I wrote about what to bring to college and discussed the college dorm room checklist last week and have received some great feedback from the readers. Many of my friends have moved away for college and this summer it’s really hitting home because my younger brother is moving away for college. As a result we’ve both been doing our research on college housing options. Well I must admit, I’ve been doing research (excuse to chat with old buddies) so I can write more great posts for Studenomics about living in a college dorm room or moving away from home for college in genera.
Now that I have discussed the physical college dorm room essentials I think it’s time to look at something that would definitely make a helpful college checklist-a few important skills required when moving away for college and living on your own:
Networking:
The Top College Survival Skill
For all of those times you miss class and you call your friends from class for help. For all of those last minute all nighters where you rely on your “serious friend” for help with the essay. For all of those times you get too drunk and need someone to carry you back to your room. Meet as many people as you can in college and build up a strong network of reliable people for all of those times you will need help. Most important of all- make sure that you yourself are a reliable person
Cooking & Cleaning:
Definitely Apart of The College Dorm Room Checklist
Yes I know the odds of walking into a clean and organized dorm room are rare but it doesn’t hurt to keep your place looking half decent once in a while. Moving away for college will be your first real world experience, and this is partially why I list cooking and cleaning as college survival skills, because if you can start doing both at the college level you will hopefully carry it with you to your adult life.
You could always order a large pizza or grab some fried chicken on the way home but wait until you see that belly grow after a few months. I can’t cook anything special but I at least learned to put together a decent breakfast and dinner so that I can fill myself up with good stuff- at a lower price.
Time Management:
An Amazing College Survival Skill
You’re going to have to learn how to manage your time wisely by prioritizing. First you finish your essay then you go out to the bar for drinks not the other way around. I have foolishly told myself many times that I will only go for a “few beers” and then come home to finish up my school work. Well guess what? The few beers turned into a few too many and my biggest problem became finding a hangover cure, not finishing the essay. Over the years I have learned the importance of finishing up what’s important first and then doing whatever I want later.
Learn to just say NO:
A College Life Must
Not to sound lame but sometimes you just need to say NO and stay in. My friend told me how he felt like a horrible person when he had to say “no” to a party or to an offer to go hang out. Then when his parents threatened to cut funding, he had an easier time saying “no” to some of the college parties going on around him. I try to limit myself to going out to the bar to a couple of times a month and this way I save money so that I can travel a few times a year. Studenomics is all about helping you guys have a great life today while planning for the future, so I would definitely recommended going out as long as you limit the frequency to a responsible amount.
There you have it, 4 college survival skills required for those of you that are going away to college for the first time or returning back to campus. Now it’s time to find out how the readers of Studenomics have been able to survive college life?
photos: JeffWilcox, breezy24, Jack Brodus, Mr. Thomas
I would add knowing how you learn and being able to learn on your own time as essential skills (and not just for college students). If you can listen to material one time in the form of a lecture and memorize it completely, good for you; the rest of us need to know whether reading through the material several times, making flash cards, working on practice problems, or studying in a groups (or some combination of the four) will allow us to gain mastery of the material.
Beyond that, the best skill I can think of gaining to prepare for college would be the ability to live with other people in close proximity. If you aren’t used to having a room mate and don’t know how to deal with someone else in your living area, college becomes a whole lot tougher (unless you can afford a private apartment, I suppose).