A week ago today, at practically this hour, I was helping my daughter unload boxes and begin her new life. Obviously I share some bits of wisdom…

  1. Throw out your trash every day, especially if there are food remnants
  2. Laundry- don’t let it go more than 10 days
  3. Change your sheets
  4. Don’t open the windows in the rain- your school has a mold issue (coincidentally, the NY Times ran an article about this mold problem a few days after drop off)
  5. Wipe down your bathroom every day- will make a big clean so much easier
  6. If the carpet gets wet, dry it off immediately
  7. Tuck a compact umbrella in your backpack- DC is the new Seattle
  8. Wash your tea mug and such right after you’re done
  9. The RHO has vacuums…….
  10. If your roommate snores, buy ear plugs (FYI- I got an 11:30 text- “I bought earplugs- D snores”)
  11. Go to office hours- your Professors really want to talk to you and answer your questions. Take advantage of the advice and mentoring
  12. Write things down- too many new things to commit to memory
  13. If you use your roommates printer, buy ink occasionally
  14. As soon as you know your schedule, book your Thanksgiving train tickets- gets more expensive as time marches on
  15. Drink water
  16. Don’t drink anything at a party that is just handed to you
  17. Condoms (that conversation is probably a blog or two)
  18. Have fun- it’s ok to do things other than study or prepare for the future

40 thoughts on “The College Advice”

  6. Hah. No one ever said anything to me. But after my first year of co-ed dorm life I got ready to go to Europe for a summer job and my mom said “don’t get pregnant”.
    ?
    I thought it was stupid advice afte 10 months in a co-ed dorm.
    😂😂

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  7. I would modify #7 just a tad as those of us living in or near Seattle don’t really go for the umbrellas as much as Gore Tex jackets(or a reasonable facsimile of good quality) with a hood or at least a baseball cap for lighter drizzle.

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  8. Great practical advice. I was never on the receiving end of anything like that and while I wanted to do a number of things differently when I became a parent, my style was more one of leading by example than anything quite this structured. But I had been stealth training my daughter to live an independent life for years before she headed off half way round the world with backpack on her back.

    PS: am also looking forward to the condom post 😉

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  13. Great advice, Mom! Especially the last one – and the earplugs. It’s too easy to take life way too seriously. I wish my parents had offered some useful tips. Not their style, really.

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  18. Number 5 is great advice for everyone how ever old they might be.

    (An apprentice friend told me a story of his first solo holiday to Spain, he opened the suitcase at the Hotel and yes his mum had put condoms inside…………. she’s what I call one cool mum.)

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  27. Excellent advice! It’s wonderful that you provided this guidance. College life is no joke. One of my friend’s daughters dropped out of college due to the sheer uncleanliness of her roommates. People can be so nasty, so the lessons you provided will go a long way.
    “When there is no skillful direction, the people fall, But there is success through many advisers.” (Proverbs 11:14)

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