The truth is, we spend a lot more time in college learning outside the classroom than we do at a desk. The lessons we learn as we grow up stay with us for the rest of our lives, longer than the steps of cell division (unless you’re like, a biologist. Then you’re probably gonna use that for a while).

Here are 14 of the most important things I learned at university outside of the classroom.

1) Never let fear get in the way of an opportunity

Take advantage of the opportunities that are given to you as they come, because they won’t be there forever. Most of my most cherished experiences have happened spontaneously because I let go of fear and took the leap.

2) In the end we only regret the chances we don’t take.

As a self-admitted sometimes basic girl, my phone wallpaper was this quote for a while last year. Any chance we take leads us on a journey and teaches us a lesson whether or not we get the outcome we were expecting. How inspiring.

3) Never underestimate the therapeutic power of some quiet alone time to think.

Life can get pretty overwhelming with work, studying, roommates, and social events. Be sure to wind down every once in a while and take some time to recuperate and reconnect with yourself.

4) If you don’t like where you are, then change it.

This goes for your major, your roommate, your relationship, your location, etcetera. Right now is when you have the freedom and the flexibility to make these changes without any lasting consequences (most of the time).

5) Although change can be sometimes extremely painful, never having change is even more painful in the long run.

Change can be scary and unpleasant, but we never get to go anywhere with our lives if we don’t accept change and become adaptable to it, whether it feels good or bad at the time. At the end, most change ends up being better than if we were stuck stagnant in one place forever.

6) You’re going to grow apart from people from high school, and even your friends from college, eventually.

Savor the good memories, but don’t let it hold you back from making new ones. Living in the past is a huge mistake when there’s so much left to live for in the present, and in your bright future.

7) A little party never killed nobody.

Actually, it has. Be safe and always have someone looking out for you that you trust when you’re out.

8) But do go out and have fun!

You only have four (or five or six) years to screw around but live with this sort of safety net underneath you, before officially becoming a real adult and having to pay bills and stuff. Enjoy the time you have before it all gets really real.

9) Do not compare any part of your current situation to someone else’s.

Right now we are all changing and growing, and some people grow at different rates than others. Don’t put yourself down because you’re not as far ahead as someone, and don’t take for granted what you have that someone else does not. You’re your own person and you’ll be happiest by recognizing that and appreciating where you are while working toward where you want to be.

10) Try new things

When I got to college, I was overwhelmed by the amount of new places I could go, people I could meet, and opportunities I had to get involved with clubs/activities right in front of me. I tried many new things and I picked the ones I enjoyed to stick with. I know that I still have many more new things to try, though…

11) Don’t take on more than you can handle.

Some semesters/quarters are harder than others. Take on what you can handle and do it well rather than trying to do too much and burning yourself out. You’ve still got a lot of life left to live.

12) Travel

Three day weekend? Take a trip. Go on a legendary spring break adventure. Study abroad in Europe, Italy, Australia, or all three. There aren’t many other times in your life you have this kind of freedom of responsibilities that you can take off whenever you want to go wherever you want.

13) Be irresponsibly responsible with your finances.

If you're really lucky, you're still a bit under your parent’s financial umbrella, and have some expendable income. Invest and save some of the money you have, but also treat yo self every once in a while by going on one of those legendary spring break adventures I mentioned before, or jumping out of an airplane before you’re older and have more to lose.

14) Don’t take everything so seriously.

Don’t take anything too seriously, really.Where you are right now is only temporary. Make the most of it but also enjoy the ups and downs that come with the adventure of learning how to be a self sufficient human being. But don’t be too hard on yourself when you slip up or make a mistake because as I’ve learned,

Making mistakes is how we gain knowledge for the future.

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” - Henry Ford

Even if you don’t end up becoming the manufacturer of the first middle-class affordable automobile, make sure you enjoy the ride in college, because you can’t go back after you graduate. Unless you become undercover cops like Schmidt and Jenko in "22 Jump Street," then you probably can work for Ice Cube and go back to college, but even then it still probably won’t be the same.