1 . Truth be told, a life-changing college experience doesn’t begin or end with a high GPA or great university tour. And although parents and teachers alike work diligently to prep their students with the cutting-edge classes and impressive transcripts, they’re _______ one vital skill: emotional intelligence.

A poll of 1,502 first-year college students in the U.S. found that a majority of them wish they had received more _________ preparation for college. Emotional preparedness is _________ “the ability to take care of oneself, adapt to new environments, _______ negative emotions or behavior and build positive relationship,” according to the survey.

“Survey data indicate that college readiness requires far more than just a solid academic foundation — a finding that seems _________ conventional higher education preparation, said John MacPhee, Executive Director of the Jed Foundation, which co-sponsored the survey. “It is clear that emotional preparedness should be better _______ the work that high school communities are doing to guide students through the transition into college.”

Data show that college students _______ far more than their academics — and their stress can take a serious toll(代价) on their _______ in school. Forty percent of survey participants felt pressure to pay for college expenses, followed by 30 percent who said their biggest _______ was to make new friends. __________, keeping in touch with family and friends not at their college (28 percent) and being independent (16 percent) also weighed heavily on college studnets’ shoulders.

All of these __________ had a negative impact inside and outside of the classroom. Students who felt less emotionally prepared for college were more likely to have a lower grade point average, regularly ____________ drugs and/or alcohol, and rate their overall college experience as terrible or poor.

“As high school seniors start applying to college around this time of year, parents and people ____________ in their lives can play an important role in helping children build confidence and life skills, said Marisa Giarnella-Porco, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jordan Porco Foundation, a survey co-sponsor. “It is important to __________ them to choose a college that best fits their needs first and foremost — not only in a(n) __________ sense, but also relative to emotional needs.”

Thankfully, whether your child is packing up for school this fall or still in diapers, it’s never too late (or too early!) to begin prepping them for university life. Here’s what parents should do to help their college-bound kid, starting now.

2 . There is a cry of anger, and a tennis racket crashes to the ground. Jake, age 7, has just lost another match and is now in tears beside the court. His sister Sally, just one year older, looks at her mother and rolls her eyes: it is hard to enjoy winning when this keeps happening. It is not an unusual situation, and it is one reason why many people argue that competition is bad for children. However, the truth is that competitive games are a valuable preparation for adult life.

Games with winners and losers give children the chance to experience life’s ups and downs. Take Jake, for example. Even though he is unhappy now, he will probably be smiling and laughing with his sister in a few minutes, just like the last time this happened. Gradually, he will learn that the world does not end when you lose a game. Eventually, he may even be able to lose with a smile on his face. This is an important lesson. Not everything in life goes the way you would like, and it is important to know how to handle disappointment when it occurs.

Children who participate in competitive games develop qualities that allow them to succeed in the complex world of adult life. For example, one of the missions of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people to adopt the Olympic values, which include striving, determination and optimism. Competition creates a desire to do better. Children have to learn to succeed in a competitive atmosphere in order to take advantage of opportunities in the future. Although it is possible to win by chance occasionally, people who win and keep winning work very hard to achieve their success.

On the negative side, there are those who will say that competition actually encourages some values, which does happen. It is common to see sports competition in which the desire to win has replaced the desire to have fun. You may even see very young children playing violently----like the superstars they see on TV. While the bad behavior of young athletes is troubling, the problem is not the competition itself. In reality, the blame lies with the professional players who are bad role models for these children. In fact, a recent study of young athletes by the school of Physical Health Education at the University of Wyoming showed an improvement in mood after exercise, athletes were less depressed or tense.

Of course, there are parents who argue that children of Jake’s age are too young to handle the pain of losing. But whether we like it or not, adult life is very competitive, and keeping children away from competition does them more harm than good. If children do not learn how to compete, they will be defeated by people who can. It is an unfortunate fact of life: whether ten or a hundred people want the same job, there can be only one winner. Wouldn’t you want your child to be that person?