April 15, 2013

Why boot camp is a good idea for incoming freshman (part 1)

Apr. 15, 2013 at 08:00 AM | By Fran Levin-Vadeboncoeur | Comment Count

From deciding where to apply to taking those first steps onto campus to receiving a degree, join Hobsons over the next few months as we follow students, counselors, and their families on the path from college choice to completion. See more in the series.

“I got in! I got in!”

Nothing is more exciting for me as a high school counselor than hearing those simple but significant words when one of my seniors gets accepted to their first choice school.

What’s next? For starters, I always encourage students to let the remaining colleges they applied to know they won’t be attending. Next, students typically have questions about financial aid, scholarships, and campus life. But after the initial questions and happiness subside, students are pretty much left on their own to figure out how to prepare for fall semester.

My proposal: a mandatory boot camp for incoming freshman on how they can (really) get in shape for college.

Here’s what I would include:

Keep up the good work. Don’t stop putting effort into academics. Just because a student has been accepted to college doesn’t mean they won’t be placed on academic probation for underperforming the last quarter of their senior year in high school – worst case scenario, students can have their acceptance rescinded.

Don’t get into trouble. Again, colleges have the opportunity to change their minds after they admit students. A negative mark on a personal record could wreak havoc with college plans.

Learn how to budget money. Calculate how much you will have to spend each week and then decide how to allocate your dollars.

Movies? Eating out? Concerts? These items can take a big chunk of change! Allocate for necessary expenses like transportation, books, and supplies. If need be, students can look in to getting a summer job, but don’t wait until June to start searching.

Before I went to college, my Dad helped me create a budget. He predicted I’d go “bankrupt” in May. It actually happened in April.

Learn how to do your own housekeeping.

Here are a few questions all college bound seniors should consider:

How often should I do laundry? That depends on how many changes of clothes you have. But you really don’t want to let a pile of dirty clothes stink up your dorm room. Pick a day or evening every week to do laundry and stick to it. Start saving those quarters now!
Do I know how to use an iron? If you’re accustomed to nicely pressed shirts, you better learn!

Fran Levin-Vadeboncoeur is the counselor and college/career coordinator at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut.

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