CAO offers: What to do to smooth the way through college

Life lesson: If a student has a part-time job while studying, they are able to contribute in a defined way to the costs of attending college. Photo: iStock

Getting accepted onto a college course could be described as the end of one journey. It is often a goal that students have been working towards for at least 2 years. While our young people are very well prepared to get this far, little or no preparation has been done for the next stage of education, where the rules are completely different.

Navigating this transition can be tricky as students go from being surrounded by adults guiding them to success to having to self-manage all aspects of their studies, as well as managing their own finances, new social situation and wellbeing.