As my junior year comes to a close, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons about life I have learned in college thus far. I may still have one year left but the person I am now is much different from the person I was even just a year ago. I have grown so much each year being away from home and on my own. I had to learn some things the hard way, but I know everything that college is teaching me about life and myself will prepare me for the real world. Here are some valuable lessons I hope to retain as I grow up:
1. Independence
Being in college for three full years now has taught me to do things on my own. I used to never go anywhere without a friend but now I can eat in a restaurant by myself, which is something that others still refuse to do. I need to have time alone in order to decompress but I used to never feel that way.
2. How procrastination affects your success
Procrastinating is something that I always tended to do. However, it is something that I have found has really affected my success in school. If I wait until the last minute to cram for an exam, I don’t do very well. Same with papers and homework. Assignments take time. And whenever I am pressed for time, I don’t put my full effort into them. It is better to finish assignments early and then have free time to do stuff I enjoy.
3. Hard work pays off
Working hard on your assignments and studying for exams means you will likely get better grades than if you did nothing to prepare for them. It feels better to get good grades because you tried rather than failing with the knowledge that you didn’t try your hardest. This is something that will stick with you throughout your life.
4. Sacrifice
Sometimes you have to give up a $2 Tuesday to study for your exam or catch up on homework. And even though all your friends are going, you know you need to prioritize. College is a lot about sacrifice. For example, you can choose three from having good grades, enough sleep, a social life or a job. But you likely can’t have them all.
5. Balance
As was mentioned about sacrifice, you can’t have everything in college. But, you can have more than one thing because it is all a balancing act. Too much of one thing is never good, so everything must be in moderation. You just have to try and figure out what works for you because what works for someone else may not be the best option for you as well.
6. Health is important
Mental and physical health are beyond important priorities. You need to feel well all around to perform at your best. Sometimes, you might need a break from school to gather your thoughts and reevaluate what takes priority in your life, whether that be a weekend or a semester or even a full year, do what you need to do to feel great.
7. Time management
Prioritizing is something that I used to really struggle with, and I still do sometimes. It gets hard to balance everything out and figure out what you need to do and when. But keeping a planner has been my saving grace. When I am really stressed out, I even write out my days hour by hour and block off times for certain things so I can stay organized and focused.
8. Not everything goes as planned
Your life is not going to follow your step-by-step plan you mentally made (if you did that), believe it or not. It is important to set goals for yourself but it is also important to be okay if you don’t reach your goals on time. Meaning, it is fine to change your goals as you go along. Maybe you wanted to be a journalist when you came to college and then you decided that wasn’t for you. Everything is going to work out how it is supposed to; you just need to adjust accordingly when appropriate.
9. Believe in yourself
This is the biggest lesson I have learned. If you have a negative mindset, you are going to fail. It is all about being positive and telling yourself you can do something. You can do anything you set your mind to if you try hard enough.
College is rough and college is fun and college is made to teach you things. It even teaches you things that are not in the curriculum and sometimes, these are the most important things to hold onto.
