4 Tips To Survive College As a Young Parent
As a young parent, you can easily wonder if you will survive college because of the extra responsibilities you have to handle. It may not seem like it but as a parent you have a few advantages. Parents tend to be more focused, determined and mature than other students as a result of their life experiences and added responsibilities. I’m proof that it is possible to thrive and succeed in college.
Here’s how I did it:
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Get involved
One of the ways I became involved and connected to my college was joining campus organizations. The more involved I was, the more I appreciated being in college. I started to see I was more than a mother and student and felt like part of the community. Meeting people helped me learn more about myself and I grew in my skills. My campus involvement helped me build my portfolio and eventually helped me get a job.
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Don’t take anything for granted
On my way home for the summer, I was involved in a bad car accident which could have killed me but didn’t. Though my car was totaled, I was fine. That summer I had to rely on others to get to work, attend summer school and take care of my child. Because of the accident I came to appreciate my life even more. I have a reason for being here. The reason for my being is bigger than me and my child. You also have purpose for being here. I have gotten clearer about my purpose with time. How about you? What are you doing to fulfil your purpose?
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Keep moving
It was my freshman year in Jackson, Tennessee and I already had a goal to complete college. I had gone to summer school and had a job with no car. At first I thought I could relax, but soon changed my mind. Summer school was an opportunity to get ahead, not chill and relax. Thanks to those summer classes, I graduated in 4 years.
Should you be doing something? Act on it, get moving, keep moving. Don’t lose momentum because with time it will pay off. If you want to survive college, keep moving or start moving towards your goals.
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Every opportunity is a learning opportunity
I didn’t know it at the time, but my internship provided me with tremendous experiences that led to other opportunities in my life. As I learned about how organizations worked and met new people, I did more than survive college, I stayed motivated and completed college with honours.
Over to you, what do you need to do to accomplish your college dreams?
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I’m Summer Owens, and my passion is helping youth and young adults realize success no matter what obstacles they face. As an international resilience and leadership keynote speaker, author, S.O. What! Success Coach, and creator of the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum, I empower people to say, “So what!” to even their greatest challenges. provide a framework to help people see past their challenges and focus on solutions using the S.O. What! Success System (Overcome Obstacles + Eliminate Excuses + Calculate Choices = S.O. What! Success). Through keynotes, workshops, books, online courses, and workbooks, I use life’s challenges and my own story of resilience as a rape survivor and teen mom success story to help others confidently pursue their dreams.
Looking for an inspiring college motivational speaker? A high school literacy curriculum? A middle school life skills workbook? A great example for teen mothers? A women’s empowerment or single mother’s conference speaker? I’m your girl and will help any audience say, “S.O. What!”.
