Summer is more than halfway over. For some, this is a dreadful thought. Classes, tests, extracurricular activities and the like all start up again in five weeks, and it feels like summer just started yesterday. Personally, going back to school makes me ecstatic. With friends in different states and towns on different schedules, the realization that everyone will be back together on campus soon is exciting and is a reminder that college isn’t so bad. After all, with the help of your friends and your organizations or clubs, your time in college is filled with wonderful opportunities to make great memories and life-long friendships.
But everybody in college or entering college has heard all of this before. We know that we’ll make lasting relationships with others. We know that college is one of the greatest times in our lives. We know this, but what I want to talk about are some of the hows attributed with making the most of your undergraduate career.
As I enter my senior year of college, I’ve done a lot of reflecting, and I’ve compiled some pieces of advice that can help you get through the biggest transition in your life. What I’ve learned in college, however, is that no matter how much you think you know, you can always learn something new. So, if you’re about to enter college and have no idea what to do, or if you’re like I am and still trying to fit all the pieces together, here are some pointers on how to make the most of your experience while at college
1. "The days come as they go."
This may be borderline cynical, but it’s true. Four years sounds like an eternity in our late teens, but blink once, and you’ll find yourself in my position — college is almost over, and freshman move-in day feels like days ago. With this, my advice is simple —if you have something to do, or something you want to do, do it. If you rationalize reasons why you can’t do something, you’ll end up in a vicious cycle of perpetually putting things off. I waited until my junior year to get involved in my fraternity and on campus, and as soon as I got to work I kept asking myself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Being involved is awesome. You attain a better sense of yourself, your community and the people you surround yourself with. Get out there and do amazing things; you never realize how much you can accomplish until you put yourself out there and do and create things in your college community.
2. Late nights don’t have to be spent studying (or drinking).
Pull an all-nighter with your friends. Late nights in college have given me some of my most cherished memories. It’s where I’ve swapped the best stories and have been given the best advice, and I’ll take a drowsy morning in a crowded lecture hall over going to bed at 9 p.m. any day of the week. Stay up to watch the sunrise, take a walk around town, go for a drive, start a bonfire — things (and people) come alive in the wee hours of the morning, and it’s a really beautiful thing.
2.5. But don't burn the candle at both ends.
Give yourself a Sunday to relax and get your feet under you again. If you burn yourself out in college, it can eat you up, and time management is the best remedy. If you manage your time effectively, you can get your homework and studying done as well as maintain a social life without ending up with a puddle of drool on your notebook come Monday morning.
3. Get out.
See the “other side” of your college town. Once you get into the routine of school, work and extracurriculars, it’s easy to build a little bubble around yourself. Even in the smallest of towns, you can find something new every day. Ever wonder where that road goes? Drive it. Curious if that hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant is any good? Try it. Wonder if the fence around the water tower is jumpable? Consult your personal code of ethics and morality, then go from there.
4. Don't beat yourself up.
You’re not going to do as well as you had planned on that exam, and you’re going to stress because you have four assignments and two quizzes due the next day. Whatever hardships college puts you through, you need to remember that everything is all right. What most people (me included) fail to realize is that college harbors the biggest support system that you will ever have — rely on your friends, your professors, your adviser, and most of all, your family. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit that you’re struggling, because four years of undergraduate stresses are too much for any one person to handle on their own. If it’s one piece of advice that you take away from this, let it be that you will never be alone in college.
