<p>From a previous thread I thought it might be a neat to create a list of life skills new college students need to get under their belt before leaving in the fall. We have all summer to work on them :) Parents of returning freshmen - what do you wish you had covered before they left?</p>
<p>From that thread:
1. how to manage a checking account
2. how to hook up your own computer
3.how to iron -- and do you know which of your clothes must never be ironed because if you try it they will congeal into useless globs of plastic?
4. how to fill a prescription
5. know your own medical history? (Your mom knows whether you had the chicken pox shot or the actual disease -- do you?)
6. when a medical problem warrants a doctor's visit and when it doesn't
7. what stuff you can carry on an airplane and what stuff is no longer allowed</p>
<p>Adding the usuals
8. laundry basics (wishful thinking) - when will the dryer shrink your clothes
9. how to eat to forgo the freshman 15 (nutrition basics and how to make trade offs)</p>
<p>This is a good idea and a good start on a list. I especially want my son to know when to go to a doctor, like the sign for meningitis and appendicitis. Those are really scary. Also that there is a counseling service and it's there to be used for anxiety, depression, overload, etc.</p>
<p>However--like <em>I</em> could teach my son how to hook up a computer! He'll have to teach me all he knows about computers before he goes away.</p>
<p>Does anyone actually use a checking account anymore? My checks are so old I have to mark out "19--" and write the correct year.</p>
<p>The school's IT department will check each computer and provide instructions or actually setup email and internet accounts. Most connections are wireless, but sometimes the student actually has to connect with a cable. Big deal.</p>
<p>Does anyone actually use an iron anymore? I certainly would not buy any clothing that needs to be ironed. I used an iron about 5 years ago to put an ironon patch on my favorite jeans. Anything that needs pressing probably needs to go the dry cleaners.</p>
<p>I must be missing something on filling prescriptions. I thought you just went to the pharmacy and handled in the prescription.</p>
<p>There are a couple of books for college freshmen that have fairly good sections on illnesses and symptoms and when to go to the doctor. I'll look to see if I can find the titles.</p>
<p>Having a checking account and actually writing checks are two different things. Most of the bill paying is done electronically these days. Almost everyone I know has a checking account because you have unlimited access to your money (unlike savings, which only allows a certain number of withdrawals per month).</p>
<p>all the alcohol/sex related stuff such as:
1.symptoms of alcohol poisoning
2.what an underage drinking citation (results in suspended license in PA) does to your car insurance, school scholarship, and future job applications.
3.to let the drunken girl's girlfriends take care of her
4. no means no, maybe means no and any drunk girl is always a big NO.
5.shots vs. beer on getting drunk etc.</p>
<p>oh, and I made sure he fully understood what constitutes plagerism as many hs's do a poor job in making sure kids get this.</p>
<p>None of this ever came up in HS which was great then but made for a summer of constant badgering by me. I even started to hate hearing my own voice! </p>
<p>I had a real need to inform him of any actions that could have major life impact.</p>
<p>I'll add how to make and keep appointments (hair, Dr., Dentist, etc.) I'm resigning from that job soon.</p>
<p>I already resigned as SpringfieldGirl's laundress. She's actually been washing clothes since she was 10, although she only just recently (and reluctantly) starting washing all her own clothes.</p>
<p>edad--just used an iron this morning, as did SpringfieldGirl. Every once in a while one of SpringfieldDad's shirts needs to be ironed. I agree irons are hard to find (the only store I ever find them these days in is Target) but there are those of us who don't like wrinkled clothes!</p>
<p>The basics of how their health insurance coverage works:
copays, deductibles, coinsurance, in-network, out of network, referrals</p>
<p>How to replace important things that are lost or stolen:
credit/debit cards, drivers license, Passport, bankbook, birth certificate, etc...</p>
<p>If they have a car, what to do if you are locked out, lose your keys, have a dead battery, have a flat, how to check fluids and tire pressure and arrange for basic maintenance, etc...</p>
<p>"Managing" a checking account as the OP stated. That's the trick! Most of the transactions do tend to be electronic, but unless that's a bottomless source of cash in that checking account, the holder has to track what is going on. I'd expand this idea a bit to include some budget lessons/suggestions. Young adults need to know how they're spending their (or their parents) money.</p>
<p>Prescriptions-I handle all refills on line, so had to talk son through the process recently so he could refill his allergy meds when he needed them and to change the pick up location to near his campus. I'm done being that middle man.</p>
<p>Boundaries-sudden close living quarters with many people (kiddos in this house have had their own rooms for a lot of years). Be thoughtful of the roommate, and be reasonable with expectations. Don't be taken advantage of (or vice versa). Be smart about personal possessions and the safe keeping of any valuables (and best to keep the valuables to a minimum at school).</p>
<p>
[quote]
I must be missing something on filling prescriptions. I thought you just went to the pharmacy and handled in the prescription.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I found it necessary to tell my college-age son 1) that he would need to have his health insurance card with him to buy a prescription drug, 2) that there is a co-pay, so he would also need to have some money or his debit card also, and 3) that it's possible to go to a different pharmacy if the one on campus doesn't have what you need (the health center pharmacy at my son's campus refuses to carry Accutane, so he decamped to the local CVS a few weeks into his freshman year and has been using that pharmacy ever since).</p>
