You’re confident that your college or university is providing students with an enriching, well-rounded education when it comes to academics, but are you sure you’re providing them with the life skills they’ll need once they graduate? A student can graduate with a 4.0 GPA, but if they don’t have a firm grasp on what it means to be an adult entering the “real world,” they are bound to face difficult times. Below are five topics you should incorporate into your school’s electives or campus workshops to ensure that your students are fully prepared to leave the comfortable college nest and excel in both their professional and personal lives.

Budgeting

One of the biggest challenges students and recent graduates face, especially with student loan payments looming not so far off in the distance, is learning how to budget. While graduating and getting a salaried position is great for students’ finances in a sense, it can be terrible if they assume the steady paycheck means they can suddenly spend all the money they want. All students should enter the world with a realistic understanding of how to make and stick to a budget. Make sure they know all the categories a budget should encompass, from the obvious “groceries” and “rent” to the miscellaneous expenses that can quickly add up. Also, make sure they’re aware of the many mobile apps available to help them easily set up and manage their budgets.

Building Credit

Most young adults know that building credit is important, but many might not have the time or the interest to learn more about this topic on their own. They might think it’s fine to delay worrying about their credit until later on in life, but the reality is that they need to start caring now. Make sure they’re aware of all the ways they can build (or hurt) their credit – consider incorporating this knowledge into a life skills elective course or holding an on-campus workshop.

Conflict Resolution

Being able to calmly and effectively navigate through a conflict is a critical part of any relationship, be it professional or personal. To be successful, students must learn now how to handle disagreements with coworkers, friends, family and significant others in a healthy manner. This skill will greatly improve their chances at professional success, as well as their overall emotional wellbeing as it relates to personal relationships. If your school offers an emotional wellness course, this would be a great topic to add into the curriculum; or, you could consider making a whole elective dedicated to it, because it’s that important.

Stress Management

In order to remain grounded, students must be equipped with ways to handle stress and decompress when they’re feeling overwhelmed. Make sure that your school offers electives and activities that revolve around teaching students ways to manage stress. Some examples could be yoga classes, mindfulness workshops or meditation groups. Not only will this help them once they graduate, but it will help them now as well when they’re feeling stressed out about their coursework or upcoming exams.

Email Etiquette

This one may seem random, but the number of entry-level employees who enter the workforce with no concept of email etiquette is surprisingly high. The switch to a corporate environment is a shock for many students, who might have never been introduced to concepts like copying the appropriate people on email replies, picking an email sign-off, acceptable times of day/night to email a coworker and so on. Consider making this a workshop for students to attend so they can make a smooth transition into the world of business emails and avoid the embarrassment of committing an email faux pas.