Life is hard for everyone, especially university students. The amount of pressure they face is monumental. They are experiencing their first taste of life as an adult. They get this taste while still working out the stresses from high school that will reoccur at university. The difference is that at university, those issues intensify. If you’re one of those people who have a lot of assignments to complete and deadlines are fast approaching. Check out these tips from Study Crumb that they are sharing.
Peer pressure is even stronger. Social pressure is more intense. And all this happens in an environment where there is no adult supervision to keep things on track. No one will wake you up in the morning to ensure you are ready for class.
These new freedoms and stresses are being experienced by people with brains that are not even close to being fully developed. While there is some variance, on average, the brain is not fully developed until age 25. Your 18-year-old entering college needs to live about 40% longer to get a fully developed brain. Their decision-making is poor. Their risk-taking is high. And their ability to handle stress is shaky at best. Most of that is down to biology that you can’t change. Here is what you can do to make those stresses a lot more manageable for your university teen.
Use Secure Parcel Lockers
Theft at universities happens a lot. Most campuses are open and anyone can walk onto the campus grounds and access the facilities. Those threats are in addition to the sticky-fingered students that attend the school. When you are helping your teen choose a university, look at the crime rates. Also, only select universities that are at or near secure parcel lockers for universities. This eliminates packages from being dropped off outside the dorm room or apartment door. It will also eliminate accidental package pickups by other students.
Your child is going to need some items from home on occasion. You might send them a credit card. That is something you want to send in the most secure way you can find. You might also need to send them books, their favorite blanket, or a framed photo of the family to help keep them grounded. Whatever you need to send, you want to be sure that they receive it with maximum security and convenience. They will face a lot of stress over their studies and grades. Be sure they do not have the added stress of worrying about whether or not their package was misappropriated.
Help Them Design a Peaceful Living Space
Have you seen the average dorm room? They are cramped and ugly affairs that are often only one step up from prison accommodations. That is no place to live for four of your most formative years. What you can do is help them give that college bedroom a design makeover so that it is more suitable for thriving.
First, you can make it aesthetically pleasing. Many universities have no problem with you painting the walls as long as you repaint it to the original color when you go. Wall art is your friend. Don’t forget to make the space functional. You can draw inspiration from tiny homes. They utilize specialized furniture that is small but multi-function. The kitchen table is also the desk. The couch is also the storage. The bed is also the piano. Okay, maybe not the last one. But don’t underestimate what can be done to make a small space highly functional.
Give Them Better Gear
Apple just released the M1 Pro MacBook Pro line of notebooks that blows away the competition in performance. So why would you send them to university with a budget PC? Google just released the Pixel 6 that retakes the smartphone camera crown according to many pundits. So why would you send them to school with that white label knockoff? Your kids are going to have a hard time keeping up at first. They are going to lose concentration, sleep, and energy while they sort out their priorities. Don’t give them another disadvantage by cheaping out on the equipment they will rely on for the next four years. Make sure they have the best of something even if they can’t have the best of everything.
Your child is going to have the time of their life at university. Make sure it is the best possible time by ensuring secure package delivery, a livable space, and best-in-class tech.
