Preparing your teen for higher education comes with a certain degree of pressure for parents, especially those who are worried about their teen finding success as an adult. That pressure can be overwhelming, and every choice, every rolled eye, and every application can feel like they will make or break your teen’s future. That’s normal! But you don’t have to panic, we have steps you can take to help prepare your teen for higher education, including the importance of a gap year for some teens.
Parenting Strategies For College Readiness
There are endless strategies and tips for helping your teens succeed in higher education, but we’ve narrowed it down to just a few simple tips. Education prep, teaching basic life skills, and managing mental health will all help your teen get ready for college.
Education Prep And Choosing The Right College
Preparing your teen for higher education starts with your own beliefs about higher education. Identify and explain to your teen the value of getting an education and the benefits of going on to higher learning. Encourage your teen to try activities they enjoy, and then find ways to incorporate them into their college applications. Help them find volunteer opportunities in the fields they are interested in. Not only will this give them a taste of the career, but it can also be used to build a solid college application. Once your teen has decided on some potential fields of study, start narrowing down potential colleges. Consider cost, scholarship and grant opportunities, location, proximity to home, and the college’s reputation when helping your teen select a school.
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Developing Life Skills Essential To College
College is where we practice the skills our parents, teachers, and mentors have taught us. To some extent, failure with some life skills will be part of the experience and crucial for building grit and self-esteem. But without the foundation of these life skills, failure might be all your teen experiences in college.
That’s why teaching them skills like money management, home management, cleaning schedules and techniques, meal planning and cooking, and other concrete skills are so important.
Additionally, some of the less concrete skills are crucial: the ability to address superiors respectfully and confidently, advocating for yourself, knowing when to rest and when to push through, how to build friendships, how to ask someone out on a date, sending emails with the right tone and level of formality, applying for jobs or other opportunities, and more.
Emotional and Mental Well-Being
One of the best changes we’ve seen in parenting in the last few years is the emphasis on teaching our kids how to manage their mental health. We applaud parents in this effort, especially because many of us are learning these same skills as adults! You can help your teen prepare for college by teaching them the skills that work for you to manage your mental health (maybe you are a runner, or you have a close group of friends you meet with regularly, or you have a hobby that keeps you happy and busy) and helping them explore what works for managing their mental health (maybe it’s a new sport, a new hobby, mindfulness, a class they want to take, etc.)
The key to teaching mental health to teens is making sure they have a lot of tools in their toolbox for when they feel anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed.
A Productive Gap Year With Pure Life Adventure
Preparing your teen for college is no small task, especially with all the distractions of modern life. But you can help your teen establish healthy coping skills for their next step by teaching them the importance of higher education, instilling life skills, and establishing healthy coping skills to manage their mental health.
Of course, some teens need a little time between high school and college, and a gap year might be best for your teen. But just coasting during a gap year isn’t enough. One way to make a gap year effective for your teen or young adult is to enroll them in a program that can help them discover themselves, make goals, build resilience, and find their life’s path. Pure Life Adventure offers a gap year program that has created meaningful experiences for teens and young adults, helping them find the confidence and self-trust they need to succeed in higher education. Find out if this program is the right fit for your family by contacting us today!
