by Ralph Mcallister

Created on: January 12, 2009

For many young Americans, going away to college is the beginning of making their way in the world. Getting away from the supervision and influence of parents is the key to making it a success. One might think that turning away from parents would be a foolish thing when starting out in the world, maybe after hearing a new college graduate comment on how nice it must have been to have no rent while living with parents. Actually, it can be viewed as the right of passage for successful people in the workforce, especially among the leadership. Surviving college on your own, and coming out ahead is the earmark for a determined and responsible contributor to society. Think back to any biography you have read or seen on television. It can nearly be guaranteed that no successful person was the type that stayed at home during their education keeping in mind the era in which we are living. That's not to say that success is unavailable for those that stay home for college. For some, remaining at home might have been the key that help them succeed; but asking around, especially of the successful people in the workplace, will reveal most people went out on their own.

Personal time management is the first thing a student will face fresh out of the nest. This is typically taken care of by a parent or legal guardian; considering things like enforcing timely arrival to school, to practice or to appointments with dentist. When the responsibility of attendance falls on a new college student, it can nearly be guaranteed that poor decisions will be made to stay up late, then to sleep in or skip a class. A few poor graded from falling behind or missing that all important surprise pop quiz will teach the importance of attendance and time management for academic success. Serious students who survive to their junior and senior years have usually learned to avoid missing class in order to succeed. Also, by that point a student may have learned to juggle their time in cases where they need to compromise on an appointment versus a lecture and may have to rely on their network of peers to keep up. This leads into the next area of importance of experience for the solo student: the importance of networking.

Networking is something that comes almost natural for new students. There are tons of potential friends at their disposal. Making the right choices is what needs to be learned, and is usually accomplished by trial and error. A young student may have not yet come to understand, in a common

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