11 Things You Should Know How To Do Before Going to College
What do you really need to know before starting college? Knowing your major, your dormitory, or the layout of the campus can be helpful. However, these other skills are invaluable and will help you far beyond your college years.
Master these 11 skills to get ahead of your peers and to help you start the school year with more confidence. Use this summer to master each and every one of them!
11 Things You Should Know How To Do Before Going to College
1. Iron clothing.
I’ll never forget my roommate staring at me in shock. As I pulled out my iron and plugged it in an outlet, she protested: “No, no, no. Girl, let me introduce you to something called wrinkle release.” As she unplugged my iron and handed me a spray bottle of wrinkle release, I wondered if college students ever used irons at all. While some might use their irons as glorified a panini press, I came to find out that there were times where using an actual iron was necessary.
The difference between a sharp-looking outfit and a sloppy-looking outfit is usually ironing. While you probably won’t iron clothes on a daily or even weekly basis at college, you need to know how to iron clothing for special occasions. Don’t wait until you get to college and are in a rush to get ready to learn this skill! Take some time to learn how to iron a nice shirt this summer.
If you’re wondering how to iron a nice shirt, here is a basic overview for a standard button-up shirt:
Check your shirt’s tag to check the shirt’s material. (Most shirts are made of primarily cotton.)
Add some water to your iron and adjust the heat settings to the material of your shirt (in most cases, cotton).
Allow the iron to heat up. (Most irons make some sort of noise when they are heated up to the correct temperature.)
If you do not have an ironing board (which most students do not), use a dry towel on a flat surface—like your floor—as an ironing board.
Start by ironing the collar of your shirt, then iron the top of the back of the shirt (called the yoke).
Next, iron the cuffs on both sides of your shirt, followed by your sleeves.
Lastly iron the front sides and back.
Hang your shirt on a hanger and button at least half of the front buttons.
You may not have to iron every part of the shirt for some occasions, especially if you’re wearing a sports jacket and do not plan to take the jacket off. Consider what parts of your shirt will be visible and be sure they look the best.
Practice on some shirts this summer. You will be glad you didn’t wait until the day you needed a dress shirt to learn this skill.
2. Wash clothing.
I was talking to a former dorm supervisor the other day who shared this horrifying but true story. A student in his dormitory once put both his dirty laundry and detergent through a cycle in the dryer, which resulted in that student ruining almost all of his clothes for the semester. Yikes. What an expensive mistake!
Maybe your mom or dad has never made you take care of washing and drying your own clothes. Maybe you never cared to learn how to take care of your clothes. This summer is the time to learn.
So here are some basic rules that can help you get started:
Separate your white clothes from your colored clothes before going to the laundry.
Wash your white clothes separately from colored clothes.
Wash your colored clothes in cold water (a setting on the washing machines).
Use the recommended amount of laundry detergent in each load. Using too much can make your load take longer. Using too little results in less than clean clothing.
Use a stain remover on badly stained clothes as soon as possible. Don’t wait until days later to try to get tough stains out. (Tide-To-Go pens are great for this!)
Fill the washing machine but do not stuff it (where you can barely close the lid.) Your clothes could get torn in the machine, or they may not wash properly.
When you purchase new clothing, look at the tags to see if there are special instructions like “hand wash only” or “dry clean only.”
Do not dry garments made primarily of cotton, linen, or silk that you do not want to shrink.
Remove your laundry from the dryer soon after it stops to keep your clothing from wrinkling.
Hang up freshly dried clothes that might require ironing to keep them from excessive wrinkling.
Use this summer to learn the ropes of washing your own clothing. You can always ask your mom or dad questions when you are at home, but you can’t do this every time you wash your clothes at college.
3. Drive a car.
I have an embarrassing confession: I did not have my driver’s license before attending college. There were many times where I felt incredibly ashamed I did not have a license. Not having a license made every day activities a hassle.
Depending on where you live, a driver’s license may not be a necessity. However, if you do have plans to get your license eventually, this summer is the best time to do it. In your college years, your summers will be busy with internships or volunteer trips. Finding time to practice driving, go to the DMV, and get transportation to and from places in the meantime will be difficult when home on break.
Getting your license before going to college will help you have more freedom when home. It will also make it easier for you to find work. If you don’t have your license already, use this summer to get this out of the way.
4. Clean a sink and mirror.
Many dorm rooms will have at least a sink and a mirror. Sharing this sink and mirror with a roommate means that it will probably be dirty more often. Do not let days or weeks pass without truly cleaning it.
