How can High School Seniors prepare for College?


Monday, December 21, 2020

How can high school seniors and their families prepare for college next year?



Holiday season is in full swing! Many families and college-bound high school seniors are wondering how they can prepare for the year ahead.

One way to prepare is by making sure that college-bound high school seniors have practical skills, knowledge and items. These practical items can come in handy either while they are engaged in a hybrid learning system as they live on-campus or as they engage with online college learning.

For starters, you can encourage any family and friends who are asking about holiday gifts to simply give cash.

While cash may not have the sentimental aspect of a gift, it can be quite useful for students who are balancing a college budget. As you know, college tuition and expenses can be staggeringly high. Students and their families will also need to spend money on basic living expenses and more. Students who are attending universities that plan to keep their campuses open with limited operations as COVID-19 continues will also have to spend more as they navigate campus life.

As such, every dollar counts. Cash gifts can help students save up for specific expenses.

High school seniors can learn how to make homemade meals!

Learning how to meal plan and make meals at home will be useful for students who will be learning how to live on a college student budget. 

College campuses that are open will likely continue offer grab and go meals next year. Learning how to stock up on groceries in a balanced way as well as cook meals at home according to a balanced meal plan will help students stay physically healthy as they navigate college life.

High schoolers can start learning what it means to design and run a budget.

Parents and high school seniors should go over what a college budget will look like. It will be helpful to discuss how much money will be spent on tuition, transportation costs, textbooks, meals, etc. 

Awareness of the responsibility to budget responsibly can help students prepare themselves for college.

It might be time to start thinking about a credit card.

A credit card can also help students start learning about the responsibilities of budgeting. 

High school seniors will need the right technology for college.

College students will be most comfortable if they have their own laptop as they navigate college and higher education. While students may have access to a shared family desktop at home, challenges may arise when multiple people need to use the computer at the same time. On college campuses, not all libraries will be functioning with the same capacity so students may not always have access to a university desktop or laptop.

A bike and a helmet  can help students transport themselves safely and easily.

Whether they are staying at home for remote learning as the pandemic continues or going off to a college campus, a bicycle is an easy way to travel while being able to respect COVID-19 social and physical safety guidelines. 

It is also relatively cost effective!

If a high school senior is headed off to a college campus next year, it could be helpful to send them off with common hygiene safety supplies.


Supplies such as thermometer to help a student monitor their own temperature can be quite useful. Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and disinfectant sprays can also be useful for students who will be moving into new places of residence.

It will be necessary to discuss how college may look next year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. 

While vaccination efforts are underway, college life will still look different for much of next year. It would be helpful for high schoolers and their families to talk about the changes that have been made to the normal college experience.




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