The Transition to College: You Control Your Future
In the next few weeks, kids from our community will return to school to start yet another semester in their academic journey. Some parents are even going through the exciting transition of sending their recent high school graduates off to college. This is a very interesting time in their lives because they’ll experience so many wonderful opportunities where they can build their potential.
If you have children heading to college in the coming weeks, take some time to talk with them about how much potential and opportunity is in front of them. Let them know how much they can accomplish while away from home so they can enter this stage in their lives with a beneficial mindset. When they’re properly prepared, they’ll go into the experience with an awareness that they can create the life they want.
When I started my first semester of college, I remember how odd it felt that no one was checking in on me to make sure I was completing assignments and receiving good grades. Teachers didn’t even care if I turned in assignments or not. It was such an extreme change when I realized I was the only one responsible for myself.
Before heading to college, many of us can remember our parents asking how much homework we had or what grades we received on a specific test or assignment, but in college, we’re no longer completing things just because Mom or Dad asked us about it. It was at this moment I learned that I could choose what kind of student I would be.
This might surprise you, but I wasn’t the best student in high school. I passed my classes and did well, but my grades weren’t perfect. After my first year of college, I started to get straight A’s in every class. This was because my self motivation was greater than any external force. It was a great learning and development experience. I could form an idea of what success looked like for me and what I wanted to do with my life.
If your kids are heading off to college, encourage them to reach for the stars and chase their dreams. They’re entering a new age of responsibility and should embrace it. Starting the moment they step foot on campus, they can create the life they want.
