School teaches them history, math, science, and writing. But do our kids have what they need to function in their day-to-day lives?
Here are 100 common skills college students need, but don’t always have:
- Say “no”
- Set and manage a goal with a timetable and milestones
- Communicate with professors and teaching assistants
- Manage their time with a calendar
- Read a bank statement and balance a checkbook
- Save regularly and make saving money a lifelong habit
- Use ride-sharing services safely
- How and when to make a phone call rather than texting – some things require a conversation
- Understand, improve, and maintain their credit score
- Mail a package
- Address an envelope
- Figure out postage and buy stamps
- Make, change, or cancel an appointment
- Deposit, withdraw, or move funds in an account (either by ATM, phone app or teller)
- Find medical care in an emergency and how and when to call an ambulance
- Get involved in their community
- How compound interest on savings or borrowing works
- Memorize your social security, credit card, and student ID numbers
- Turn off an overflowing toilet
- Borrow and lend money
- Manage peer pressure
- Walk away from… anything
- Utilize a meal plan and not waste money
- Do laundry
- Shop for groceries (lists, budget, coupons)
- Read nutrition labels
- Tip
- Make a list of favorite recipes
- Write a check
- Understand the terms when applying for a credit card
- Use any form of transportation including navigating and ticketing
- Choose a doctor
- Fill and refill a prescription
- Buy stamps
- Correctly use over-the-counter medications
- Keep scholarships and financial aid
- Eat healthy and resist unhealthy food choices
- Fill out health insurance forms
- Do their taxes
- Clean anything and everything
- Administer basic first aid
- What to do in a lockdown
- Be prepared for weather and power emergencies
- Find and work with a study group
- Find academic help, tutors, and mentors on a college campus
- Cope with feelings of stress or being overwhelmed
- Decide between a doctor’s appointment, urgent care, and the ER
- Understand medical coverage
- Write a resume
- Dress for an interview
- Complete a LinkedIn profile
- Stay in touch with friends and family
- Consume alcohol safely
- Get and use birth control
- Live with a group of strangers
- Plunge a toilet
- Stay safe
- Get the right amount of sleep and exercise
- Know when to seek professional medical or mental health services
- Prepare if they’re pulled over when driving
- Store and prepare food safely
- Read and understand a credit card statement
- Use basic tools for minor repairs
- Create and stick to a budget
- Deal with unexpected expenses
- Turn off a smoke alarm
- Stay healthy, including hand washing
- Use a fire extinguisher
- Recognize fraud in emails, phishing, and phone calls
- Write a professional email
- Stay current with local and national news
- VOTE, because it matters
- Advocate with medical professionals
- Apply for jobs, internships, and on-campus positions
- Locate routing and account numbers on checks
- Remember and recognize important dates in other’s lives
- Completing important forms like HIPAA, FERPA, Power of Attorney
- Get renter’s insurance
- Deal with a drunk friend
- Deal with a car accident
- Be clear about consent with a romantic partner
- Be your own strongest advocate in a positive way
- Manage if a credit card is lost or stolen
- Write and send a handwritten thank-you note
- Pay bills on time and set up automatic payment
- Understand the expense of owning a pet
- Follow an auto maintenance schedule
- Understand auto insurance and coverage
- Save money on textbooks
- Change bed sheets
- Manage social media presence
- Change a flat tire
- Sew a button
- Iron
- Deal with loneliness
- Greet someone respectfully with eye contact and a handshake
- Use jumper cables
- Research potential career paths
- Put yourself out there and make friends
- Manage subscriber services
What we really want our teens to know:
But the most important thing we want to teach our teens is that we love them unconditionally. They can call us anytime. No question is stupid. And, we’re available to them 24/7/365.
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