Going away to college is an exciting time in a young person’s life. It’s a new experience and a chance to grow and evolve in a way that you cannot possibly imagine until you get there. Parents have a better idea of what the experience is like and one of their concerns is that their children will be without immediate assistance as they’ve been at home their entire lives. If they get a cold, have a problem with allergies or anything else, you’ve always been right there to take care of it, whether it’s been handling it yourself or getting them in to see a doctor.
Now that you’re away what can you do besides send money? What if one of these colds hits them on a weekend or in the middle of the night? These are concerns every parent has. Luckily, MDLive gives your child assistance, around the clock. If a college student is dealing with a cold on a Friday night and they have an exam Monday, all they have to do is go online to speak with a MDLive approved healthcare professional. Via the phone or video conferencing, you can consult with a medical professional and get the medication you need to treat the ailment.
This professional can diagnose certain ailments and order a prescription that’s available to the student within hours. There’s no waiting for available clinics or urgent care centers to open up and they can assist with a variety of ailments, including the most common that plague college students. For parents, this service provides long-term peace of mind knowing their children will get continuous access to reliable care and it’s all available at an affordable price.
This is also a great benefit to the young adult because it eliminates some of the stress and worry that comes with living away from home for the first time. This service, along with others we offer, are a great benefit to the entire family and let you focus on what’s important during these very influential years.
The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here. After years of studying, planning, writing letters and applications, taking exams, interviewing and stressing, you are finally ready to head to college. You are starting one of the most important chapters of your life and this is an opportunity for you to grow and experience new things like you’ve never imagined. It’s also a time that requires a lot of adjusting. Everything will be different now. Getting your laundry done, finding time to study, planning what you are going to eat, making sure errands are taken care of, having some fun, watching finances and so many more things that are usually handled by your parents are now going to be on you to take care of.
This isn’t meant to scare you; it’s meant to make you realize that college isn’t just about showing up to study. You are going to have to take care of yourself and the first and most important piece of advice is to have a schedule. Grocery shopping, cooking, laundry and other responsibilities will now come down to a schedule. If Tuesday morning is the best time for you to go get laundry done, then that’s what you
have to get used to doing. If you do not have access to a big refrigerator or kitchen and you are on a budget, you will learn the value of sandwiches, canned soup and healthy meals that can be microwaved or prepared with minimal effort.
You also will want to learn where you can go to study. Libraries are a good start but depending on how far it is from your dorm or apartment, you may want to try and find another place as well. Campus resources are also important. Where can you go to access an area with Wi-Fi or a computer? Do they have a gym you can us so that you can get some exercise in?
The better you can mentally prepare yourself for this experience, and the more you commit to a schedule and routine, the easier this transition will be. It’s impossible to know exactly what to expect or game plan for it because every campus is different, and your class schedules will influence things as well. Within the first two weeks you should be able to put together a routine that will help you thrive throughout the semester.
Parenting is a full-time job. It doesn’t get easier, even when your children get older. If you have a child at college, you may be wondering what you can do to make their life a little easier but also give them the support they need to succeed. You’ve done a great job thus far but now things are a little bit tougher because they are not living under your roof. They are away and your help is still needed but harder to give them. While you want them to succeed, you also want them to learn and get new experiences.
One of the first things you can do is show them how to handle the eating situation. College life is more than just pizza. Where can they go to get affordable, healthy meals? How do they grocery show for healthy food when they do not have a large refrigerator or kitchen? How can they schedule things like getting their laundry done or something else? There’s a lot of things that are going to be thrown on their plate and they will have to learn and adapt. Any help you can provide them is a real benefit.
Another benefit you can offer them is reliable healthcare beyond your standard health insurance. Chances are, if they get a cold or need meds for allergies or something else, it will not be during optimal times. Colds are a big one for college students because they are spending more time with people from all around the country and there’s a spike in colds and flus when a new semester begins. It’s a real benefit to the student that they can contact someone online or via their phone who will diagnose the ailment and order them a prescription, even if it’s in the middle of the night. MDLive not only offers assistance in this regard but can also help to treat a large variety of other ailments as well.
As a parent, you will have plenty to be concerned about as your kid goes off to college. The more things you can provide them, the fewer things you will have to worry about. You’ve done your job in providing them care and assistance for years and now it’s their time to grow and learn from the world. That doesn’t mean you still can’t give them a few advantages every now and then as well that may benefit them throughout their college experience.
