Everyone has heard the well-worn phrases about kids growing up fast and them only being little for a short time. It’s only when you become a parent that you realize just how true these phrases are. Nothing brings these sentiments into sharper focus than having a child that’s getting ready to go off to study at university. This is a huge milestone moment in both your child’s life and yours. Especially as it probably seems like just yesterday that you were waving them off as they headed for their first day at school. Due to the major changes that college life brings, it’s little wonder that this is a time for a lot of excitement and nerves. Thankfully, there are ways to ease the upheaval of college life and make the transition a lot less anxiety-inducing. Here are some of the ways you can support your teen as they prepare for college life:
Help Them Choose the Best College
When your child is moving out of home for the first time to start their new chapter as a college student, you want them to be as happy and settled in their new environment as possible. The college they choose will play a vital role in this. Ensuring that your teen has all the information they need to make an informed decision about both the college they attend and the major they choose can be a really big help.
While it’s essential that you don’t push them into studying a particular career, it’s important that you support them while they make their decision. This could involve going with them to visit different college campuses and learning more about the classes on offer at each of them. Checking out college rankings to see which universities offer the best standard of education and gain the highest results is an excellent starting point for this. In addition to academic and sports performance, it’s also wise to consider further factors when choosing a college. This includes the distance from your home, so you can figure out how long it will take and how much it will cost for your child to travel back and forth during breaks. Learning more about campus life at each college and the accommodation available is also crucial. With this information it should be easier to support your teen to make an informed decision about the course they take at college.
Get Their Finances in Order
Experiencing financial worries while they’re away from home can be a major source of stress for your child when they’re away at college. Running out of money or worrying about how they will cover the cost of attendance can leave them feeling anxious and unable to stay focused on their classes. Be aware that many teenagers would rather try to hide the fact that they’re financially struggling at college than admit to their parents that they have overspent and run out of cash.
To make the financial side of college life a little easier there are a few things you can do before your teen leaves home. The first thing is to research the cost of attendance at college and further ways to finance this. Private Student Loans are an option to consider to overcome the worry about paying for college.
As well as covering the cost of attendance, it’s also vital to consider everyday expenses and how they will manage paying for their daily living costs. Firstly, you may want to think about encouraging them to get a part-time job while they’re in college. This can be a great way to meet new people and have a stable income to pay for their daily costs without relying solely on you to pay for everything.
To ensure that you’re not constantly having to send them money, it’s also really helpful to get them familiar with budgeting and managing their own finances. This is especially important if your teen is prone to making impulsive purchases and blowing all their money as soon as they get their hands on it. Working out a daily, weekly, and monthly budget for student life should help your teen to get a firm grasp on how much money they have available to spend while still being able to enjoy college life. The budgeting tips you share with your teen will hopefully stay with them throughout life and help them to always manage their finances successfully.
Share Practical Skills
Sharing practical skills with your teen is absolutely essential if they are to thrive away from home. While many teens are already pretty independent and self-sufficient before attending college, others need a little extra encouragement to get familiar with the skills they need to live away at college.
As mentioned above, learning how to budget effectively is absolutely vital for your teen to manage their money. However, in addition to knowing how to budget, they also need to understand how to keep their grocery shopping and eating habits within budget.
The temptation to live off pizza and order takeout every night is strong among students when they first arrive at college with money burning a whole in their pocket. But understanding how to prepare proper meals cheaply and quickly is essential to ensure that they’re eating at least some nutritious foods while away from home. Sharing some recipes with them and encouraging them to get used to cooking them while they’re still at home can be a big help. At least then you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that they can at least cook and feed themselves while you’re not with them.
As we’ve mentioned, having your child go away to college is always an exciting time that’s tinged with a little sadness. The transition will be a period of upheaval for both you and your teen. However, helping them to prepare for this major life event will make the process a lot easier for both of you. Your teen will then be set up for success and an exciting future.
