20 Skills You Need In College That No One Ever Taught You

Your high school teachers were supposed to prepare you with all the knowledge you’d need for college and for general adulthood too.  They tried their best, and so did your parents, but unfortunately there are tons of things a person needs to know that most of us don’t learn until long after we move into our first dorm room.

These are all the skills you desperately need in college, but somehow never learned.

20. How to save money.

It doesn’t just happen on its own, but it is an absolute necessity.  No matter how little you’re making at your minimum wage, part time job, you need to be saving some of it.

19. How to make helpful connections.

You have to introduce yourself around and get to know everybody you can.  Build your network now, and by the time you graduate, you’ll have friends in all kinds of places.

18. How to carry yourself in professional situations.

You’re an adult now and you’ll have to go to job interviews, presentations, meetings, dates, and other events where you’re expected to dress nicely and act as charming and professional as Frank Underwood in the public eye.

17. How to know when you’re in a bad relationship.

You probably had some relationship experience in high school, but high school dating and real world relationships are two different beasts.  You need to be able to tell when you’re not in a good one.

16. Knowing your limits.

I’m speaking specifically about alcohol here.  There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, but unless you had some preparation in high school, you’ll have to learn your limits pretty quickly when you get to college.

15. When to keep your mouth shut.

Sometimes life isn’t fair.  Sometimes you feel like everyone is out to get you.  Even so, an adult knows when you fight back and, more importantly, when you need to suck it up and take it.

14. Basic car care and maintenance.

Even if you don’t own a car, you should know how to change a tire and how to check the oil.  You never know when you’ll need that knowledge.

13. How to tell the difference between want and need.

Just because you really really want to go with your friends on a cruise for spring break doesn’t mean you need to go.  There’s a huge difference between the two.

12. How to do your taxes.

The bad news: it can be kind of confusing.  The good news: you get to practice every year.

11. How to tell good friends when you’ve got them.

Good, loyal friends are hard to come by.  Sometimes you think you have them, only to find out later that you were mistaken.  Cherish the friends you have and be a loyal one in return.  That’s all you can really do.

10. How to take care of yourself when you’re sick.

In high school, your mom would call you in sick and someone else would bring you the homework you missed.  In college, it’s up to you to make up what you’re missing or not to miss it at all.  All that aside, you need a least some knowledge of your own body and how you’re supposed to take care of it.  That way, you can get sick less often.

9. A basic understanding of personal finance.

Savings, taxes, expenses, credit cards, and more.  If you think managing your own finances is stressful, wait until you see how stressful it is after you’ve already lost control of them.

8. How to eat relatively healthily.

When you put someone in front of a buffet for almost every meal, it requires a lot of self control and even more knowledge of nutrition to consistently make the right choices.

7. Making a budget.

How much money do you have?  How much can you afford to spend on things like groceries, going out with friends, clothes, and fun things?  You need to know exactly what kind of funds you’re working with and where those funds are going.

6. Shopping on a budget.

It’s one thing to make a budget.  It’s another thing to stick to it without fail.

5. How to pick yourself up when you’re feeling down.

Sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader and your own therapist.  The support of friends of family is great and no one would be able to get by without it, but part of growing up is also learning to rely on yourself.  It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.

4. How to be your own self-starter.

It’s a rare student who doesn’t battle laziness from time to time, but if you want to succeed in school and in life, you have to kick yourself in the butt and get going.  Don’t let yourself fall into a rut of being lazy.

3. How to advocate for yourself.

Life was so much easier when your mom and dad could take care of all your needs and speak up for you.  Now that you’re an adult, you need to learn how to speak up for yourself when something isn’t right.  That’s often easier said than done.

2. How to manage your time wisely.

They tried to teach you this in high school, but time management is a completely different ballgame when your school life and your social life start to blur together like they do in college.

1. How to make friends.

Friendship in high school was so convenient, but it’s not like that once you reach college.  You have to put yourself out there and talk to the people in your classes.  You’ll have to talk to a lot of people just to make friends with one or two.  It’s a lot of work, but worth it.

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