So you’re heading off to college. You have newfound independence that you’ve never experienced in the first 17 years of your life. And you’re not married either, so you don’t have to confide in anyone for every decision that you decide to make. You have the freedom to do what you want, whenever you want.
But even then, you still have responsibilities in life. Not only to your studies, but also to your well being. These responsibilities, if met, help lay the foundation for a successful, wholesome life.
Keep Organized
Possibly the most important one. You’ll be amazed as to how much easier to think if your keep everything nice and orderly. It’s also much easier to be prepared where you’re able to keep your stuff together. Creating a checklist of what you need for your classes and labeling everything helps save you time, and the embarrassment if you were to forget anything when you get to class.
But not only is it important to know how to organize your stuff, it’s also very important to organize your time. As a homeschooler, this shouldn’t be too big of a problem since creating a schedule on a weekly basis is part of the homeschooling life. The only real difference is that you won’t have your parents constantly reminding you to do your work. The best thing you could do for yourself is buy yourself a weekly planner and keep up with it. Record any assignments that are due and any important dates you may need to remind yourself of. The worst thing you could rely on is your memory. It’s always good to have everything written down on paper.
Maintain Your Health
In the past, I said that the best thing you could do if you want to eat for dirt cheap is to buy Chef Boyardee and hot dogs. Don’t follow that advice. Instead, buy the biggest bag of rice you can find and purchase a crockpot. Look up anything that you could cook in a crockpot that won’t give you a heart attack and mix it in with the rice.
It’s easy to get hooked on cafeteria food, frozen pizzas, and whatever you may find on the Wendy’s value menu while you’re in college. And the amount of hours you’ll spend studying will eventually lead you to neglect physical exercise. It’s a trap you don’t want to find yourself in because it can really affect your health later down the road. You won’t have your mother reminding you to eat your veggies, which makes it your responsibility now.
Another thing I should mention too is doctor visits. Normally, you’re supposed to check with your doctor every year for a routine physical, but this is what I often hear: “Doctor visits? The last time I needed to see the doctor was three years ago for back surgery,” or something to that effect. Doctors want to see you every year to make sure nothing serious is developing. If you wait until you start feeling the effects, it may be too late.
Budget Yourself
This is something I’ve brought up several times. It doesn’t only apply to food, but also to other expenses. For instance, It doesn’t pay to drive your car everywhere. Not only is gas expensive, but sometimes it may cost more time to drive than it would to just walk to wherever you need to be. Besides, walking is good for your health.
Get a transaction manager from your bank and record all the purchases you’ve made. After paying for tuition, textbooks, and campus fees, it’s unlikely you’ll have much money left over. Tack on the cost of that Playstation 4 you just purchased, along with controllers, games, and everything else, you’re bound to be really hurting for money. Anyway, you need to keep track of what you spend and note how much you have left over.
The sooner you learn to take care of yourself, the better. It sounds ridiculous, but even people my age can’t follow any of this. Not only does this help you in college, but it’s also life skills that if kept up with, will prove helpful later on down the road.
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