You’re in!
For Students:
Whether it’s your dream school or your safety, whether you’re over the moon or you’re terrified, at this point, you’re either narrowing it down or have already committed to going to a particular college/university — and now you’ve got some work to do! And I’m not referring to shopping for bedding and posters, or the decision to find a roommate or go random assignment. I’m thinking more about preparing yourself for living independently.
While you may have been away from home before, you’ve likely been in a structured environment, such as camp or a group trip, where things were taken care of for you. Your laundry was likely done for you, your food was likely prepared for you, and your schedule was likely mostly set. College is different. There are wide open spaces of time and responsibility that you will have to structure yourself - and now is the time to begin to practice that!
What can you do now? Here are a few suggestions:
Start doing your own laundry. Learn how to read the labels on your clothing to see if items need to be dry cleaned, or if they can go into a washer and/or a dryer. Get into the habit of setting aside a day each week to devote a few hours to getting this task accomplished. Once it becomes habit, it will be less of an adjustment to continue this when you’re away.
Open a bank account and start managing your money on your own. If you have access to this, open a credit card, in order to initiate a credit rating in your name. Create a budget for yourself and consider what your expenses are currently and what they might look like when you’ll be away at school. Decide on priorities, where money will come from, whether you might consider getting a part-time job during school.
If you have a chronic medical or mental health issue, start taking responsibility for the management of your care. Learn how to refill your medications and set a reminder in your phone when you’ll be due, so that you can take care of this task on your own. Schedule your own appointments. Start to consider how you’ll access care when you’re away at college.
These are just a few suggestions on how to begin to take on your own independence, but they will start you off on that journey. You will find that with each step, you will find so much gratification, even in the little things.