Whether you’re a Tar Heel born or a Tar Heel bred, the academic rigor at UNC can be a difficult adjustment for both students and their families. If you’re a new Tar Heel or Tar Heel parent, the transition to the UNC lifestyle requires careful planning and accountability.
Here’s five ways your students can become independent, responsible individuals during their time at UNC.
The Top Five:
- Money management skills are imperative
- Start practicing self-policing and accountability
- Be truthful in identifying strengths and weaknesses in work habits
- Establish a routine
- Encourage extracurriculars
Money Management
Now that your student is living on their own, they likely are responsible for budgeting their money appropriately. It’s easy for students to spend more in their first semester of college because of their new freedom; they can spend money how they please.
Whether it’s spent on textbooks, food, laundry, fraternity or sorority fees, travel or personal items, it is important your student understands the average costs of college life and budgets accordingly.
According to a 2016 survey, it was estimated that an average 64.5 percent of students ran out of money before the end of the semester at some point during their college career. Considering that 70 percent of Americans take out college loans, the importance of budgeting cannot be overstated. No need to worry, though. The UNC Financial Literacy Consortium regularly hosts financial literacy seminars and workshops to support students transitioning to independent living. Financial advisors partner with local specialists from Franklin Street Partners and Coastal Federal Credit Union to assist students with any money management problems they might encounter.
Self-Policing & Accountability
Considering your student made it to UNC, accountability is most likely already part of their academic repertoire. While it is a challenging skill to learn, maintaining an attitude of accountability is even harder – especially with all of the distractions and opportunities college provides.
The key to academic success at UNC is understanding that your student is the prime stakeholder of their future. Their work in classes, while it may be difficult to see how it relates to the “real world,” will be a major predictor of future work ethic in a professional setting.
They won’t be in it alone, though. More than half of the 2020 graduating class used a service at the Writing and Learning Centers during their time at UNC.
Kimberly Ables, the director for the Writing and Learning Centers, says that the Center “meets students where they are with a strengths-based approach that includes goal-setting and actions plans.”
So whether it's getting a second set of eyes on a paper, STEM learning groups or one-on-one coaching sessions, UNC is well-equipped to help students whenever needed.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Persuading your student to identify strengths and weaknesses in their work habits is a humbling experience, but it is crucial for success in the workplace.
While there are multiple ways to do this, the first step is asking why. Why is your student trying to be more efficient in their study habits? Are they trying to become a faster reader? Are they trying to work on refining skills they already have to better suit the skills in their desired career path? It can be a challenge to pinpoint “the why” in each scenario, but help is always available.
Luckily, the Writing and Learning Centers offer 45-minute academic coaching sessions to discuss any problems or skills a student wants to discuss or work on. The academic coaches are well-versed in the experience of Carolina students and the challenges they may face.
Importance of Routines
It’s easy to get sidetracked in college. Social gatherings, club activities and sporting events, although traditions in one’s college experience, can provide unnecessary distractions when it comes to study time – this is why having a routine is critical to academic success.
While college isn’t all about the grades, learning is the primary objective. After all, that’s what your student is here for. Making sure your student is taking the right classes for their intended major can be difficult, but it’s a crucial step in maintaining a manageable schedule. Registering for classes as a first-year can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to scheduling. For help with academic planning, first-years should contact their assigned advisors or schedule an appointment with another advisor online.
The routine doesn’t have to exclude all fun, that’s certainly not what we’re saying. It’s about balancing work with fun. But, if your student wants to compete, using the weekdays as primarily work days will help balance their schedule. For more resources to help find that critical balance, we recommend reaching out to CAPS, Accessibility Resource and Services or the Center for Student Success and Academic Counseling.
Recreation and Downtime
Finally, the fun part. Only prioritizing work without considering recreation can be seriously detrimental to your student’s mental health, emotional well-being and even to their resume. As previously mentioned, college is about balancing work with leisure. If one of those elements is tipped too far, everything suffers.
At UNC, there’s so much opportunity for students – they just have to know where to look. Clubs, regardless of if they are more academic or strictly recreational, provide that sense of relief and escape that is so needed in such a rigorous environment like UNC. Working or interning at an organization or business can give your student that extra boost on their resume, as can service projects, study abroad or Greek life. Whatever your student is interested in, Carolina has 800 student organizations to choose from.
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