move and go through any concerns that they may have. Your child might be worried about the type of people they will meet, or how they will cope in a situation where they don’t know anybody.
