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Parenting > Parenting Teens

The Summer Before You Leave
By: Kristen Marsh
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College Preparation

The summer before you leave to start your new life as a college student there are a few things you should know and prepare for. This list will mention some of the most important things to do before you leave home as well as recommend some items that are great to have with you at college.

1. Start Limiting Your Online Time- If you're like most kids our age you have a MySpace site, Facebook profile and a blog or two. Let me just speak from a voice of experience that too much time on these can severely hinder your homework time! This summer set an amount of time you can be on these sites per day. It will help you break the habit before you get to school.

2. Keep Track of Your Valuables- My freshman year I went to school with over 40 of my favorite DVDs when I left I only had around 30 of them. I wrote my name all over the cases and they are still missing to this day. Start taking inventory of the things important to you. If you let someone borrow something, write yourself a reminder and you'll be sure to remember where the item has been "lost."

3. Get Your Shots- As weird as it is to think about, all kinds of stuff floats around a college dormitory. Make sure you get your Meningococcal vaccine before you live with a bunch of strangers. Better safe than sorry!

4. Continue Your Scholarships Search- So many scholarships go without being given because people don't know about them! Don't be discouraged if you didn't receive that much financial aid for your first semester. Apply for scholarships that will help you in your second semester.

5. Check out Summer School- Look into your school's summer class options. It's always nice to get some classes out of the way before your first semester. Look to see if your school offers online courses to freshman. This will allow you to still hang out with your friends at home and get some college credit at the same time!

6. Be Space Savvy- If you live close to the school you're attending in the fall, ask if you can see your dorm room to get a feel for the layout and size. If your school is farther away someone should be able to provide you with a map of the dimensions of your room. It's better to know this so you can be realistic about how much you can really cram in your dorm room.

7. Have Lunch with an Expert- Chances are that you already know an upperclassmen from your school and you should take advantage of that relationship. Have lunch with them and ask them all kinds of questions! I can give you some good advice but someone who goes to your specific school will be able to really let you know how things work.

8. Make Exercise a Priority- We've all heard about the freshman fifteen and it's no myth! Take time this summer to get into an exercise routine. Your body will get used to being active and it will be easier to want to make working out a priority when you're at school.

9. Go Through Your Clothes- Have a day where you go through closet and eliminate the things that you don't wear or the items that are getting too ragged. Take your unwanted clothes to a consignment shop and see if you can make some extra cash. Your closet at school will most likely be tiny. Remember that you don't need all your clothes!

10. Hone up on your PowerPoint Skills- You'll be doing group work and presentations A LOT in your college career and PowerPoint skills will be very helpful. Know this program inside and out so you can wow your professors with sharp presentations.

11. Start Setting Your Standards- Peer pressure is at its highest and you will be asked to do things that you've never done before. Start deciding now about your stances on drugs, alcohol and sex.  Having an opinion about these things before you go to school will help you stand your ground if you're put in a situation where they offered to you.

12. Create an Address Book- You promised your high school buddies that you'll keep in touch and let me just tell you it's tough to keep your word. You can always call their cell phones but sending them a little mail says that you really care. Get their addresses before you all head your separate ways.

13. Thoroughly Clean Your Room- Chances are you'll be home again in the next semester and it will be great to come home to a clean room. Also it's easier on you parents if they need to use your room as a guest room while you're gone.

14. Set a budget- You'll have two kinds of friends in college: the kind that rack up their loans and the kind that won't spend a dime. Try not to be either of these people. Plan ahead and decided what you can spend and what you can't. You don't want to miss out on fun things because you didn't manage your money well. Also, SAVE the money you make this summer!

15. Spend Time with Your Family- My summer before my freshman year was my last full summer at home. After that your summers are filled with trips, internships and even weddings as you get older! While you may not realize it this summer could be one of your last at home. Take full advantage of it by spending time with your loved ones.

10 Things I Wish I'd Purchased Before College

1. Command Hooks- If your dorm room is anything like mine, its cinder block and you're not allowed or able to nail anything your walls. I kept a command hook by my door to hang my keys on (keys are very easy lost in a messy room). I also used them to hang frames by attaching a ribbon or string to the frame and hanging them from the hook.

2. Lots of Dryer Sheets- You think these are just for the laundry but you're wrong! Take these little guys and stick them in your drawers to keep your clothes smelling fresh. They are also a great thing to keep in your laundry basket to keep the stench away.

3. An External Hard Drive- It sounds expensive but it doesn't have to be. My freshman year of college I was on my laptop all the time and it crashed. I lost all my pictures, papers and other important documents. Back your stuff up! It's a life saver!

4. Breakfast Food- You're going to stay up way later than you should if you're going have any fun at school. As a result of your late night, you'll sleep as much as you can before your 8 o'clock and miss breakfast in the process. Have some packaged breakfast handy that you can throw in your bag and take to class with you.

5. A USB Storage Device- This will be helpful when you have papers to print off, presentations to present or pictures to share.

6. A magazine subscription- Sometimes the mailbox blues can hit you after you've checked your perpetually empty box for the 32^nd day in a row. A magazine subscription is something to look forward to! Subscribing to a magazine like Newsweek could also be a great way to stay in touch with current events.

7. Airborne- Imagine this situation: You have a huge final tomorrow and all of your friends have the flu. Taking an airborne is a great way to try to prevent sickness and keep you healthy enough to ace your test.

8. A Good Multi-Purpose Bag- Search for a bag that will fit large books as well as your laptop. Make sure it's a comfortable fit and that it doesn't get too heavy with too much stuff inside. I also use this bag on the weekends when I go on out of town or on roadtrips with friends.

9. An ID holder- You can most likely find one of these at your school bookstore but there's also good ones elsewhere. Your Student ID is your lifeline to everything at school. Make sure you have a place to consistently keep it. I got a holder that attached to my keys after one day my ID slipped out of my pants pocket into a toilet! J

10. iHome Player/ Alarm Clock- So many of us use our cell phones as our alarms each morning but what happens when you forget to charge your cell phone and it dies? You miss class! There are now alarm clocks that also have speakers and a dock for an I-pod. Now you can wake up on time to your favorite music.