All of a sudden, the summer will quickly close, and I’ve got to get two daughters packed up and delivered to college in less than two weeks. Many of you also have daughters going off to college, so, having spent nearly 20 years in higher education, I think it’s appropriate for a top ten list of the most important things we need to tell our daughters before they find out that their biology professor isn’t as smart as they thought he would be.
1. Have a plan – girls need to have a short-term plan for the semester, a medium-term plan for the year, and a long-term plan for what comes after these four years.
2. Program the campus police phone number, or the local police phone number into your cell phone; and make sure that the ICE contacts in your cell phone are up to date.
3. ALWAYS use the Buddy System plus 1 – in other words, you should never travel around campus, especially after dark, with less than two other people.
4. Take care of your body – eat right and exercise as regularly as your schedule permits.
5. Many college professors can’t get a real job, so they teach; your mom and I had to deal with it, it’s no different for you.
6. Prince Charming’s not wearing a letter sweater – in other words, don’t think you’re going to find the love of your life at college; you might, but it’s not likely.
7. Hooking Up will only get you one of four things (none of them are positive): pregnant, STDs, labeled a tramp, low self-esteem
8. You can’t party every night and maintain your grades. Pick your social night and stick to your plan.
9. ‘Dirty Harry’ said, ” A man must know his limitations.” So should you.
10. If you screw up badly, your mother and I will not pay for you to go back and screw up again.
Bonus 11. Use all available resources to your advantage. Most colleges have resources for everything you can imagine, use them because we’re paying for them.
P.S. Don’t forget to tell your daughter that you love her.
