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It’s About Time Ruth Wong |
Planning is key
to easing into
fun college lifeNow that high school is over, the next step for many graduates is going off to college. This can be an exciting but scary time.
As recent graduate Ashlee Segawa so aptly expressed it, "As the time draws nearer for me to leave the security of my family, my home and my friends, I am beginning to feel twinges of excitement and anticipation mixed with overwhelming bouts of apprehension and uncertainty of the unknown paths that lay ahead of me."
This is understandable. When Hawaii students go to college, that can mean not just going across town, but to another island, across the ocean, even across the continent to the East Coast.
For some it may feel like going to another country, for the people, climate, food and lifestyle can be so different from those of Hawaii.
This can be a scary time for parents, too. I know, for both my sons picked East Coast colleges, more than 5,000 miles away, in cities where we had no friends or relatives.
For parents it's a true test of letting go. But there is much we can do to help prepare our students.
I remember making a list of basic life skills my sons would need, such as laundry, bill paying, sewing on a button and negotiating airports, and made sure they could do those. I created a packing checklist, and because I knew there would be no Longs Drug Store or Pearlridge Center handy, gathered the essential items, including a small sewing kit. All the basic desk supplies fit into a plastic shoe box.
I found that dorm beds are twin extra long and that some colleges offer bedding packages as well as computer packages.
I also got a duplicate original copy of their birth certificates should they travel outside the country during school breaks, and checked with HMSA to be sure they'd continue to be insured.
Thankfully, my sons did just fine and really loved being away at college.
But I was troubled by the fact that each year, a number of Hawaii students give up and return prematurely.
So I took a survey and compiled survival tips from students and parents, which I've put into a "Survival Guide for College-Bound Students and Parents," a two-booklet set.
Some of the students' tips: "Don't worry about homesickness - everyone goes through it, it goes away." "Don't bring all the clothes you own." "Don't put too much pressure on yourself: Have fun, try every activity you want to try, because college is your last chance to be a 'kid' before you have to go out into the 'Real World.'" "Don't worry, college is the best part of life!"
Knowing more of what to expect and how to deal with it can relieve stress and give confidence.
Your assignment is to channel any nervous energy into something positive - preparing yourself and your student for the big step.
If your children are not yet going off, now is a good time to begin training in basic life skills.
Or, if YOU are facing a life change, take some time to plan and think it through.
As with any life change, planning is the key to a successful transition.
Happy planning! See you in two weeks!
"Survival Guide for College-Bound Students and Parents," sells for $5.99 at Borders Books & Music, Bestsellers downtown, Logos Bookstore and the Giving Tree.
"It's About Time," by Ruth Wong, owner of Organization Plus, runs the fourth Friday of each month. Contact her at "It's About Time," care of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail features@starbulletin.com