Four things to plan for before you enter university

Rising unemployment among the youth has been a persistent problem in the developed world since the financial crisis of 2008. There is not doubt that the situation has improved over the last few years, and yet the magnitude of the problem is still worryingly high. As of February 2017, it was estimated that there were 20 million Americans who were either unemployed or underemployed.

The good news is that there is a solution at hand, an age old one at that: a university degree. According to a report issued by the Bureau of Labour Statistics in January 2017, having a college degree halved the risk of unemployment vis-à-vis people who have only a high school degree.

If you are one out of the millions of youngsters planning to enrol for a college program, you are undoubtedly on the right path. However, given the high attrition rates among university students, it is imperative to ensure that you are well prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Here are a few points that can help you achieve that.

Financial Planning: Planning finances may not seem the most appetising prospect, especially if your interest lies in subjects like engineering or medicine. Nevertheless, the fact remains that tuition fees in public colleges have increased by a whopping 100 percent since 2001 after factoring in inflation. Therefore, you need to make a realistic assessment of the cost of completion, the amount of financing required and your capacity to repay the loan after graduation, before you enrol for a college program.

Admittedly that is not an easy exercise, but it is worth the trouble. Planning your finances before getting into college could well make the difference between a good life post-graduation and being stuck in a debt trap.

Support Systems: Before getting into campus, ensure that you have your support systems in place. For instance, writing an academic paper is an integral component of most university progams. If writing is not your strongest suit or English is not your first language, find out if you can avail an academic writing help service.

Coping Mechanisms: On a related note, you also need to have plan to help you overcome the psychological challenges of university life. It may sound trivial, even pointless when you are in the planning process, but the need for it is very real. Loneliness is a problem many students encounter during the university years. The problem assumes an altogether different magnitude for international students who have the added challenge of acclimatising to a culturally alien environment.

Therefore, have your coping mechanisms planned out before embarking on the university programme. It could be in the form of co-curricular activities like sports, music, drama, etc. Also find out whether your college has an in-house councillor to turn to when in need.

Part-Time Work: Working part time while at university may not be as common as it once was. Nevertheless, there are two good reasons why you want to be doing so. One, the earnings can at least partly set off the burden of repaying your education loan. Secondly, the workplace experience will help in the development of soft skills which you will need after graduation. If you are apprehensive about the challenges of balancing studies and work, get insights from someone who’s already doing it.