Off to College. Some Insights for the College Bound Student

This article is to give someone a basic idea of some things they can do before they embark on their college adventures. I was the first one in my family to finish high school let alone go to college, so I did not have many people I could draw on for advice. Most of my teachers were significantly older so things might not be the same as they were in their day. I also really did not have much help in my neighborhood or school as not many people went to college. In my neighborhood growing up a young man had limited career paths. He often was a criminal, worked menial jobs, got a job with a union, join the military or became a "businessman". My parents were vehemently against me not being a "businessman" and once they saw I had the intelligence they were dead set on sending me to college. Some of this advice would have been a great help to me. For the purposes of this article I will assume you already have the school picked out and all the necessary financial aid and scholarships in place. This article is also geared for someone going away to college were you wont be going home every weekend, although some of this can apply to people who are close enough to go home every weekend. As far as living at home while going to college goes I think you miss many of the experiences. Some of those are bad, but the world is a big place and you need to learn to make it though it.

Once you have decided were you are going to go to school, have all your financial aid papers and things like that ready you probably need to figure out some pocket money while you are there. There are plenty of things that come up in college and money is always good to have. I had various jobs while I was in college, but before I left I had a job at a fast food joint like many young people in my day. Unfortunately they are not as plentiful in some places as they used to be due to the economy but they are still there. The pay will often suck, but if you can get into a decent one the flexibility is usually there with your schedule. Because of the high turnover you also might be able to have a job when you come home for winter and summer breaks. Pizzerias are also good because they usually hire delivery drivers. Grocery stores and Wal-Mart can often offer similar flexibility. You don't want to burn yourself out, but you figure that you want to save at least enough to have $150 a month in pocket money per month and money for your travel. I am not factoring in having a car expense since I did not when I was in college. I also would say you just have your clothes bought and some incidentals bought before you go.

Once you have this out of the way figuring out how you are going to get to the college in important. In my case I was 1500 miles from home, so having mom and dad drop me off was not an option. In this case you can either fly, take a bus, or take a train. I personally think the bus sucks. They go all over the place in places you do not need to go, the seats are not remotely conductive to sleep and there is no place to stretch out. I was always a bit nervous about flying to begin with and this was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks and security measures to follow. It also would have cost a fortune to fly to the nearest airport. Some places will be dirt cheap like $100 roundtrip and others will be close to $1000. I always elected to take the train. In my case I did not have to change trains and there really were not many layovers. It usually took just under a day to get to there by train. It also was a much more comfortable trip. The most I think I ever spent on a ticket was like $100 one way as I don't recall them selling round trips. There also was a dinning car were they have people make short order meals and a snack car. Personally I thought the food was expensive, but you could sit in the snack car even if you did not buy anything and read or do something like that if you wanted to. The bathrooms were also a bigger size so you could change, brush your teethe and wash up in the morning. This would be impossible on the bus.

When I went you could take one carry on bag and two bags (I always used boxes) up to 50-75lbs each. I forget which it was. The baggage handlers were always really obnoxious and would let you know that it did not matter if you wrote fragile on there. They still threw it around. You were only supposed to have clothes in there. You definitely would not want to put a computer in there. I did pack other stuff but always packed it very secure. You want to put your clothes in there. Things you might need for your room like towels, toiletries, some snacks and so forth. You also can buy that once you get to town as well. Since there was no sales taxes were I lived I bought many things before I arrived at campus. You need to factor in how much packing room you will need and if it's better to buy things at home and travel with them or buy them in town. You also might consider pre mailing some things. I know people who ship their computers if they can't travel with them. Some of these might sound stupid but you would be surprised.

Things to take with you to college

1.) All of the phone numbers you might need like parents and relatives back home and any contacts of people you know near by.

2.) I would take some snack foods in your carry on ( you can take meals on the train and drinks) as well as some snacks for the room

3.) Various personal items like deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and brush, hair care things, deodorant, cologne, aftershave and razors.

4.) At least a few towels and washcloths.

5.) Some laundry products like detergent and softener. I also recommend a basket or a least a couple bags.

6.) Duck tape ( I know it sounds funny but you would be surprised how it comes in handy)

7.) A couple small tools like a screwdriver set and maybe a good pocket knife ( check travel rules and also
school rules these may need to be mailed)

8.) A sewing kit and some patches.

9.) At least two sets of sheets, pillows, bed spreads and maybe one heavy cover.

10.) If possible a small fan and a heater ( some colleges you will need these)

11.) Aspirin, pain relieving gel, ace bandages, band aids, cough medicine

12.) Various kinds of batteries and a CD player or something like that

13.) Magazines for boredom.

14.) I don't condone sleeping around, but since many people have sex and don't plan on it I advise men to have a few condoms with them and keep them in their dorm room since things can happen in the heat of the moment. This is not an endorsement of immoral behavior just reality.

15.) sun block

Some people might wonder why they need duck tape. If your blinds break duck tape will often temporarily hold up a curtain or a broken chair or table leg in some cases. Aspirin and things like that are because there are times you might need one and every place near by are closed. Another thing is since most people will have a roommate you can see what the roommate might bring. One might bring a fan and say you might bring a heater or microwave and so forth.

Thank you for reading.

God Bless you and God Bless America