Tips for high school seniors for academic and personal success in college
As the school year winds down, high school seniors across the country are ramping up for their last summer at home, and, more importantly, their last summer to enjoy the convenience of living with mom and dad. No curfew! No one to report to! But, also, no one to fill the void and offer the guidance that parents have. Here are a few tips to learn and live by; well before the shock of the real world of college hits. These tips help with the adjustment of having to do the wash and pay the bills – and go to class. Helpful if you’re moving across the country or just across town.
Cleaning
The number one, infamous incompetence of new college students is general tindyness. You’ll get to school, put your clothes in the closet and drawers and that might be the only time they ever see the inside of that closet. The hallways and bathrooms may be cleaned by the janitor, but your room is your responsibility and you need to maintain a semblance of order. Beyond just picking up clothes, you also need to clean up spills, vacuum, and wipe down counters and desks. It is important to maintain a clean room for personal safety and sanity. If you happen to have a roommate, establish on the first day a cleaning schedule and stick to it, so that one person does not feel like they are always the person doing all the work. Take a quick trip to the store and pick up some Clorox GreenWorks Spray and a roll of paper towels and there isn’t any mess you can’t tackle.
Driving
Using public transportation, riding a bike, and walking are great ways to conserve money and help the environment, but when a time arrises that you may not have one of those options, you’re going to wish you had a drivers license. Though you might not need to drive a lot once you are on campus, it is good to have a drivers license before starting school and it is better to learn while you’re at home, and in familiar settings. Having a license in the city might not seem necessary, but if you and your friends want to take a weekend road trip or you get an internship interview, it is better to be prepared. It is also good to be able to volunteer as a designated driver if needed at a party. At a certain point in your life you are probably going to want to know how to drive; now’s a better time than after graduation, when you’re applying for jobs and possibly moving to a city without friends or public transportation.
Paying
With your newfound freedom come all new costs. Chances are, you’ll be the one responsible for picking up the bill for those late night White Castles, or the pizza you ordered while studying, or that magazine you just had to have. It is important to learn how to do the basics of budgeting like how to write a check, balance a checkbook, and how to pay bills is vital to learning before setting off on your own. It’s time to figure out the mechanics of paying for your life, from online bill payment to keeping up with your pricey cell phone plan. Even if your parents are generously covering many costs for you, it’s good to know how to manage your money, because you’ll have to eventually. You don’t want to be the 24-year-old who doesn’t know how to write a check, so start practicing. And, no, you don’t have to use cursive.
Laundry
Never done your own laundry? You aren’t alone. But now that you’re on your own, doing laundry is your responsibility, so if you really want to wear your special vintage replica jersey to the big game this weekend, you’re going to have to wash the mashed potatoes from two weeks ago off of it. That’s right, it’s time to start learning how to pre-treat your stained clothes (a little something called Spray ’n Wash), and then separate whites from colors, and what water temperature to wash your wearables in. Learning how to do laundry is simple – a lot of instructions can be found on the tag of your clothes – is it machine washable? Can it be put in the drier? Also important is to learn how to iron. Ask the person in charge of ironing at your house (if that is you, good job!) to show you how to pass an iron over those dress pants or make sure that collar will lay flat. Now is also a good time to learn how to sew on a loose button, and if you’re feeling adventurous, take a stab at hemming.
Networking
Think you’ll be looking for a summer job or an internship after your first year? Start looking early and start making contacts at school that you might be able to call later. Beyond making friends with the Trustee’s daughter, ensure that you have positive relationships with your professors and Academic Advisors. If there is a Career Center on campus, visit early in the semester and learn how to make a professional-style resume and start compiling a list of things about yourself that would fit on a resume and try putting them together. You might be surprised how quickly it becomes overwhelming to find a job on your own, so keep your resume concise and use your networking contacts to find the perfect job for your first summer, and let your friends work the ice cream stand. so start it now.
Time Management
Skipping class is easy in college. So is staying up late. And sleeping in. And skipping breakfast and lunch and going straight for a liquid dinner. But take this simple piece of advice: estimate how much your yearly tuition costs are and divide that by the number of hours of classes you are taking. So now, every time you think about skipping class, think about throwing away $250. Is that extra 45 minutes of sleep worth it? I didn’t think so.
Spending
Learn, read, and repeat: a credit card is not an unlimited allowance. College might be the first time you’ve had your own credit card, or at least free reign over a credit card – and it’s accompanying bill. You might think you would never be one of those people who would start charging out of control, but the spending can add up quicker than you’d expect. Take the time to read the fine print, as boring as it is, and ask questions when you get your card. You have to understand how it works – what your limit is, if you can use it out of the country, and what happens if you overcharge. And check your balance online. Regularly. Your wallet, and your future credit score, will thank you.
Writing
You might have breezed through AP English Lit by quoting Sparknotes and wrote your final US Government paper with Wikipedia as your only source, but that will not work in college. Before papers start piling up, and they will, you need to make sure that you know how to write a proper research paper. Get acquainted with the campus library and how to put together a proper bibliography, MLA style. Not everything can be found on the internet, so you need to figure out how to find and cite research materials. A great resource is Google Scholar, where you can find full academic papers. But be smart – your professor will probably notice immediately if you try to pass one of those papers off as your own.
Friendships
Some of the best friendships can be founded in college – friendships that can, and will, carry through the remainder of your life. But you have to take into consideration that while making friends is an important part of the college experience, you also need to stay in college, so skipping class with friends may not always be the best idea. Use good judgement and surround yourself with people who are positive influences and you can still have fun with!
Compromise
In college you’ll find yourself having to share things you never did before, with people who have different lifestyles and habits and who you might not have chosen as roommates. Shared bathrooms, shared common areas, shared storage areas, and shared eating areas bring the necessity of compromise. Compromise is key when it comes to establishing rules and respect of other’s belongings and space, because even the best of friendships can be seriously strained by choosing to live together.
