Life Skills to Learn Before Going to College?
If you’re soon heading to college, or have a son or daughter who is approaching the day when they will set off to start their college experience, it can be both an incredibly exciting and nerve-wracking time – the anticipation of meeting new people, learning new skills, but also living by yourself and being solely responsible for yourself for the first time.
The education system can only prepare you so much for the realities of being out on your own the majority of the time, as well as the responsibility that comes with looking after yourself and all of your interests, including money, sleep, relationships and diet.
Thankfully, by being aware of the coming challenges, you can prepare yourself to ensure that you are as knowledgeable and resilient as possible. Read on to find out more about some of our best tips for being prepared for college.
How to cook healthily
Potentially the most important thing to have a handle on before you head off to university or college is knowing how to cook healthy food. While stereotypically, parents always talk about the importance of getting your fruit and veg, cooking healthy food and maintaining a balanced diet is about a whole lot more than that.
It really can’t be understated – if you are missing elements from your diet such as vitamins, protein or carbohydrates, this will directly affect your energy levels on a daily basis, and have a knock-on effect on how well you study, sleep and interact with your peers.
Of course, everything can be fine in moderation, and why not take the opportunity to enjoy a bit more takeout for a while – just don’t fall into bad habits, as you will really feel it in terms of your health.
How to deal with setbacks
Unfortunately, it’s the reality that things don’t always go perfectly – so you are likely to have to deal with setbacks during your college experience. Whether it’s a case of not doing as well as you would have liked in assignments and exams, or you’ve had a bad experience in a relationship with a partner, it’s important that these setbacks don’t cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture.
College is a time when everyone is learning, and it helps to remember that this happens at a different pace for everyone. Ensuring that you have a consistent routine that meets your needs as a person will give you more resilience, as you have something to fall back on when things get tough. Healthy activities such as sport, as well as mindfulness, will provide a platform for strength and help you to ride the waves as they come.
How to cope with a heavy workload
While it’s obviously a fantastic feeling to finally arrive at your dorm room and start exercising your brand-new freedom, you should always be ready in advance for times when the workload becomes heavy.
This can seem like quite a distant prospect when you first arrive, but college is first and foremost for education, and this will begin in earnest.
Planning out your workload in advance, as well as making sure you are not let down by your tech, will ensure your studying goes smoothly. There are now dedicated studying devices on the market, such as tablets for college, and laptops too.