Make habits this summer that will help you keep your bathroom clean. For example, do not leave toothpaste in the sink. If you can, wash it down with the sink water. Use a small piece of toilet paper or Kleenex to remove any hairs or spots on the sink. When flossing your teeth, avoid splashing the mirror. If you do, clean it off with a rag or piece of toilet paper.
By doing little things to keep your bathroom clean daily, you will avoid having a huge mess on your sink and mirror. So what do you do when your sink is a big mess? Clean it, and here’s how:
After spraying the sink’s surface with a cleaning spray (easy to find in a supermarket), use a sponge or washrag to wipe the surface of the sink. Be sure to scrub off any dried toothpaste, makeup, or hair products.
Rinse out your sponge or rag when done, and place it somewhere near the sink where it can dry out.
Spray the mirror with Windex or a similar product a few times. Use a few paper towel squares to wipe the mirror clean. Scrub to remove hairspray, makeup, or watermarks.
As the school year gets busy, you can forget to deep clean your sink and mirror. Try to make it a weekly part of your routine. When you arrive at school, you may even be able to make a rotating schedule with your roommate so that you can share this job.
5. Vacuum carpets.
While vacuuming may seem like a no-brainer task, it actually requires some attention to detail. For some reason, I particularly enjoy vacuuming. There’s something about seeing the progress of my cleaning labors.
Many colleges provide vacuums in the dormitories. Your dorm may or may not. If your college does provide a vacuum, you may find that it can be difficult to locate at times. Be sure you know where the vacuums are located in your first few weeks of college.
So, does vacuuming require any skill? Yes and no. Vacuuming is an easily learned skill, but it can also be easy to be lazy when vacuuming. Be sure that you follow some sort of pattern when vacuuming. For example, clean in sections of the room: near the door, near your desk, next to your closet, etc.
Please do not let most of the semester go by without vacuuming. Your floors are gross, especially if you and your roommate have long hair. A clean floor is important, so be sure you learn how to vacuum now.
6. Make a bed.
My roommate during my sophomore year of college had a unique sleeping regime. She slept on top of her comforter and used a regular blanket as her cover at night. Each morning she would slightly smooth her covers and fake fold her blanket. I had never encountered this before, nor have I since.
Making your bed in the morning is one of the annoying tasks that takes hardly any time but should be done. When waking each morning, choose to make a habit of making your bed. Smooth your sheets and comforter, and place the pillows on top. Refuse to put it off until later.
Making your bed after changing your sheets is another task that is annoying but needs to be done. As a general rule, you should try to wash and change your sheets at least once a week. Some students arrive at college not knowing how to make a bed, so here’s the bare bones of how to make your bed:
Take off your pillows and blankets.
Place the fitted-sheet on your bed matching the sheet lengthwise and put the sheet on the mattress.
Put your top sheet on the bed, making sure that right side is facing up. Adjust the length of your top sheet to where you like it.
At the foot of the bed, tuck in the top sheet under the mattress.
On the sides, tuck in your top sheets under the mattress at the foot of your bed.
Place on your comforter or blanket and pillows on top.
Actually making your bed can help you have a better night’s rest, so be sure you truly make your bed after waking each day and after washing the sheets. Try to make this good habit during the summer.
7. Write a thank you note.
You might have a hard time remembering the last time you wrote a thank you note, unless you just finished writing them for your high school open house gifts. You may think handwritten notes are a thing of the past, but they aren’t. In the increasingly digital world of today, a handwritten note means much more, because it takes time and effort.
The art of writing a sincere thank you note is a skill you should have in adulthood, starting in college. Learning this basic skill can take you far, so start this summer. Here are the basics of what you should include in a thoughtful, clearly legible thank you card:
Address the person by the name he or she prefers you to use—Dear Mr. Green—followed by a comma.
Use the first sentence to express appreciation without saying “thank you”—I so enjoyed spending the weekend with your family.
Be specific with your gratitude—Thank you for the gift card to Bed, Bath, & Beyond! I am looking forward to using it to purchase some much needed dorm supplies, which can be expensive.
Sign the note with an appropriate closing—“Yours truly” or “With sincere appreciation”—and your first and last names.
A well-written, thoughtful thank you note will get you places, so be sure to learn this skill now. Gratitude is always appropriate and appreciated.
8. Start a conversation with a stranger.
I have to say one of the most frustrating parts of interacting with high school and college students is this: they often don’t know how to start and maintain a short conversation with a stranger. Please be the exception to this generally true fact about young people!
Starting the conversation is often the most difficult part. Meeting new people can be difficult; talking to them for the first time, even more so. So what is the secret to starting a conversation? Keep the focus on the person by asking questions. Try using questions that get the person talking:
Ask his or her name.
