Friday, July 25, 2014

Preparing for College

Are you preparing your son or daughter for freshman year of college? Coeds head off to school mid-August and if you haven't already started thinking about packing, it's time to at least start preparing them mentally. After an entire life of being supervised with rules and expectations set for bed time, appropriate phone usage, what time to be home for curfew, how much TV to watch and how much junk food is allowed -- how will your seventeen or eighteen year old handle all this freedom in college?


Mentally preparing your student for college and talking openly and honestly are the best ways to ensure that they have a successful year. Once that dialogue has been opened, More Than Paper suggests you communicate these 5 points.
  1. School work comes first. Be careful to sound overbearing or like you are preaching, but gently remind your son or daughter that education is the reason he/she is attending college. We recommend explaining to your young adult that he/she will never again be surrounded by so many smart people pursuing an education, and be able to devote so much to learning. College, in fact, is such an incredible opportunity (one we wish we could do all over again!) 
  2. Eat healthy. Not because you fear they'll gain the "freshman 15" but because eating right fuels the body and brain. When your children eat the rainbow and eat quality, wholesome foods, they have more energy and brain power to master what they are learning. They'll feel better, too. 
  3. Live within a budget.  Have clear expectations of who pays for what, and how much your student should be spending each week or month and where that money should go. We like giving a lump sum with some guidelines, but letting students learn how to manage their money all on their own. 
  4. Get some sleep. Without sounding too motherly (which may be hard here!), remind your student that getting enough sleep is essential for brain function and staying healthy. 
  5. Have some fun.  (As if you really needed to tell them this!) This is the time in their life to really make lasting friendships, explore their interests and passions, and enjoy! What other time in his or her life will they ever have this much time to pursue what interests them? 
It's likely that you have raised your son or daughter to value or have learned all of these points anyway, but a discussion over dinner one night might help reinforce what you've already instilled over the years. We hope these are simple tips that will help making college prep easier. 

For a great packing list, see our post from last year with a helpful checklist.  More Than Paper has lots of school pride items in our store. Choose from pillows, artwork and other school pride items at More Than Paper in our College Corner! 

College Throw Pillows (University of Georgia) (1548-P)

College Throw Pillows (University of Michigan Go Blue) (2979-P)

College Football Locker Room w/Wood Frame - Ohio State (GC733)

On a side note, we must make mention that this is our 125th blog post! Thank you to all the loyal readers and followers who've made our blog a success. Share your favorite posts with us or let us know what you'd like to read about in our comments section!

1 comment:

  1. As a mother, I would like my son to be prepared at all times, even if he always tend to say this "Mom, I can do it." Make sure you teach them the basics, and they were better off in the long run. Check this essay writing services guide to your child preparation in college and learn more about the dilemma that she/he might be able to encounter.

    ReplyDelete