Now that I'm about to leave, I finally figured out "college." My time management skills are great, I have a solid GPA, and for the first time, my room is actually clean. As I breeze by this semester, I sometimes reflect on how my first seven semesters might have gone, had I known these 10 things:
1. Your friends might leave.
A lot of my close friends either transferred, graduated, or we lost touch. My social life wasn't as consistent as it was in high school, and it took a while to figure out who was going to be in my life for the long haul. As great as it is to open up to and invest in people, be aware that unless a pretty big effort is made on both sides of the friendship -- this person may disappear from your life as soon as that class you have together ends.
2. You don't need to be the best.
You are here to learn how to learn so that you will be good at a job. We are trained to look at success through our GPA, but when you get to the end of the tunnel you'll realize that employers want skills and experience. A lot of pressure is removed when your focus is on learning rather than a specific number. Study because you want to learn, not because you want people to know you've learned.
3. Quality over quantity.
There's an overwhelmingly larger amount of opportunities at college than there was in high school. I was so afraid of missing out on something great, that I missed out on everything by spreading myself too thin. Commitment is a beautiful thing that is forgotten about in our fast-paced culture of consumers. Find something you love and invest fully in it.
4. Explore.
New hobbies, new locations, new ideas... Don't hold on too tight to what's familiar. Travel around the city you're in or to other countries. This is honestly one of the best investments you can make with the little money you have, because it's going to be even harder to travel when you are paying monthly bills and working a job that doesn't give many vacation days.
5. Taking care of yourself is important.
It's funny how much pride college students take in unhealthy habits. People try one-upping each other talking about their stress level and the lack of sleep they've gotten. Don't be fooled -- the bad habits you formed DO affect you later in life. I know someone who has chronic mono from lack of sleep in college. Unless your body is functioning at its best, you're not getting the most out of your education or your social life. Eat some vegetables, clean your room, sleep -- it really does make a difference.
6. Don’t rush into relationships.
No one here knows about the time you peed your pants in third grade, you've finally gotten control of your acne, and now you're surrounded by a lot of other people with clean slates and clear skin too! As exciting and attainable as relationships are in college, you should also know that dating on a campus comes with unique challenges -- like moving too quickly. You are probably going to mature a lot in the next few years, so wait a while -- what's the rush? There are a lot of great things about being single in college, make sure you take the time to enjoy them.
7. Get a mentor.
You are going to meet so many inspirational people, this is your chance to soak up all their greatness. Not only is it an opportunity to learn and build a relationship -- but a reference from someone of high prestige will be so helpful when you start applying to jobs.
8. You can't keep in touch with everyone from home.
There are only a few people from home that I still keep in touch with consistently. I still love them all and I enjoy the times when we do talk, but it was impossible to be fully engaged with the people I met here and the people at home. So I had to choose where to invest my time.
9. Take all the help you can get.
Fear of wasting others' time, a lost reputation, or seeming lazy, can get in the way of asking for help. Maybe you can get through exam week without help. Maybe you can pass Spanish without a tutor. Maybe you can even work an extra five hours next week to pay for your books...but you'd probably be settling and struggling, when you could be thriving. Besides -- how can you help others until you are on your feet?
10. Learn to enjoy work.
The cold hard truth is that the work is not over and it's not going to be. Find the line between healthy venting and complaining. Our attitudes are habits, and if we don't cultivate healthy ones now it'll be harder to enjoy life later. Stay focused on the purpose behind what you're doing and the things you love. Figure out how to love what you are doing.