Ask where he or she is from.
Ask about his or her hobbies.
Ask about his or her family.
Ask about what brought him or her to the same event.
Before long you will notice you do not have to talk much. The other person will be busy talking about himself or herself. You will have very little to add or insert. The tricky part is listening. Stay engaged by adding follow up questions (e.g. “Did you always live there?”).
If you are an especially introverted or shy person, starting a conversation with a stranger is probably hard for you. Use this summer to sharpen and improve this skill. Challenge yourself to initiate a conversation with 3-5 strangers this summer break. You can do it! The more you practice the better you’ll get.
9. Introduce yourself.
On the first day of college classes, you will feel like all you do is introduce yourself. At first you may feel anxious, but at the end of the first week of classes you will be weary of saying the same things about yourself over and over.
Introducing yourself, especially to a new roommate, may feel awkward to you. You may feel like you don’t have much to say or you have too much to say. Take this summer to practice your introduction.
One of the first things you should think about is how you will change your introduction based on to whom you are talking. For example, if you are introducing yourself to your roommate, you will probably keep your introduction informal and casual. But if you are introducing yourself to your professor, you will be more formal and professional.
First impressions can last a long time, so be sure to give a good one with a quality introduction. As a general rule, these are good facts to include about yourself in your introduction:
Your actual and preferred first name.
Your last name.
Your year in college or your status as a high school graduate bound for college.
Your hometown.
Something you may have in common with the people or person to whom you are talking.
Finding common ground with people can help you form an immediate connection, which helps make you more likable. For example, you stop by your RA’s room and notice a picture of him or her with children in a third world country. You just spent a few weeks volunteering on a medical aid trip to a third world country. You could comment, “I can’t help but notice your photo on your desk. I just went on a trip to Haiti this summer to work with kids around that age. Where did you go on your trip?”
In a more formal setting, you want to keep the fact you have in common more professional, like a book on the shelf you recognize. For example, you walk in your academic advisor’s office and notice a book by a prominent scholar in your field. You’ve heard about the book but have not read it yet. You could comment, “I see you have a copy of ______________. I haven’t read it yet, but it is on my reading list. How did you enjoy it?”
Use this summer to practice introducing yourself to new people. Challenge yourself to introduce yourself to 3-5 people this summer. Make your first impression a good one!
10. Make plans and stick to them.
If I’m entirely honest, this can be a struggle for me. Sometimes committing to an event or party can mean saying “no” to something else better that comes up last minute. Sometimes committing can also mean going out when you’d rather stay in and sleep or watch Netflix.
Before you arrive on your campus, you need to learn the art of making and sticking to plans. Making plans will probably be your initial struggle. For me, I arrived at college with a meal plan, which meant I had to adjust to eating in a dining hall. At my college, almost no one eats alone for any meal in the dining hall. I was not used to making plans to eat with friends 2 to 3 times a day. (Not to mention, I didn’t have enough friends to do that with each day.)
Sometimes in new situations, people can be fearful of making the first move. Maybe they fear rejection, disappointment, or failure. Whatever it is, they are afraid to be the one to say, “We should grab a meal sometime. Does Thursday or Friday work for you?”
Without follow through your plans are nothing more than hopeful wishing. Be the one who follows up and nails down a specific date and time. Don’t let the whole semester go by without making and sticking to any plans!
Another helpful tip is to give a reminder. Some people can be extremely bad at remembering plans, so a simple text can be helpful. Be sure to exchange numbers or follow him or her on social media so that you can send a message.
Make this summer the one in which you start making and keeping plans for yourself. You will have an extra advantage when college starts.
11. Say “no.”
Saying “no" can be one of the hardest things to learn. If you are a go-getter, an overachiever, or a type-A personality, you may struggle with turning down opportunities. You want to take advantage of being asked or included, but saying “yes” when you should be saying “no” can hurt you long term.
I was a student who struggled with saying no. I wanted to have the full college experience. I wanted to excel. I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow, but saying “yes” to everything comes at a cost.
The cost is often your health. Your health is one of your best resources. Do not sacrifice your health this early in your adulthood. Learning to say “no” on occasion now will save you in the long run.
So, when should you say “no” to good things?
When you must sacrifice needed sleep at night
When you have to skip meals on a regular basis
When you have to skip classes
When your grades noticeably suffer
When you can barely manage your current schedule
Saying “no” can lead to the greatest yeses, so know what you can handle. Learn to say no, even when you really want to say yes. Having balance in your life is important, and it starts now.
This summer will come and go quickly. Make these 11 things a priority on your to-do list this summer. Once college starts, you will be busy with other new things. This is the time to master these skills!
