A college student’s guide to moving away from home

From managing your chores to living on a student budget, here’s everything to know to survive your first time away from home, writes Aditi Raman

Moving to college can be one of the scariest and most exciting times. You have just finished school and are finally ready to study some subjects you’re actually interested in. At the same time, you are moving away from everything you know—your parents, siblings, friends, neighbourhood and anything else you call home. It can be daunting to let go of so much that you know and uproot your life to another area or city where life is just not as familiar. However, one thing is certain: it gets easier with time. 

For the first time in your life, you will be responsible for your meals, chores, daily routine, and commitments. Suddenly, the pressure of getting permission for every outing with your friends disappears, and you’ll feel a sense of liberation to spend your time the way you want to.

Even still, there are a lot of things counsellors and parents don’t warn you about that you will most probably find challenging once you move from home. For example, even if meals are provided at your hostel regularly, they’ll come nowhere close to your mother’s cooking. College courses are much tougher and more demanding, and not everyone will be able to help you with them. 

Everything costs money. Something as simple as doing your laundry could take up a big chunk of your allowance every month, and it won’t be as easy to spend on ordering in food. You’ll soon learn what it’s like to live on a tight student budget.

You’ll have to get through many more obstacles as you go, like taking care of yourself when you get sick, or travelling using this new city’s public transport for the first time and remembering when to stock up on all your essentials. It’s a never-ending journey of ups and downs.

It’s not possible to avoid these challenges altogether. However, there are ways to make adapting to your new lifestyle easier. First and foremost, make sure to pack light. You don’t need to take everything that you own with you to college. When you visit home once or twice during the year, you can bring different outfits as the seasons change.

Prioritise essentials

Always remember: if you forget anything at home, you can always find a nearby convenience store where you can purchase college essentials. A few essentials to have in your dorm room are a laundry basket, a bucket, a desk organiser, a power strip, cupboard organisers, a shoe rack, a mat, bathroom slippers, and a shower caddy. If you have these on your list of essentials, you’re all set.

The next and most important thing is to maintain a schedule. Maybe not a rigorous study schedule, but make sure to factor in enough time for all your meals and chores because once you get to college, you’ll realise how easy it is to skip out on those. 

Another crucial thing is to maintain a strict budget track. When you’re in a new city with new friends, it’s tempting to want to explore and go out every weekend and splurge on street shopping. However, this quickly becomes difficult if you spend most of your money at the beginning of the month. Save as much as you can by spending on essentials first and leaving the ‘going out’ parts for later, when you know you still have the money to spend. 

Now that the residential part of your college experience is all sorted out, here are some other ways you can make your time in college more meaningful. Academics will always be of utmost importance. It’s essential to stay on top of everything, including your readings, homework, and assignments, at all times. If you’re ever facing any problems understanding concepts, don’t hesitate to approach a senior or professor to help you.

But again, college isn’t just about academics. There will also be plenty of extracurriculars for you to try out or participate in. Whether it’s sports or cultural activities, or helping out with research, make sure you expand your commitments to include these kinds of activities so that your sole focus isn’t just on getting good grades. That is extremely important. Otherwise, you may be at risk of burnout. 

College is also the perfect time to rekindle your hobbies. You might think you won’t have the time, but you can surely make it work. Be it practising singing, playing your favourite instrument, dancing, painting, crocheting, or getting back into the sport you love, or even taking an online class, you should make the effort.

You may never be fully prepared for this phase of your life until you’re thrown into this new environment like a fish in a new pond and forced to swim your way through it. However, it’s surely a learning experience that will trouble you, and also reward you in many ways. When adults say college is the most fun time of your life, they mean it. You’ll always have the city that raised you to come back to when you’re homesick. However, now you’ll also have another city or world to help you grow as an individual.