For the past few years, high school and
college counselors have been emphasizing the importance of the non-cognitive,
“soft” or life skills in preparing students for the college experience. College readiness is simply not just about
grades or test scores.
As our daughters are now a college freshman
and a high school junior respectively, I’m thinking about this issue from both
sides of the matriculation doorway. How
do we best help our children develop the skills and fortitude they need to
learn and live independently?
With some research and a lot of reflection
I’ve come up with a list of skills and qualities I believe young adults need to
develop to prepare for entering college:
(Click on each highlighted skill for a link
to a relevant article/website)
1) Academic Strategies: Not the same as
academic success, these are the learn-how-to-learn strategies such as study
habits, class participation, and engagement with the teacher.
2) Practical Know-how: Does your high school
student know how to do his/her own laundry, sew on a button, prepare a simple
meal?
3) Financial Literacy: Students need to know
how to handle money, manage a bank account and a budget, and handle a debit or
credit card.
4) Social Confidence: This skill seems
obvious, but many young adults have trouble navigating the college social
scene—how to discuss disagreements with roommates, offer and accept
invitations, make new friends, respond to peer pressure.
5) Resilience: Although this may be a popular
buzz word, along with “grit,” these days, the ability to preserve through
difficulties whether academic, social or emotional is key for college success.
Of course developing these qualities and
skills takes time and practice. There is no one “test” to measure whether a
student is successful. Next time I’m
stressing about my daughter’s calculus exam; nonetheless, I plan to focus more
on her resilient attitude and study strategies and less on the grade she hopes
to achieve.
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