Sending your children to university is a massive milestone for them, and it is the start of a new chapter in both yours and theirs. Although it’s a very exciting time, it can also bring feelings of uncertainty and anxiety for both the parents and children. As a parent, it is still your role to help your child prepare for the transition and make sure that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to thrive while at university.
Photo by Anastasiya Gepp
In this guide, we’re going to look at the ways that you can best support your child as they get ready to go. University. Will have a look at everything from emotional preparation to making sure that they find the right accommodation for them.
Emotional Preparation: How Can You Ease The Transition?
Open Communication
When your child goes to university, one of the most important things that you can do is maintain open lines of communication. There will be a mix of excitement and apprehension about leaving home for the first time, so it is important that they feel like they can talk about their feelings. Try to encourage them to express any worries or expectations that they may have about their new adventure. Try talking about things like making new friends, managing their time, and homesickness. Reassure them that you are always there if they need you.
Grow Their Independence
When your child is at university, they are not going to have you there to take care of their basic responsibilities. This means that you need to start giving them some more independence while at home so they are ready for when they are at university. This might mean helping them manage their own finances, learning to cook some essential healthy meals, and doing their own laundry. When you provide them with these practical skills, you are making sure that they are capable of living on their own.
Coping With Changes
It can be scary to leave home and get used to a new environment. For some people, it is a huge challenge, but if you give your child some coping strategies for managing stress and uncertain times, they should be able to fly through it. Encourage them to get involved in activities that promote good mental well-being, such as mindfulness, keeping a diary, and regular exercise. It might be a good idea to sign them up for a gym membership so that they can have some time to do this. They may not think about doing things like this for themselves, especially when they first start university. Do some research and find out where the university’s support services are, and make sure that your child knows this, too.
Discuss The Expectations
University is all about your child exploring and growing; therefore, it is important to talk with them about what they want to get out of their experience. Talk about their academic goals as well as their social goals, and make sure that they have a plan for how they can achieve them while they are there. To learn how to balance academic and social activities. When you do this, you can help them navigate any challenges that may come with university life.
Academic Prep: Set Them Up For Success
Understand The Course Requirements
Even though you’re not going to be taking the course yourself, it’s a good idea to sit down with your child and review the course syllabus together. When you understand what the course entails, including its key modules, you can help give your child a clear picture of what they can expect. You can also help keep track of them and talk to them through their course assignments so they have a proactive approach.
Encourage Good Study Habits
University is all about studying and making sure that you are learning from your lectures. You are expected to have a higher level of study compared to college or high school. This means that you need to help your child develop good study habits early on by creating a study plan and a schedule that includes time for lectures, assignments, and revision. Also, find out which environments they study best in. It could be at the local library or in their own personal space. Try to teach them time management skills so that they will avoid having to get stressed out at the last minute.
Look At The University Resources
The majority of universities will have a range of resources that students can use to help them succeed academically. Have a look at the university resources yourself, and then talk to your child about how they can take advantage of them. It could be attending something like a study skills workshop or simply using the library. Make sure that they know where to find these resources so that they can use them early on.
Finance: Teach Them About Budgeting And Managing Money
One of the biggest changes and adjustments that university students face as they become financially independent. Rather than relying on you as parents, they now have to budget and manage their own money. This includes things like tuition fees, living expenses, and other additional costs.
Set Up A Budget
One of the first things that you should do with your child is to create a budget. Talk to them about how they can categorise all the items needed on their budget and teach them how they can manage and manipulate it to make sure that it works for them. They should include things such as accommodation, food costs, transportation costs, entertainment and socialising costs, and course materials.
Once you have a budget in place with your child, encourage them to track their spending so that they know that they can stay within that budget. If they feel like they’re ever struggling with their budget or they’re overspending, then encourage them to speak up and talk to you so that you can have a look and help them manage their money a little bit better. Remember, if this is the first time that they have managed their money, they may need a little bit of extra support and time to get it right.
Explore Financial Options
Most universities will often offer things like scholarships or grants; it’s a good idea to make sure that your child is eligible for any of these before they start. If they qualify, then it will help them financially if you apply for them. You will also need to look at any available student loans, as they will inevitably need something like this to support them through their university years. You should also have a look at opening a student bank account that offers benefits such as interest-free overdrafts or discounts on travel. Something like this can be a great financial safety net and help them manage their money better. You will need to look at everything, including student accommodation costs and food costs.
Support Them Financially
Although you may not be able to support them fully when they are at their university, it might be a good idea to save so that you are able to offer them some financial help as and when they need it. At times, you may find that they need to support you financially, and this is to be expected. Make sure that you have some savings put aside so that you can help them. It could be that they need to buy a new laptop because theirs is old, or it could be that they are faced with an unexpected deposit for next year’s accommodation.
These are just some of the ways you can support your child when they are going to university. There are other things to consider, like heading to their university and helping them find their way around.