College Readiness: Part 1  Time Managment, Planning vs. Procrastination

Is your College Senior ready for life on campus?

Starting college is one of the most exciting and challenging time in a budding adult’s life.  Making new friends, setting your own schedule, and deciding what you want to learn are some of the new experiences that lay ahead for the class of 2028.  However, with this transition comes challenges.  For many, this will be their first completely autonomous experience, as they meet the world on their own terms.  But in order to successfully navigate this transition into autonomy, self regulating skills are needed.  

In this series of articles , I will lay out skills that are needed for a successful transition to life on campus.  The first important skills to address is time management and planning.

TIME MANAGEMENT

 Someone wise once said “half the key to success is showing up”. In college, no truer words have been spoken.  Here are some questions to ponder:

• Can your senior wake themselves up for school, eat breakfast and get to school on time ?  
• Do they arrive on time to work, practice and family events? 
• Do they currently utilize a calendar or tracker to stay on top of school, work, social events?
• Do they remember to turn in assignments? When they have tests?
• Do they need to be reminded to eat, study , go to sleep?

All these are examples of time management and are critical for life on campus.  The most important being, can they get themselves to class , every class, on time.

PLANNING vs PROCRASTINATION

Closely related to time management is the ability to plan out a strategy to accomplish goals. Our educational system is structured so that by the time a child is in high school, the ability to plan is tested through projects, paper writing, and preparing for tests.  However, their planning abilities thus far have been shaped by a supportive network of teachers and parents monitoring their success.  This will not be available at the college level.   This skill is the key to success at the university level and it is important to assess if your senior needs to brush up on planning strategies for college.

•  Does your child wait until the last minute to complete tasks?  
• Are you constantly checking to see if they are doing homework, studying for tests, making their dinner, showering, or  filling out forms?
• Did your child study for tests?  Especially intelligent children can get through high school without much effort, thus not developing good planning skills.   Unfortunately it is unlikely that intelligence alone will lead to success at the university level.

If you and your senior are concerned about the college transition, Marsh Psychology Group is offering short term counseling for college readiness . Designed for the months before college, sessions will focus on individually assessing each student’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to independent living.  We will develop a plan to build up skills prior to fall semester and help each person identify strategies to create a successful transition to life on campus. 

Pamela Warner Marsh, Psy.D.  

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Contact  Marsh Psychology Group at 248-860-2024- call or text.  Email pmarsh@marshpsychologygroup.com  for more information.