Tips for college

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Hello. I am a high school special education teacher with several kids on my caseload that will be heading off to college. What advice would you give them to be successful and navigate the social world of college? Thanks for your time.

1. Try to find a safe place to retreat to when becoming overwhelmed. Be proactive about withdrawing from others before a meltdown occurs. (i.e. try to avoid incurring the inevitable social consequences of a meltdown).

2. For those that have trouble with casual conversation, study, learn, and apply Active Listening skills. Everyone loves a good listener

To elaborate on 1. of Marky9's post, getting a private dorm room, if at all possible, would be immensely helpful. Study rooms may also be useful if no one else is in them at the moment. An understanding professor may even allow an overwhelmed student to hang out in their office during office hours.

Also, join an on-campus organization of some sort. These are a great way to meet people with similar interests, and it is social by nature (though the socialization is in regularly scheduled, predictable increments). Most colleges have many to chose from.

As far as schoolwork goes, keep a schedule or phone calendar of some sort, and try to at least begin assignments before the day before its due. When scheduling for classes, try, if your degree plan allows it, to have a nice ratio of "easy" or "fun" classes (which will vary according to each student's strengths and interests) to difficult or demanding classes. Exact ratios may vary, but try not to have solely difficult and demanding classes, as this can increase the likelihood of being overwhelmed. Doing the "optional" homework and reading can be useful for understanding the material. Take time to study, but note that the standard equation of 3 hours studying a week to 1 hour in class may not apply to you; if you find yourself getting overwhelmed, stop and take a break.

Best of luck to your students!

I would emphasize that they should FOLLOW THE SYLLABUS. If one follows the syllabus, one is, usually, assured of a C for the course.

Students should join clubs which emphasize their interest.

I think they should focus on developing executive function and learning how to deal with stress and anxiety because college experience is very overwhelming. If they can't organize the things they have to do, get lost on campus, can't remember classes etc they will get even more stressed and anxious during exam weeks and may not be able to handle the work despite being capable intellectually. Then they mat get very frustrated and then the cycle repeats or they end up dropping college. You should try to work on those things like executive function before they go or college can be hell.