Beyond the Extra Long Sheets:A Packing List for College

Cindy Turner, MA, NCCThe Davidson Center

Most college freshmen have the same goals: • Go to a good college• Have a great time• Get a great education• Earn a degree• Find a job you love

However…• Only TWO in THREE college freshmen will continue on in the

same college for their sophomore year. • Only about HALF of all students who start college ever earn

a degree.

How can you beat the odds and succeed?

PACK WHAT YOU NEED!(No, you can’t find it all at Bed, Bath, and Beyond)

• Realistic expectations• Good attitude• Patience• Open mind• Reminders of home• Off buttons• Ability to manage your time• Commitment to your health and safety• Understanding of your family’s big

change

Pack Realistic Expectations

• Shiny, happy people• “Best time of your life”• Dorm room blues• Roommate = best

friend, or not• Orientation daze• Parents can help by not

idealizing college

Pack the Right Attitude• Make a commitment to succeed,

and make academic success at this college your top priority. Use all resources available to you

(advisor, tutoring, writing center, resident advisor, upperclassmen)

Meet with professors often Stay on top of your grades Go to class! Plan to study more in college than you

ever have before

• Don’t wait for college to get exciting. Make it happen!

• Remember who you are.

Pack your Patience• Give yourself time to adjust to your new

environment. Emotions usually run high! • Give yourself time to get to know people.• Give yourself time to adjust academically.

Don’t let one difficult professor or one bad grade throw you off.

• Be patient with others (especially your roommate)

• Make roommate rules in the first few days.

• Expect a lack of privacy. • Relax about majors and classes.• Remember that you have a lot of learning

and growing to do, and it will take time. • Remember the snow globe.

Pack an Open Mind

• Anticipate different lifestyles.• Make friends with different kinds of people. • Keep your door open when you’re hanging out in

your dorm room. You never know who you’ll meet!

• View differences as opportunities to learn.• Try new food.• Try new clubs, sports, or other activities. • Travel off campus and get to know your

community.• Expect college to be nothing like you expected,

and you won’t be disappointed!

Pack Reminders of Home(but just a few)

• Leaving everything you know is hard! • Expect to feel homesick, especially after the

newness wears off.• Bring photos of home, family, friends, and pets for

your dorm room. • Don’t overdo it, and avoid to urge to rush home all

the time.• Remember that the cure to homesickness is not at

home. It’s learning how to make a new home.

Pack your OFF Buttons• Technology can be a great way to

stay connected. • If used too much, it can also keep

you from connecting with new people.

• Limit your time on Facebook, cell phone, emails, video games, etc.

• Dangers include worsening homesickness, comparing your college experience with others, not getting to know professors, and missing out on great new friendships.

• Biggest danger is relying too much on parents.

• Don’t let yourself be physically at college, but mentally at home.

Pack your Balancing Act

• Also known as “time management skills,” balancing is a key factor to college success.

• It’s all up to you now. Are you ready?• Keep a calendar. • Know where your time is going.• Schedule your study time and place.• Learn to say “no.”• Don’t forget to sleep.

Pack a Commitment to your Health and Safety

• Nutrition: all-you-can-eat, making good choices, not skipping meals, the “Freshman Fifteen,” eating disorders

• Exercise: great facilities, take walks• Sleep: late bedtime, catch naps• Emotional Health: depression,

counseling center, resident advisor• Personal Safety: walking at night,

personal belongings, locking door• Drugs, Alcohol, and Sex: other

dangers that are readily available in college, make decisions ahead of time

Pack an Understanding of Your Family’s Big Change

• They are adjusting, too. Give them time.• Emotions will be high for all of you.• Talk about your feelings before you go.• Talk about orientation/departure

expectations.• Pay attention to younger siblings during this

adjustment.• Set clear expectations of communication,

finances, social life, and academics. • Don’t run to your parents with every

problem. Don’t expect them to solve your problems.

A few other reminders• Make sure you know how to

do your laundry!• Have a very clear

understanding of your budget and cash flow before you leave.

• Pack shower shoes, and never go to the hall bathroom without them.

• Write your parents an actual, physical card/letter every now and then. They will melt.

A Word to Parents• Read Letting Go. It will help you feel as prepared as

you can be.• Talk to other parents.• Occasionally send your child something in the mail.• Expect your child to be inconsistent (pushing/pulling).• Set clear expectations.• Resist the temptation to solve problems/make

decisions for your child. Help them learn to do it themselves, and be aware of campus resources to direct them toward.

• Limit communication.• Remember the snow globe. Things will settle down.• Take care of yourself and seek help if you need it.

Recommended Readings

• Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years, by Coburn and Treeger

• The Naked Roommate and 107 Other Issues You Might Run into In College, by Harlen Cohen