There are some basic tasks you should learn BEFORE you go to college.  These include:

1.  Balancing your checkbook.  It is crucial to learn how to track money in your checking account.  Whether you use a debit card or write checks, you MUST record your transactions as soon as they are complete or at least file your receipts.  If you don’t keep track of your spending and deposits, you won’t have an accurate balance of your account.  At the end of each month, you need to sum all of your debit receipts, ATM withdrawal receipts, and checks written from your account and subtract that total from your deposits for the month.  Compare the total to the monthly bank statement and contact your bank if there are discrepancies between your records and the monthly bank statement.

2.  Laundry.  Ask your parent(s) to show you how to do laundry.  It’s really easy, but you need some direction if you have never done it before.  NOTE: The washers and dryers at home may differ slightly from the machines at school, but getting the basic idea of how to do laundry before you leave for college is the smart thing to do.

3.  Using a planner. Planning ahead is crucial in college.  Using a planner to help you schedule time to prepare for tests, complete papers, remember important meetings with professors, go to sporting and social events, and to meet all deadlines will be invaluable to you during your college career.

4.  Sharing.  This is important (even though it sounds like elementary school), because you’ll be living in a small dorm room with another person for almost an entire year.  You must share many of the larger items in your dorm room (such as microwaves, refrigerators, TV’s, and CD/MP3 players); there just isn’t enough room for two of everything.  Be prepared to be understanding and to share things with your college roommate.  Remember, you don’t want to double up on main items in your room, so talk to your roommate before you move in to see who will bring what.

Learning these tasks is crucial to your success as a college student.  If you need more information or advice, talk with your parents, relatives, teachers, brothers or sisters, friends who are current college students, or other trusted friends.