As incoming college freshman, our teenage minds were filled with daydreams of wild parties, endless dates and nonstop alcoholic beverages. We imaged all nighters and pizza every night for dinner, and nothing but smooth sailing. This lifestyle is typically referred to as “the college experience." I have constantly wondered who decided that this kind of existence was the type that our four years should consist of, but it's wildly unreasonable and exhausting.
Going into college, I was convinced that I was doing it wrong if I didn't go into my freshman year single, make friends with everyone on my floor and find parties to attend at least twice a weekend. I got into a relationship almost immediately and spent the first couple weeks of it questioning if it was the right decision simply because I had been preached and repeatedly told that that was not part of this required “experience." It wasn't until late one Sunday when I was going to bed with a hangover from the night before that I realized that the lifestyle I had always imagined I would have was not all that it was cranked up to be.
While it is impossible to match a routine with the term “college experience," there are a number of things that one should do to make the most of their four years at school.
Make new friends. And make a lot of them. Meet as many people and as many variations of people as you can. Many spent their high school years stuck like glue to a small clique of people, likely with very similar personalities. I've found that people that I least expected to associate with have become the best and most unlikely friends.
Do go out! I am not encouraging three or four nights a week of belligerent drunkenness, but what other points of your life will allow you a multitude of opportunities to socialize with friends and drink out of a keg? Allowing yourself a plentiful number of Netflix evenings is more than allowed, but don't lock yourself in your room, refusing to change out of your pajamas for months.
Study and study hard. That is far from the most exciting thing to do, but it will always pay off. Your college years will be much less enjoyable if you are constantly working uphill to salvage your GPA after neglecting your textbooks for months.
Explore. Check out the various shops and restaurants on campus and near campus. College towns often have the most unique hidden gems of downtowns and other locations. Don't limit yourself to the cafeterias on campus. Take a bus to a sushi restaurant or used bookstore and embrace the city around you.
Go to sporting events. Do it even if you hate sports. Being a part of a large community in your college is unlike many other experiences. Participating in chants and cheering on your team, even if you have no remote clue what the game rules are, is incomparable.
College has taught me that things won't always go according to plan. You may get placed on a floor where no one leaves their room and constantly keep their doors locked. You may find peace in spending your weekends curled up in your loft as opposed to a stomach filled with vodka. And you may love being in a committed relationship and not casually dating a new person every week.
The college experience I've had, thus far, is one that I would not trade for anything else. It has been filled with ridiculous and spontaneous moments, unlikely friendships, and I guess the pizza every night for dinner was pretty accurate.
The one guideline I can recommend to follow for your four years is to make the best and most of every situation. Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment. I can't find one person who doesn't agree that it goes by way too fast.
