Sending your teen off to college is both exciting and nerve-wracking. As a parent, there are steps that you can take to help to support your child in this journey. Here are six ways that you can help your teen to be successful in their college education venture.
Choose Housing Carefully
One of the biggest driving factors of how successful your child will be in college is their living arrangements. For this reason, it is imperative that you choose their housing carefully. Some students will thrive living in a large group such as in a dorm setting. Others need the peace and quiet of an off-campus living arrangement to be successful. If you think your teen needs additional structure, they may find the Greek life a good choice. Fraternities and sororities are known for putting pressure on their members to achieve good grades. Your housing choice is a personal decision. However, helping your child to find the best housing for their specific needs and personality traits will also help them to be as successful as possible.
Teach Them Life Skills
Before you set your child loose in the real world, it is important that you equip them with the life skills needed to be successful and make it on their own. If your teen will be living in an off-campus apartment or other housing situation, they need to learn basic cooking skills. Having a few easy dishes that they know they like to eat and are easy to make such as pasta or tacos will help them to eat healthily and spend less money going out.
It is also important to teach your child how to do their laundry, since they will likely have to use a laundromat to do their laundry at school and will need to know what detergent to use, and how to separate colors. Even if they are living in a dorm room, they will need to know basic cleaning skills as well. Knowing how to do dishes, clean the bathroom, and keep their bedroom clean and tidy will make for a better college experience.
It’s also worth noting that this will likely be the first time your child is managing their finances on their own. Make sure that they understand how to budget out their needs so that they don’t end up spending all their money in the first semester. Make sure they understand how to pay bills and how to budget out expenses like food and housing costs. If they can manage their spending responsibly is can save them from being in debt after college.
These basic life skills like doing the laundry, cleaning, and cooking on their own will help them to stay organized and maintain their living space while moving away from home. Once your son or daughter begins to take ownership of learning these responsibilities, you will feel better about their abilities to successfully balance their academic studies with personal responsibility.
Enlist the Professionals
Do not be shy about enlisting the help of professionals when it comes to helping your student to find academic assistance. A school tutor program is a great way to help your child as they navigate this new path. An academic transcription service is an additional tool that your child may find valuable as they work to take the crucial notes that they need to do well on exams and other assignments.
You can also encourage your student to visit their professors during office hours, to use tutors, and ask for help so that they can have the most success during their schooling.
Help Them Create a Healthy Study Environment
No student will be successful in college if they do not have access to a healthy study environment. You can help your child be ready for the academic rigors ahead by assisting them in creating a solid place for them to study and learn. This area should be comfortable so that they are not counting down the time until they can leave. It should also be well-lit and free of distractions. Some students prefer to do the bulk of their studying in a library. If your child wishes to study in the convenience of their own home, you can help them by helping them to carve out a quiet place to get this done.
Provide Them with Technology Tools
In today’s connected world, it is a given that your teen will need their own technology tools in order to be successful in college. Before they set off on this new phase in life, be sure that they have everything that they need to dive into learning. Some colleges will issue a laptop as part of the tuition costs. If your school does not do this, make sure that your student has their own personal device to use. If your child is taking a high-level mathematics course, it is also likely that they will need a graphing calculator.
Another reason if the student is an art major, then make sure they have all the supplies they need for a successful semester. Having the proper books, tools, and writing utensils will be necessary for your student to be successful. Your student’s professors should email out lists of supplies that your student will need for each class. If you can get these items before classes start that can help them get a head start on assignments and projects.
Balance Contact with Freedom
Setting your child off on their own necessitates that you practice a delicate balancing act. While you want to empower your child to live independently and responsibly, you also do not want to cut them out of your life completely. Being available to them when they need to vent or share their accomplishments will go a long way in helping them to find success in all facets of life, including their college career.
It is natural to be nervous about your child starting college. However, by following these six tips, you will help to encourage and support your child in this new life adventure.
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