Going to college and the prospect of living away from your parents for the first time can be both exciting and scary for high school grads.
You get to live without curfews and enjoy late nights out with friends, but at the same time, who would you go to when your stomach starts hurting in the middle of the night? What would you do in case there’s an emergency?
How to prepare yourself for life outside the safety net:
Freedom is nice, it allows you to have new experiences and learn exciting things every day. However, freedom can also be a burden because you will have to learn to discipline yourself, set your own limits, and follow your own rules in order to succeed at life – which is basically the reason why most high school grads want to leave home and go to college.
It can be extremely hard to stop yourself from partying the night away before an exam when there’s no one else to tell you to get some sleep. New found independence can take a toll on your grades too.
Set a rule that you will save the late nights out for special occasions, such as a friend’s birthday, an event, etc. Carve out specific days/times to complete your assignments each week.
Another situation that high school grads may face is having no adult around in case of an emergency. The solution is to listen carefully when someone is telling you about their cousin’s friend’s mom who works in your college and keep the contact saved. A safe and responsible “back-up” adult is always good to have.
Feeling homesick is common.
Lastly, one thing that most high school grads are not told is that they will get homesick, and this happens more often that they think. Those horrible parents you were so excited to leave are not always so horrible once you are a long way away from home sweet home.
Remember you can go home to visit your parents for a few days when you are craving your mother’s hug or want to badly eat those sandwiches that your dad makes. Going home for a weekend is normal and does not mean that you are doing college wrong.
In case you cannot go back home because you have exams, or for any other reason, seeing your college counselor can be immensely helpful in dealing with the homesick blues.