Checklist for your High School Student before they leave home for college
Leaving high school and preparing for college is an exciting yet challenging transition.
Beyond academic preparation, developing essential life skills can help set your child up for success.
This blog post provides a bingo-style checklist to guide high school seniors in mastering key competencies before they head off to college.
Financial Literacy:
Goal: Prepare students to manage their personal finances responsibly
What to discuss:
- Budgeting basics: Creating and sticking to a budget
- Understanding credit: How credit cards work and managing debt
- Basics of savings and investments
- Navigating student loans
- How to pay bills
Resources:
- Khan Academy’s Personal Finance Course
- “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi
- Monarch Money or YNAB (You Need a Budget) apps
- Design Mom’s budget game for teens
Practice Activity:
Create a mock monthly budget based on an estimated college student’s expenses.
Cooking and Home:
Goal: Ensure students can prepare healthy meals and understand the basics of good nutrition.
What to discuss:
- Meal planning and grocery shopping on a budget
- Simple recipes: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
- Reading nutrition labels
- Food safety basics
- How to do laundry
- Basic Car maintainence
Resources:
- “Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day” by Leanne Brown (free PDF available)
- Easy Recipes for College Students
- MyPlate.gov
- Reddit/how to do laundry
- Car maintenance checklist
Practice Activity: Cook three meals using a weekly budget of $50 or less and build a cleaning kit for their dorm room.
Time and Organization:
Goal: Teach students how to prioritize tasks and manage their schedules effectively.
What to discuss:
- Using digital tools like Google Calendar and Trello
- Effective study habits
- Avoiding procrastination
- Balancing academics, social life, and self-care
Resources:
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey
- Todoist for task management
- YouTube videos on the Pomodoro Technique
Practice Activity:
- Plan a hypothetical week balancing classes, work, and personal time.
Health and Wellness:
Goal: Promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
What to discuss:
- Basic first aid and when to seek medical help
- Exercise routines for small spaces
- Mental health resources: Coping with stress and homesickness
Resources:
- Headspace for meditation
- American Red Cross First Aid app
- “The College Student’s Guide to Mental Health“
Practice Activity:
- Plan a hypothetical week balancing classes, work, and personal time. Also research health and wellness options on campus.
Social Skills:
Goal: Help High School students build and maintain healthy relationships.
What to discuss:
- Navigating roommate relationships
- Conflict resolution strategies
- Networking basics and making friends
Resources:
- “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
- TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
- Planned Parenthood
Practice Activity:
- Role-play a challenging roommate conversation scenario.
By mastering these life skills, high school seniors can step into college life with confidence and resilience.
Are there any additional skills you’d add to this syllabus? Adjust and adapt for your specific senior’s future plans!
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