K is Starting College!
My best friend’s oldest daughter is starting college this year at Kent State University (go Flashes)! I’ve gotten two degrees from there, so I’m extra excited for her, not to mention jealous. K is starting on this wonderful new journey of self-discovery, new ideas, exposure to new cultures, and the chance to use abilities she may not even know she has. What a great time in her life.
Challenges
HOWEVER, it’s also a time of great challenge in areas that don’t necessarily have to be. There are so many concepts brought to my attention during grad school that would have been SOOOOO helpful had I known them in undergrad. It’s not that this information wasn’t available. I was just clueless at that age about some things and didn’t know I needed others. For example, not to brag, but I’m a pretty smart cookie. The upside is that I didn’t have to study for many classes through undergrad and could still maintain mostly A’s and B’s. The downside was that when I reached grad school, I found out that I didn’t really know HOW to study, at least not well. I had to research and practice before I did it well, which I did. If I’d taken the time to do that in undergrad I could have had a 4.0. K is pretty smart, too, so I’m hoping to save her my pain by talking about various ways of studying.
Roommates
Another example is having a roommate agreement. I’ve never had one with any of my roommates, but it could have saved a lot of headaches. You may not need one as comprehensive as Sheldon and Leonard’s, but it’s a good idea to have certain areas ironed out between roommates before they can become a problem. When are the quiet hours? What chores does each agree to do? How are overnight guests addressed? These issues are the tip of the share living iceberg.
My Plan
I wanted to share this kind of information with her without inundating her with tons of information all at once. I came up with an idea to make a booklet with the information listed more or less in the order in which the challenges might occur. That way, when she reaches that point, she can refer to the booklet for tips if she wants to. So I started to outline topics like Before Moving In, Studying for a Test, etc. It occurred to me that others might also benefit from these tips, so I’m working on making several printables for various parts of the year. Finally, I will collect all of the information into one ebook.
Tell me!
I could use your input! What kinds of things do you wish you’d known when you were starting college or in college? Not just about academics, but also about college life, interacting with professors, etc.