College is something that becomes easier with time, experience and good advice. After a few semesters, you realize how to manage your time, money, grades, and social life. Everyone has their own tips and tricks to success, but who couldn't use more? The world's favorite rappers right now have reached success and become popular with work, not luck. The same goes for your education: success is work, not luck. I'm sure today's favorite rappers would have a few tips to success that can be applied to college today. Here's what I believe they would say if you asked them for college advice:
1. Be yourself
Don't try to fit in with everyone else; college is the start of your future and can be a new beginning. Do what you want to do, study what you want to study, and hang out with who you want to hang out with.
2. Spend your money wisely, or at least try too.
It can difficult learning to budget your first time away from home, but as the semesters go on you will learn how to make your money last.
3. Find cheap food options
There's always the dining hall, but that requires a dining plan and dining hall food doesn't have the best reputation. When you go out to eat, be smart! Don't choose a five-star restaurant...and know when you can afford guac on your burrito.
4. Don't party too hard
College comes with a lot of work, but it also comes with a lot of opportunities to party. Having fun and taking breaks from school with your friends is key, but sometimes it's easy to lose focus on what really matters. Balance is essential.
5. Remember why you are there: to study, to get a degree!
Study what you need to and get the grades you need to, to have the future you want and dreamed of. You're capable than a lot more than you might think you are.
6. Find a real group of friends.
By your sophomore year of college, you will probably only talk to a few of your friends from high school. In college, you'll have a bigger opportunity to choose who you're friends with. There are many more people to choose from. Once you have that core group of friends at college, you'll always have someone to study with, go out with, or even cry to.
7. Talk to people you wouldn't usually talk to: keep an open mind.
College can be a very diverse place, depending on where you grew up and which college you choose. People travel from near and far to attend, and you should take advantage of that. Go out of your comfort zone and meet people from everywhere. You will learn a lot and maybe make some friends you thought you would never have.
8. Relationships are not everything.
College is a hard place and period in life to have a successful relationship. It can be hard to find time and it can be hard to trust. It's difficult to have a serious relationship at college because at this age we never know where we are going to end up working or taking classes in the future. But despite all that, don't let it stop you from meeting someone, just be prepared.
9. Cats are easier pets to have at school than dogs
When you go away to school, you will miss your pets. You might miss them so much, you decide to adopt a new one of your own. People usually prefer cats or dogs, but we all know cats are a little easier... Plus, look how cute they are.
10. Stay focused.
It's extremely easy to get distracted at school with something always going on. Whatever it might be can stress you out to a point where you forget where your focus needs to be. Learn to work through the stress and find different ways to relax.
11. Even when you are drowning in homework, have 3 tests that week, and just want to sleep, keep going.
We all have those points where we think it can't get any worse. Everyone gets stressed, and everyone has bad days, but that doesn't mean you give up because you can't be in school forever right? haha hopefully...
12. The library is your friend.
Sometimes the library is so boring the only exciting thing to do is study. Force yourself to go and study where you know you will have little distractions.
13. Don't fall asleep in your makeup in your makeup from last night.
Sometimes it's hard not to, but you'll thank yourself in the morning... and so will lil yatchy.
14. Your family is always #1.
Keep in touch with your family. Family is something you will always have. Not only your immediate family, but your grandparents, your cousins, aunts/uncles; they all care about you and what's going on in your life. Family will always be there for you, if you want them to or not.
15. You will miss your mother's cooking
No matter how many times you try and make your mother or grandmother's recipe, it just won't be as good. Some of us know how to cook, while some of us learn to eat cereal, pasta, and take out for every meal.
16. Enjoy your time and breaks at home, as life goes on you'll come home less and less.
As college goes on, you become more involved with working on your career. You'll become more independent and involved with your own life, and it's hard to visit "home" as much as you want too.
17. Appreciate people's differences.
College is a place where you will meet other people completely different than you. People come from all over the country, and all over the world. If you're able to appreciate how people are different than you and quit having judgements, you will be surprised how many friends you can make and how much you can learn from others.
18. Love yourself and love who you are.
Loving yourself and everything you are is the key to confidence. Stop caring what other people think and do you; it will bring you so much more happiness.
I hope this gave you a laugh, but I also hope all this advice is something you keep in mind when achieving your goals in life. College can be a crazy ride, but as long as you stay true to yourself, keep your priorities in check, and have a good support system you will be successful. Good luck to you from me, and all the rappers out there; I'm sure they all want you to taste success too.
