First of all, students need a basic adulting class that covers all the little things your parents forgot to teach you, like how to file a claim on your car insurance, how to apply for an apartment, and how to project self-confidence in job interviews. These are some of the most important things you need to know, so why not cover them all in a single class?
Millions of Americans are strapped with credit card debt, so you would think that colleges would start educating students before they ever even get a credit card. Students need to learn about interest rates, minimum payments, annual fees, and what to do if they do end up in debt to keep the debt from spiraling.
Once you graduate from the mediocre college cafeteria food, you’re going to have to learn how to feed yourself. Because many students don't know how to cook, they turn to fast, unhealthy food instead of cooking nutritious meals for themselves. This class would make it easy to learn healthy recipes (sorry, that means no more Ramen noodles) that are portioned just for you.
Many students' parents file their taxes for them or have them sent to H&R Block, but once you get done with school and you're on your own, what are you to do? What if you don’t want to pay someone else to do your taxes and want to do them yourself? This class should cover the basics of DIY taxes and finding a reputable tax preparer so you can make your own choices.
College students are notorious for not working on projects until the night before, but that kind of procrastination does not work as well after college. It’s best to learn right now how to manage your time before you get a big kid job and can barely keep yourself afloat due to a terrible work/life balance.
Creating and sticking to a budget is one of the most important life skills you can have, and learning these skills doesn’t come easy. It’s best to learn and make mistakes in a classroom setting when your own money and well-being aren’t on the line so you know what to do when you have to create your own budget.
If the toilet quits working in your home or you get a flat tire, you should know enough to be able to fix it instead of calling a professional. Having the ability to do basic repairs around your home and on your vehicle will save you quite a bit of money down the road, and you'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
Colleges have plenty of information available about applying for student loans, but they don’t have as much available about getting them paid off. You need to learn about how soon you should start paying after graduation, compounding interest, and loan forgiveness, so you can save the most money possible.
If you want to know the pros and cons of renting a home vs. buying one, you have to do the research yourself — and even then, it’s confusing! Students should learn these things from a professional so they don’t have to go through the anguish of making a financial mistake that could ruin their credit for years.
Sure, students in the nursing program learn the ins and outs of the healthcare system, but the average Joe usually only knows what their parents taught them. This class should teach students how to find a an affordable insurance provider, a healthcare provider in their insurance network, and what premiums and deductibles are.
Every person should know some basic self defense techniques in case they ever find themselves in a scary situation. It’s useful to carry pepper spray, but in instances that you can't reach your pepper spray, you should know how to bring an assailant to his knees using only your cleverness and physical strength.
If you ever find yourself in trouble with the law, you need to know your rights in order to not assist the case against you. You need to know things like the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony, your Miranda rights, and what types of things you can be arrested for, such as spraying silly string on someone’s car as a prank.
