Tips for Girls Going to College in the City

When girls and boys are going off to college, there may be some anxiety about starting a new school. If they live on campus, they can easily get overwhelmed with the process and what to expect. However, having girls or boys attend a large city college can be even more stressful. Today, we will discuss girls, particularly those attending college in the city. I hope you and your daughter get some tips from my interview with your daughter.

We are about an hour outside of a major city. We have farms. We commonly have deer that can easily cross the road and cause accidents, as well as birds of prey that can swoop down and take small animals and rodents. We are not in a city at all.

I was only 15 minutes from downtown when I grew up, and my "street smarts" were a lot more attuned to my surroundings. But my daughter did not have that. (Nor did my son, for that matter.) We live in a lovely area with a lower-than-national-average crime rate, and our houses are farther apart from one another.

So, when my daughter told us she wanted to go to school in the city, we were a little nervous. My husband was from the town, and we visited my mother-in-law, who also lived in the city. The kids were drawn to the hustle and bustle of city life.

While spending time with my daughter, who is now a junior in college, I asked her to provide feedback on this post. While she felt that she didn't have as much advice since she started school right before COVID happened, she did give me some help with this post. Read on and get some advice for your daughter.

Daughters Going Away to the City for College Tips

Jump to:

• Daughters Going Away to the City for College Tips
• Empower Yourself, not Frighten Yourself.
• Be Yourself but Explore a New You.
• Eat Healthy Meals and Snacks.
• Easy Healthy Snacks Ideas for College Students Dorm Life
• Be Aware of Your Stress Level.
• Stay active and interact with others.
• Keep in mind that Girls Going to College need to stay safe.
• Volunteering will help others and yourself.
• Explore the City in a Group.
• Stay connected with Mom and Dad.
• Create a Freshman Binder for Your Daughter
• DIY Freshman Year Reference Binder
• Stay organized in your dorm.
• Things You Need When Organizing a College Dorm Room-Part 1
• Things You Need When Organizing a College Dorm Room - Part 2
• Keep using an Academic Planner.

Empower Yourself, not Frighten Yourself.

Remember that when going to a new college, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Be sure to stay in safe (affiliate) areas on campus until you determine the safest neighborhoods. Just in case, carry Mace/Pepper Spray keychain with you if you need to use it. My daughter did not need it or use it, but it helped her feel less nervous.

Having a cell phone with you at all times is essential. They should know how to call for an emergency on their cell phone. Here is the page on how to do it on an Apple iPhone. If they have an Android phone, here are the instructions.

Be Yourself but Explore a New You.

Be open to different experiences. Pick ones that are a little stretch for you. Stay away from the ones that make you feel uneasy or overwhelmingly nervous.

Eat Healthy Meals and Snacks.

This is one that I think every first-year student forgets to do until it is too late. When we are stressed, we are more likely to eat comfort foods. However, those comfort foods do not usually help us feel strong and healthy. Some options for fit snacking are apples, berries, and low-sugar power bars. Feel free to check out our post for a complete list: EASY HEALTHY SNACKS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS DORM LIFE

Be Aware of Your Stress Level.

Stress can affect us in many ways. And we find out "those ways" in college. Using breathing techniques to help calm down and think more clearly is very helpful. Visit this post called "How to Reduce Stress With Breathing Exercises" from Very Well Mind for tips.

Stay active and interact with others.

Go to places like the gym and student activities to interact with other students outside classes. Reach out to people in classes and ask them to meet up at a college-run activity. Loneliness is common during the first semester, so reaching out is essential. Get a group of more than three people together and go to activities on campus, like bingo.

Keep in mind that Girls Going to College need to stay safe.

Keep in mind that being safe (affiliate) is also a priority. Don't walk around at nighttime. Stay on brightly lit streets. Always walk with at least two other people. Walk around when everyone else is walking around during the day. Don't leave the campus boundaries. Know precisely where the campus boundaries are and where they are not.

Volunteering will help others and yourself.

Being a part of something bigger than oneself is what college is all about. Volunteering will help with that and you will meet like-minded individuals in the process.

Explore the City in a Group.

Explore the city in a group during the daytime. Make it a point to be a tourist on Saturdays. Going to different popular landmarks allows for exploration and helps one feel comfortable in the city for the next four years. Schoolwork can wait till Sunday or Saturday night.

Stay connected with Mom and Dad.

Calling Mom and Dad once a week will allow for venting about what is happening in the dorm or class. This helped my daughter when dealing with issues. But, as a parent, you must let go of the conversation after you hang up with her. Moms and Dads want to help, but in some cases, we can't, and they need to figure it out for themselves. Allow your daughter to learn through the process.

Create a Freshman Binder for Your Daughter

Providing your daughter with a designated space to store all the necessary paperwork that may be scattered around her bedroom for her new life in the city is helpful and appreciated. While they may not use it often, it is a way to help your daughter without helping your daughter. Visit how I made my daughter's DIY Freshman Year Binder.

Stay organized in your dorm.

Keeping the dorm less cluttered will make for easy clean-up and management. My daughter kept bringing stuff and buying new things that by the end of the school year, we had to use two cars to get all her stuff. Remember, stuff is just stuff. Bring things that comfort, but not too much. It can get out of hand in a small dorm room. Visit our posts about helpful organizing essentials for dorm life.

Keep using an Academic Planner.

A great academic planner (affiliate) will save you every time. Whether you are a digital planner person or a paper planner person, have a system in place BEFORE going off to college. The digital planner works for most people. But, for people who are visually and tactually oriented, a paper-based planner may be better for you. I particularly like the Order Out of Chaos academic planner (affiliate).

By sharing these tips with your daughter, you and she will feel more comfortable going away to college. I hope these girls' going to college tips help you and your daughter attend a city college more easily.

Soon, I will share tips for Boys going away to college for the first time. Stay tuned!!!

Join the conversation! Did you go to a city college? What tips would you add to the ones above that would help a freshman girl? Please comment below. We would love to hear from you.

Visit some of these posts that I came across from other experts while doing this research:

Dear Daughter Headed Off to College: Don’t Let the World Pass You By