FRESHMAN COLLEGE SKILLS
On their own for the first time since 6th grade camp? They will need to know a lot more than where to buy beer.
1. MONEY.
Stupidity with money is rampant among college freshmen. They see $5,000 in their bank account and are used to mom and dad giving them $40 here and there for gas or tickets. The Bank of Mom & Dad isn’t going to be there, child. YOU are the bank. $5,000 won’t go very far if you are always buying tickets, going out to eat, and buying weed and other fun. That money has to last for 4 months! In my mind, that’s $1,200 per month, or $400 per week, or a pair of jeans, a McD’s trip for two, a bag of chips, a tank of gas, some deodorant, a jar of olives, and a couple drinks at the bar. It doesn’t go very far.
Exactly how much time have you spent planning for your budget? How much does a tube of toothpaste cost or three bananas? I bet you haven’t a clue because your mom always bought those things. So, you need to go to the store for the family the summer before college and look at those prices as you buy stuff. Then at college maybe you will decide that the brand name products your family purchases are going to be too expensive for your financial tastes. Del Monte green beans is almost double the cost of Walmart brand, for example. A beer at the bar is maybe half the cost of a six-pack. Maybe a 12 pack of diet cola is less than half the cost of a six-pack of beer. If you see these things maybe your eyes will be open a bit.
2. SAFETY.
Learn early and save yourself a heap of trouble. If you follow the campus “news” you will soon find that 60% of hold ups, fights, rapes, and arrests happen between midnight and 4am. You will also find that more than half of the problems come from being drunk or high. Often the person in trouble was alone, drunk, or with a group of similarly inebriated folk. CLUE ONE, TWO, and THREE. Never go alone anywhere off campus after dark. Never get drunk if you don’t have a designated sober friend (better yet, don’t get drunk). Do your partying before midnight and go back to your own room to sleep it off. If you are a female, don’t ever take a sip of your drink after leaving it to dance or go to the bathroom. It is too easy for an evildoer to slip something into that drink. Lock your car door. Lock your apartment door. Don’t leave your purse, phone, or wallet out where it can be easily stolen.
Phones are great, and horrible. A student should not put all their important stuff on their phones. That wonderful bank app is a back door into your bank account. If your phone is stolen so is your money. Passwords are there to protect you, so don’t make them auto-fill when you open your bank or credit card apps. Have a back up to your computer so that if it crashes or is stolen just before a paper is due you can go to the library and finish the paper on their computer.
3. HEALTH.
Too many freshmen learn about health the hard way. Many don’t get enough sleep and their immune systems can’t push away things which a healthy body could. At my college (when dinosaurs ruled the earth) freshmen girls and guys often developed the “Crisco effect” (fat in the can) because they didn’t know how to watch their diets. Mom had done the cooking at home, and included more fruits and vegetables. They played sports, now they were sitting on a couch reading and writing … and snacking. Develop an exercise routine before going off to school.
4. STUDY.
Social events and fun stuff are easy. Reading, writing, and studying aren’t. Senior year in high school is the last chance to learn good study skills. If you were a C+ student in 9th grade, you need to up your game by the time you’re a senior. College is so much harder; working for a B in high school is nearly the same as working for a C in college. You will flunk out if you work for a C. And if you think that’s hard, wait until you’re in your Master’s program where getting a few C’s can sink you. Doctoral programs have no forgiveness. (Many think that some medical doctors were in the lower half of their class … not true … unless you imagine 91% as almost flunking.)
5. CHOOSING A COLLEGE
Too many freshmen don’t know why they are going to college. Make choosing a degree program your #1 priority. (Find a degree program which translates into good income after college). Then choose a college, or two, or three based on the degree and costs.
Next figure which local 2 year community college has transferable credits to the schools of your choice. If you can attend a community college for the first year of your four year program you may have saved $30,000 in costs (compared to a private school). (Even a semester of credits is extremely helpful.) You can stay at home, eat home-cooked meals, and save. It is a win-win-win.
You have the opportunity to go into your second year of college education with zero debt. Everyone else you meet there already has debt of $15k, $30k, or more. And most act like its no big deal (but they will in 6 years, won’t they!!!).
Oh, and since you chose a profitable degree program, after you graduate you will have a job and they will be trying to make a living working at their uncle’s car wash.
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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