Some skills are practical like learning basic housekeeping duties. Others develop so-called “soft skills” – effectively managing time, communicating, handling stress, bouncing back from failures. This article explores core life abilities crucial for college achievement. Some may surprise you.
What Fundamental Life Skills Ensure College Success?
College campuses offer students initial experiences with independent living apart from structured support.
Self-responsibility emerges for waking up, attending classes, eating nutritious meals and handling each day alone without parental or teacher input (or helpful directions).
Navigating this newfound freedom can feel liberating yet also challenging to navigate.
“I view it through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,” says Samantha Gordon, assistant director of Harvard Summer School’s Pre-College Program. “If basic needs like food, shelter, health and wellness are unfulfilled, functioning becomes impossible.”
Food and Shelter
By campus arrival, develop essential independent living skills. Master household tasks parents may have urged – personal hygiene, laundry, bed-making, cooking simple meals, self-cleanup.
“I’ve mediated countless roommate conflicts over unhealthy habits like lack of showering or doing laundry causing unpleasant odors,” notes Gordon with seven years’ residential life experience housing over 2,500 freshmen.
Budget Mastery
Fundamental home care and hygiene are pivotal. Likewise, creating and sticking to a budget.
Stretched funds may require prioritizing purchases, like dining in cafeterias over restaurants or seeking freecycle options instead of Amazon buys. Proper allocation preserves monetary stability each month.
Self-Regulation Skills
Self-discipline falls under vital self-care. Such abilities impact physical/emotional wellness.
Self-care involves resilience, like resisting gaming marathons at 3am, instead engaging in habits supporting sound minds and bodies.
Maintenance of schedules, medication intake, doctors/dentists appointments demonstrate proficiency. As does recognizing stress, realizing when rest is necessary. Regular exercise, nutrition, meditation, or socializing through frisbee provide stress relief.
Gordon notes many freshmen hail from perfectionist environments. Yet college rigor necessitates flexibility. Students must “develop coping strategies, temper perfectionism, and learn from failures and mistakes,” she advises.
The “Soft Skills” Necessary for Independent College Life
Soft skills center less on practicalities and more managing time/relationships. Students with these abilities cultivate tolerance, curiosity, critical thought, problem-solving and prioritization.
Especially vital notes Gordon is developing cultural awareness living with potentially diverse roommates from varying backgrounds thinking/acting unlike home.
“Cultural competency entirely shapes college experiences, especially from homogeneous towns. Listening non-judgmentally to understand others, not cultural judging, proves pivotal,” she advises.
Key soft abilities incorporate:
Time Management – Juggling classes, assignments, deadlines and social commitments necessitates goal-setting, planning and realizing extra TikTok likely hinders biology lab prep.
Communication – Daily interactions with professors, advisors, TAs, staff and peers require appropriate socializing in our tech age when many lack such skills.
Conflict Management – Social proficiencies prove useful when conflicts arise. Focus on personal feelings, not accusations, assuming good faith.
“Presume grace, presume goodwill,” says Gordon.
Organizational Strategies
By now, balancing numerous new experiences and responsibilities proves pivotal. How to effectively manage it all? A few approaches:
Establish a Study Routine from Lessons’ Start
When terms begin, record crucial dates into a course calendar structuring your whole semester. A location free from distractions, like reserving a library desk, facilitates focus, notes Gordon.
Plant Tasks by Deadlines
Your written dates guide structuring each month, week and day. Realistically gauge necessary study hours, Gordon cautions. Discover the organizational mechanism – physical planner, calendar or spreadsheet – serving your needs best.
Prioritize Balance
Allow leisure amid academics. While motivation slumps test perseverance, maintaining balance protects wellbeing and performance, Gordon stresses.
Request Assistance When Needed
Professors and tutoring centers exist helping navigate difficulties. Early inquiries receive swifter guidance than last-minute pleas.
Reward Productivity
Studying demands commitment. “But realistically,” says Gordon, “time for relaxation like Netflix proves essential. Utilize a reward system – an hour studying earns a Half hour show, then back to work.”
Focus Single-Mindedly
Research shows increased performance concentrating on one task at a time. To concentrate, silence phones and finish before reconnecting.
Curate Comprehensive Notes
Gordon endorses apps like OneNote and Evernote for organized class outlines and notes. Revisit later to reorder, refine and assess referenced readings. Thorough notes fortify comprehension.
Don’t Procrastinate
Waiting until the eve of deadlines severely impedes ambitions. Achieving joy through diligent preparation, collaboration and rest versus frenzied cramming.
Assistance is Available
Roommate issues, class struggles or general campus difficulties warrant assistance. Gordon’s first recommendation – compare experiences with peers “on the ground”.
Next, consult resident directors or proctors directing aid options. Overwhelmed by coursework? Academic resources, advisors, tutoring or instructors help.
“Directly contacting faculty and teaching assistants cultivates strongest relationships,” says Gordon.
Finally, low moods or mental health problems locate campus counseling. Colleges typically provide short-term, long-term and emergency counseling.
While some hesitate discussing with guardians, they offer important emotional support having navigated comparable experiences themselves.
Parental Support During Adjustment
While adaptation takes time, parents provide aid.
“If noticing struggles, listen first,” advises Gordon. “Remember each journey uniquely shapes lives differently than your own. Embrace diverse pathways.” Often alumni parents envision replicated experiences, but offspring vary.
Final Advice
New students experience college best “extending themselves.”
Remain engaged. Introduce to peers. If befriending proves difficult, tell your RA for facilitation. Connecting risks discomfort initially yet proves worth rewards.
Routines Ease Transition
Daily rhythm provides predictability aiding change. Sticking schedules cushions uncertainty. Cook one night weekly; commit campus involvement keeping balance crucial. Communicating adjustments early to supporters eases worries. Focus on small wins and needs yet met. Persistence overcomes.