<p>Also, kids need to know that they must tell the doctor about all the other medicines they're taking, and they should know what questions to ask the doctor or the pharmacist when they receive prescriptions -- like "What precautions do I have to take while taking this medication? Can I drive? Can I drink alcohol?" and "Does every six hours mean that I have to set the alarm and take a dose in the middle of the night?" and "I'm due to get my period in a few days and I usually take Advil for menstrual cramps. Can I take Advil while I'm taking this drug?" And when a kid realizes that they've been to the doctor and the pharmacist but they've forgotten to ask an important question, that it's a heck of a lot easier to call the pharmacy and get an answer right away than to call the doctor's office and wait until your hair turns gray for a call back.</p>
<p>As for hooking up one's own computer, this was my main reason for trying to discourage my daughter from signing up for a single-sex freshman dorm. I figured that in a co-ed dorm, there would be more computer-knowledgeable comp sci and engineering majors to advise her. But she signed up for the single-sex dorm anyway (because she doesn't want to live with drunken frat boy types, and at the beginning of freshman year the future frat boys are still in the dorms because pledging hasn't taken place yet). Her logic is correct, but she may still have trouble with her computer.</p>
<p>How to sew on a button. (In other words, he doesn't have to throw a pair of shorts away or stick them in the back of his drawer and never wear them again if a button falls off.)</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice. We are also going to practice using the bus/trains around the city. Also will talk about strategies for being lost or taking the wrong bus.</p>
<p>One of the most important ones is knowing how to "fight the powers that be" including teachers, deans, bursars, housing, employers etc and to advocate for themselves when a problem arises. My older daughter encountered some fairly serious medical problems out of state and ran into awful resistance about both treatment and taking time off for treatment from her employer. She learned to handle much of it on her own, and now has those skills. I think recognizing when a car is making bad noises would be good, too. And how to call AAA and what you are normally expected to do. Also, all of the usual safety rules of not accepting help on the highway, or stopping to help other people, etc. They should know that if they're being followed they should drive to the nearest police station. And to not drink unattended drinks at parties or in clubs. (jeeez I'm paranoid!)</p>
<p>when you are troubleshooting to solve a bureaucratic problem with college admin:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Ask for and write down the NAME of the person you spoke with (by phone or in person), especially if they tell you it's okay to do something. </p></li>
<li><p>Approach every person on that campus, from secretary to dean, as if they, too, have the most important, worthy and difficult job in the world. </p></li>
<li><p>Recognize that other students are equally frustrated with delays, and nobody is more important than anybody else, in the eyes of administrators.</p></li>
<li><p>Pick your battles; fight for what really matters to you forever (such as a major, or getting credits from prior courses...) compared to what's more ephemeral (this year's housing). </p></li>
<li><p>Don't whine. </p></li>
<li><p>Express appreciation; look back over your shoulder and say "thank you" to anybody who helps you adjust, in any way. If it's huge, write the thank-you note as well.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As interests develop within a major, begin a computer-stored version of a "rolodex" of professional contacts, for example: visiting speakers you liked, performers you heard. In a few years, you can write out for leads on internships, etc., by simply saying, "I heard you speak on our campus and so appreciated it, I saved your contact info. Can you advise me..."</p>
<p>How to set and use an alarm clock...both kids have been responsible for this before, but have gotten used to us rousting them in the mornings. Time to change that!</p>
<p>^^^agree with that...I just found out this a.m. that SpringfieldDad has been knocking up on SpringfieldGirl's bedroom door 3-4 times per morning to make sure she's awake...I told him to stop, pronto!</p>
<p>Oh goodie -- another fun post! DD is due home in 1+ week from freshman year. </p>
<p>Although she didn't take a car, she did take her AAA card -- so if she's riding with someones else who breaks down, they're not all stranded. </p>
<p>No iron -- she knows the basics of how to use one, but doesn't use one often enough to own one; figures she could borrow one. </p>
<p>Her dorm has 2 rooms (4 girls) sharing a bathroom, with a sink in each room -- the school cleans the bathroom, but not the sinks. She knows how to clean it, but needed advice on what to buy for cleaning products.</p>
<p>Also needed reminders about family members birthdays during the year (grandparents, etc) so she could send a card. (Email is a wonderful thing!)</p>
<p>Needed coaching via phone re: rearranging her flights on her first holiday trip home when it was clear bad weather would mean missing a connecting plane.</p>
<p>I'm a huge fan of helping kids learn to be their own best advocate. When she got a new cell phone w/ text messaging capability, we got a bill with charges for several "spam" texts. I told her she needed to call the cell company and deal with it, or she would be paying for the texts. Needless to say, she figured out how to get the charges removed.</p>