How To Prepare Your Child For Freshman Year Of College

Sending your kids off to college is never easy. For some it’s hardest to send the oldest child off, and for others the youngest is the hardest. No matter what the case is for you, nothing can prepare you for the emotional stress, but you can definitely abate much of that anxiety by having all the logistics taken care of well ahead of time. There’s only so much you can do at this point, so you may as well do it to the best of your ability and hope that they will be prepared to take over and embrace their independence. Here is how to prepare your child for freshman year of college.

Determine how Tuition will be Paid

Whether you have a trust fund, a 529 plan, or if your child will be relying on student loans, you want to make sure that all of the paperwork is filed correctly. The last thing you want is for some bureaucratic error to hinder your child from enrolling in classes, or any other unnecessary drama. Even if you expect your child to handle their own student loans, you should definitely take the time to check all the appropriate paperwork and make sure that they’re on the right track.

Teach Them New Responsibilities

There are probably several responsibilities that your child will need to learn their first year of college. Whether that be doing laundry, shopping for groceries or cooking, it’s always a good idea to make sure your child knows that they’re doing. Not only is this the best way to ensure that they will be successfully autonomous, but it’s also a great way to lock in some great bonding time before they leave.

Help Them Pack

Packing is another great way to get in some good bonding time over the summer. Your child won’t just have to make some serious judgment calls on what they should and shouldn’t bring, but this is also a good time to start throwing out a lot of old items that they don’t need anymore. This can often be a very emotional process, but it’s one that will be great to go through together.

Equip Them with New School Supplies

You won’t just have to get rid of a lot of old things, but it’s time to start shopping for some new things. Among the high school graduation gifts that your child receives, college school supplies should definitely be included. Everything from a laptop or tablet, to a smartphone, printer, external hard drive, and new backpack are going to be essential for your child once they go off to college.

Make Sure They Enroll Early

If your student was accepted to a college like Marylhurst University, then their enrollment window will come last after all the upperclassmen have chosen their courses. There’s no guaranteeing that all their preferred courses will be available by the time their window opens, so you want to formulate a few different schedule options. Once that window opens, your child should have their course codes written down and ready to go at a moment’s notice.