One thing is clear: college is a lot different than high school. Not only when it comes to academics, but your personal life as well. No longer do you have immediate access to parents who cook your meals, do your laundry, pick up after you and help you with the other things that go by unnoticed (until you find yourself out on your own).
Here’s a little guidance for those who are off to college for the first time on some basic life skills you will need to know, complete with instructional videos if you want to dive deeper into mastering the skill.
Recommended Resources:
How to do Laundry
Other than the times you head home for the weekend or over a semester break, you will need to do your own laundry. If you don’t have much experience in doing your own laundry, you’ll want to get a rundown of how to do so; you don’t want to end up ruining your fresh gear.
This video sums up laundry 101. It’s pretty basic stuff, but there are still some out there who don’t have a grasp on how to properly wash clothing.
How to Fold Clothes
Now that your laundry is clean, you’ll need to know how to properly fold and store your clothing items. Don’t be the one who shows up to class in a wrinkled shirt. Use proper clothes folding techniques to keep your wears in shape.
How to Iron
As mentioned above, you want to keep your clothes from being wrinkled. You want your clothes looking sharp, especially when it comes time to dress up. You will need to know how to iron.
How to Tie a Tie
Between interviews and formals you’ll need to know how to tie a tie at some point. It’s best to learn beforehand as we all know how rushed we can become on an important date where formal wear is required.
How to Parallel Park
Parking at college is a pain. If you feel you must have a car on or near campus, you’ll want to master the art of parallel parking as you’ll probably be squeezing into some tight spots.
How to Initiate Conversation
As children we were always told don’t talk to strangers. While that advice may have been fine at the time, it’s some of the worst advice we can carry on to our later years. The point is you need to be comfortable talking to someone you don’t know or you’ll never meet anyone in college. So open up, smile, and be ready and willing to converse with fellow students on campus.
How to have a Healthy Diet/Eat Properly
As mentioned above, you no longer have access to healthy home-cooked meals. Students are often in a hurry and often grab whatever comes cheap and easy. Unfortunately this means a lot of fast food and pizza. To ensure you don’t become a victim of the freshman 15 you’ll have to keep an eye on your diet and make sure you are eating healthy on a college budget.
How to be Organized
An organized student is a prepared student who is able to get things done faster and in good order. Use some of our recommended student resources like Evernote and Mint.com to stay on top of what’s going on in your classes and with your finances.
How to Study
The academic rigor of college can be an eye opening experience for many students. The sad fact is that many students at this level simply do not know how to study (33% according to one study). They don’t have a grasp of proper and effective techniques when it comes to studying in college.
For a good read on how to study check out these links or watch the following video series.