Ways You Can Help Your Teen to Succeed in College

Getting your child ready for college can be a serious emotional crunch. While you are excited and proud of all the work they have done to get to this point, they now have to learn some rules for life that do not come out of a book. Additionally, if they succeed, they will move away, which can be hard on the family left behind!

Encourage a Regular Schedule

When left to their own devices, some kids struggle with keeping a regular schedule. Set a daily wake up time, even during the summer. Getting out of bed at the same time is good for your brain and your body, so getting your college bound child into that habit can actually protect their health while they learn to be in charge of their own schedule.

Encourage keeping a calendar. If your child is not good with time management, college will be very tough and they may face failures that they could have avoided if they had only followed the schedule. Remind them of the consequences.

Give Them Responsibilities

A college bound student should be able to

• keep their space clean
• manage their schedule
• shop for and prep a meal
• get to bed at a healthy time

If your child does not know how to do laundry, now is the time to teach them. If they cannot cook an egg or fix a grilled cheese sandwich, put them in charge of lunch. By the time they are on their own, these simple tasks should be easy.

Talk About Roommates

The joys of having a casual, laid back roommate will fade pretty quickly if that roommate does not know how to manage a broom. While reviewing apartments in Carrollton GA, make sure you discuss the many options available, including living alone. If your family has a lot of children, your college freshman may be excited to be on their own. Oftentimes, the choice to live with their best friend from school can blow up and damage the relationship. The stretch of time from 18 to 22 or 23 is a time of tremendous growth, and your child and their best friend may not grow at the same pace.

Let Them Struggle, At Least a Little

Let your child struggle a bit. If they are groggy and sleepy because they were up too late, do not let them go back to bed. Actions have consequences, both good and bad. Staying healthy and strong is about making good choices. Be sure you also keep an eye on their friends. One of the big challenges for recent high school graduates is that some do not handle being out of the microcosm of school well. They may start to make poor choices. If your child has a friend who is going off the rails, it is time to talk about how the people we spend time with can improve or damage our lives

Talk About Budgets

Give your child cash and a grocery list. Send them to the store with limitations and see what they bring back. Can they eat for a week on what they bought? If not, why not? The ability to manage money effectively is a skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. Working with cash only is an excellent way to make money a tangible item.

Encourage Them to Avoid Credit Card Debt

While talking about cash, make sure you warn them about credit card offers. The first semester of college may be the first time they get their own offers, and this can lead to far too much debt in their early lives. Even if your child plans to work, their paychecks will probably not be very big. To avoid the burden of high interest rates, encourage them to set up a bank account for direct deposits and consider a debit card, but do your best to shut down plans to get a credit card.

Conclusion

Heading off to college is an exciting event for any young person. This path to independence will likely have some bumpy patches, but with guidance and care, you can help your child be ready and able to manage when things go wrong. Of course, their priority must be classes and the rigors of learning. However, the life skills listed above will make it easier for them to focus.