Back to College Tips
Yikes! The day is almost here – the day you will take your child to college for the first time or send them off for another year. There is so much to do and think about. We have put together this Big List of Back to College Tips and Resources to help your student and you have the best experience possible!
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The Big List of Back to College Tips and Resources
#1 Back to College Tips and Resources: Dorm Ideas and Shopping
Here are all of our dorm idea and shopping resources:
25 Brilliant Dorm Room Ideas and Shopping Tips
#2 Back to College Tips and Resources: Moving into the Dorm Tips and Resources
Moving to the dorm is an exercise in not losing your cool while attempting to pack as many necessary items as possible into a small space shared with another person whom you just met and whose 5 family members are also there. It may be 107 degrees outside. The elevators in the dorm either will not work or will already have a line of 100 people standing outside them.
If all goes well, the dorm is cool. The other family is super nice and enthusiastic about getting along. A group of upper class men have met you at the curb and your things magically will appear in your room before you get the car parked. But even in the best situations be sure to plan ahead with:
11 Tech Essentials for College
The Parent’s Survival Kit for College Move In
#3 Back to College Tips and Resources: Health Care and Safety Issues Away from Home
One thing you may not have thought to pack is a small first aid kit. And I do mean small. You do not need a kit for a 5 mile hike. You do not need a kit to stop the bleeding for a severed limb. Unfortunately most commercial kits seem to be packed only for this possibility with 10 pounds of bandages and not much else.
Make your own first aid kit with the necessities like this one.
This is also a really great book to include with the kit:
Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
Buy Now →Be sure you are ready legally to handle a medical emergency with your adult child. Yes, the government says they are adults even if they still want to bowl with bumpers and want you to call the dentist for them. Mama Bear Legal Forms is our go to resource.
You can read about our experience when our son had an emergency appendectomy his junior year of college. These situations are manageable, but a little planning ahead sure does help them go smoother.
And you can list to our podcast interview about it on College Scoops.
Also be sure to remind your student to stay safe!!! Here are 15 Ways to Keep Your Student Safe at College
Don’t forget to have these 5 Crucial Conversations Before College
#4 Back to College Tips and Resources: Paying for College
It is never too late to work on your strategies for Paying for College. Scholarships and debt free degrees are still a possibility even after your student has started school. Many departmental scholarships are ONLY OPEN TO UPPERCLASSMEN. Be sure to ask your student if they are taking advantage of the opportunities to apply for these.
Jocelyn of The Scholarship System has many resources for scholarships, as well as how to get a debt free degree.
Monica Matthews of How 2 Win Scholarships is another of our favorite resources for timely, realistic, and honest scholarship information.
#5 Back to College Tips and Resources: Care Packages
Every college student needs a steady flow of encouragement. The arrival of a care package with a few snacks and gifts can be just the thing to get them through a tough week.
We have FREE printables for a special Back to School Care Package.
Create the Best Care Package for Finals
Also check out Care Package Ideas for all Occasions
NPP Review of Mama Bear Legal Forms -if you have kids over the age of 18, please read!
Does your student have Student Prime at Amazon? There are so many advantages to this including the price! Discounts on the following: flights, tutoring, the Calm app, GrubHub, Prime videos and gaming, textbook purchases and rentals, Amazon photos, fashion Prime “try before you buy”, early access to Amazon lightening deals, and Whole Foods, and so much more!! Sign up for a 6-month trial here!
Best of luck and fellow mama love from Mel and Laura as you send your students to college this year!! We are here with college parent tips and resources for the entire year as well as empty nesting, parenting your parents, and everything Next Phase!
We would love to stay in touch!
Be sure to see all of the Next Phase Parenting Resources on our Resources Page and subscribe to our Next Phase Parenting newsletter below for a weekly dose of love from us about surviving and thriving in your almost or already empty nest. Visit our Facebook page, and follow us on Pinterest and Instagram where we share lots of helpful info for parents with teens, young adults, our aging parents, and other issues that we experience in the sandwich generation ! Thank you so much!❤️
