Life skills come in many different varieties, but some are more useful than others. This is especially true if you’re a college student preparing to live on your own for the first time. You don’t want to be the person doesn’t know what they’re doing. These are crucial skills that you will need to know before moving out of the house.
Doing Your Own Laundry
This is one of those “college kid” clichés: having to return to mom’s house on the weekends because you don’t know how to wash your own clothes. Fortunately, it’s a lot simpler than you might think. You don’t have to mess with fancy controls and chemicals when you’re just getting started. All that you have to do is master a few basic skills like separating your whites and your colors. It’s also more cost effective to treat stains than to buy new clothes.
Managing Your Time
One of the best parts of college life is having the freedom to create your own schedule. However, you’ll need to be careful that you don’t overdo it, especially during your first few semesters. Don’t overload your schedule with so many classes that you drown in them, and make sure that you’re slotting in plenty of time for working, studying and socializing. Learn to manage a planner and online calendar. You’ll want to enjoy the full college experience.
Opening a Bank Account
It’s time to graduate from bills stuffed underneath your mattress. The good news is that many banks make it easy for young, first-time customers to get started with adult money management. For example, you can open a free checking account that includes a debit card, or you can enroll in direct deposits and automatic bill payments for easy digital transactions. You don’t have to spend hours waiting in line to be serviced by a bank. Before you can manage a professional budget in any career you must learn to balance a personal budget.
Building Your Credit
You might think you don’t have any use for a credit yet, but if you want to sign a new car or rental lease you’ll be glad that you took the time to start building your credit. It can impact everything from your housing options to your choice of insurance policies. Build it during college to reap the benefits after graduation when you’ll need it to be high.
Studying
College isn’t high school. You aren’t going to be able to coast. The demands of college-level coursework will be much greater than you’re used to, so you might have to teach yourself new studying techniques to keep up. Even if you were a whiz kid who never had to crack a book in high school, college is a completely different story.
These are just a few things that you’ll want to learn before packing up for college. Many people wait till after High School graduation to think about their college preparation. However, those who are successful will start planning ahead in High School. There will be many other life skills that you’ll need to pick up along the way, but these should be enough to get you started.
