9 Essential Things To Do Before College

Finishing high school and getting off to college is a life-changing event for young people. This is especially the case if you’re moving away from home and starting to live more independently. And, while it can all seem like a huge change and even intimidate you a bit, you just need to do the necessary preparation.

Preparing for college will help you ease your mind and make this transition much more smooth and less stressful. There are things you need to take care of before you go to college, and we’ll help you out.

Below, you’ll find a list of 9 essential things to do before college.

1. Focus on Finishing High School

With all the excitement and pressure of starting college, many students lose focus over their final high school tasks and obligations.

Make sure you finish strongly with your exams, papers, and essays. If you need help with your final assignments, GrabMyEssay has professional writers ready to jump in. Give it all you’ve got to graduate with the best grades.

2. Explore the Area

If you’re moving away to a new city, you should do some exploring before your classes start. You want to know what this city has to offer and how to get around for your daily needs.

So, ask around and take a daily trip to your college surroundings to find a park, a bakery, a coffee shop, the bus and train station, and all the things you’ll need once you start living there.

3. Connect With Classmates

Freshman year can be stressful, especially if you don’t know anyone from your class. But, with the help of social media, you can easily find and reach out to future classmates.

Together, you can discuss college preparation, what to expect, and share the experiences of your senior colleagues. You can even use messaging apps to create groups and to chat or agree to meet up before the classes start.

This kind of support will mean a lot to you during the first days at college.

4. Earn Some Money

Once college starts, it will be hard for you to work a part-time job and earn some pocket money. Also, your expenses will increase and the money you get from your parents won’t cover all your needs.

So, think about earning some money the summer before college. It’ll come in handy for:

• going out
• buying study materials
• enrolling in courses
• paying for transportation

Find a job that could help you save some extra money, just to be safe.

5. Learn Some Basic Cooking

You don’t want to go off to college without even knowing how to scramble some eggs. You need to be prepared for an independent life, so gather some basic cooking tips while you’re still at home.

Ask for help from your parents or older siblings and volunteer as the household chef for a week or two. This will help you:

• stay away from junk food in college
• save money for not eating out all the time

Learn some basic cooking to prepare yourself for living alone.

6. Handle the Paperwork

Depending on your college, you might need to handle some additional paperwork before you officially become a student. Regularly check your email to see if they request documents such as:

• health records
• orientation information
• financial aid verification
• high school transcripts
• scholarship essay

Be prepared to send the paperwork they need. You can use Lets Grade It to make sure all your writing is original and unique. Handle the paperwork responsibly and send everything in time.

7. Create a Budget Plan

Now that you’re more independent, you need to pay attention to how you’re spending your money. You should create a budget plan before your school year starts to make sure you’re ready for this responsibility.

Your budget plan needs to include:

• the sources of your income e.g. parents’ allowance, scholarship, side-job, savings, student loan, etc.
• the expenses you’ll need to cover e.g. rent, college tuition, study materials, food, transportation, etc.
• the money you want to set aside and save
• the money you’ve got left

Plan your budget responsibly and always remind yourself to stick to it. Learn to cover the most important expenses first and never let yourself be penniless.

8. Have Some Fun

This is the last summer before you say goodbye to your old life and begin a whole new chapter. It’s exciting and fun, but you’ll have a lot of work to do and so little free time.

So, use the period to have some fun and:

• spend time with the family
• hang out with your friends
• take a trip somewhere
• do the things you love doing the most

You deserve to relax and enjoy some more before you head off to college and start working hard on achieving your academic goals.

9. Attend Orientation

Finally, you want to make sure you did everything you could to make it easy on yourself. Orientation is the final step you should take to round up the preparation stage.

At orientation, you’ll learn about:

• services and student support
• professors
• classrooms
• student activities

You’ll be able to fit in much better and kick off your freshmen year with more confidence.

Final Thoughts

Yes, there’s a lot you need to do before you go to college. But, make sure you enjoy all these things. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you’ll never get to do all over again.

Use our list of the 9 essential things to do before college as guidance, and make sure everything’s ready for your first day as a college freshman.