Getting Kids Prepared To Head Off College – What To Know

Preparing kids for college… the thought stirs up many different feelings – excitement, apprehension, hope, and so much more.

Students and parents alike ride the rollercoaster of emotion, as the “baby” now becomes a college student.

There is a lot to process in the days and weeks leading up to university – preparing kids for college. Getting organized and prepared will help to alleviate some of the stress involved with this process.

With that in mind, when preparing kids for college, here are 15 stats every incoming college student should be aware of:

1. Approximately 87% of college said they procrastinate on school assignments. (StudyMode)
2. Slightly more male and college students reported procrastinating on work, even though 45% of those surveyed said they know “procrastination negatively impacts their grades very often or fairly regularly.” (StudyMode)
3. Just over the course of a single academic term, procrastinating college students had such evidence of compromised immune systems as more colds and flu, more gastrointestinal problems. And they had insomnia. (Psychology Today)
4. An occasional all-nighter is part of the college experience. It normally takes 3 days to recover from one. (SleepPhones)
5. Research at Brown University has found that approximately 11% of students report good sleep, while 73% report sleep problems. (Campusmindworks.com)
6. 18% of college men and 30% of college women report having suffered from insomnia in the past 3 months. (Campusmindworks.com)
7. Sleep deprivation in students has been linked to lower GPAs because sleep affects concentration, memory and the ability to learn. (Campusmindworks.com)
8. For the 2012-2013 academic year, the average annual price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room and board was $15,022 at public institutions, $39,173 at private institutions, and $23,158 at private for-profit institutions. (National Center for Education Statistics)
9. 60% of all college students receive no financial help from their parents. (30daystox)
10. Among four year colleges, just 56% of students graduate within six years.  (tuition.io)
11. 42% of college students feel “down, depressed or hopeless.” (AP/MTV survey) 
12. A household will spend a combined average of $956.93 on back-to-college merchandise as a student gets ready to start his/her freshmen year.  (BIGresearch)
13. The average amount of time it takes people to complete bachelor’s degrees is 5.6 years. It took 4.4 years to complete an associate’s degree. (What It’s Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status in 2004)
14. Americans owe nearly $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 43 million borrowers. The average Class of 2016 graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt.  (Studentloanhero.com)
15. Almost 2 million people over 60 are still paying off student debt. (ConsolidatedCredit.org)

Susan Sly is a best selling author, work life balance expert, speaker and entrepreneur. She has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox, Lifetime Television and the CBN. Susan is the mother of five children and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.