So your child (who isn’t a child anymore) is going to college, and you want to help them to start their new life in an organized manner. As you might have realized so far, you can only contribute as much as they allow you, but it doesn’t matter that you can’t share a few tips with them anyway.

Life on a college campus is one of the first big challenges, and if you have been there before – or if you are just great with organizational skills -, you will be happy to share the ideas below with your son or daughter.

1- Check all academic responsibilities with them

The first thing they will have to do in order to be more organized is to know what they are dealing with. So take some time together going through all that paperwork and find out what is expected of your child throughout the course, and, more specifically, over the first semester. They also might need to start writing a resume if they are going to look for a job.

2 - Create a calendar

Now that you both know all responsibilities they will have in college, make a list with all deadlines, exams, etc, so you can create a calendar. It will be essential so they won’t miss any deadline and won’t be stressed out trying to rush things away.

3 - Have a weekly schedule

Now, it is time to break that calendar down and get it prepared week per week. It will help them to feel less overwhelmed and to learn how to achieve their goals in a more productive way. A weekly schedule will also keep them motivated.

4 - Use apps to keep everything organized

As you know, you probably much better off in this subject with an app than with paper, as you child probably lives with a smartphone on their hands. So forget your old leather diary and check together the options on apps that are ready to let anybody's life organized. You can try Any.Do, Complete Class Organizer, iStudiezPro, Remember the Milk, but PlannerPlus is a must-have.

5 - Don’t forget to plan the budget

Your child will also have to deal with money, so don’t forget to plan the budget as well. Get yourself ready to discuss their needs, which might not agree with what you think, but remember how is like to be in college and prepare yourself to be flexible. Again, try to figure out together how much money will be needed per week, per month, and even per year, so nobody will be caught by surprise.

In Conclusion

Even when your child is getting ready to leave your house and go to college, you can remain a supportive parent. And sharing some organizational ideas is something that they will certainly appreciate. Of course, the final decision regarding applying them or not will always be in their hands, but adapting and making mistakes is also part of being an adult, as you know.