In college, the most important takeaway is not a job. It's not the hours of classroom learning contributing to a wider realm of knowledge. The most important aspect is finding yourself.
Four years of education helps increase rhetoric. Your brain is stretched and expanded, cramming in vast amounts of information, even if it only sticks around for a short time frame before you forget it. Retention is not limited to academia though, as patterns of social behavior and etiquette are adapted and conformed to certain situations. But while all of these factors are important and necessary, the one thing that can't be taught is who you are.
Entering college is difficult and there are infinitely diverse situations that are foreign to what you are accustomed to experiencing. That's why, in the midst of the chaos, it's vital that you find out who you really are.
That doesn't mean your career path, or what exactly you want to pursue for means of income. Yes, that plays a role, but discovering who you are is different than what you do.
In college you find out what type of person you want to be, what morals you choose to abide by, and which people you will associate with. Often times the people you are around constantly reflect yourself in certain ways. You figure out if you are a leader, or if your talents are best served with guidance and direction. You're able to formulate your own opinion on political matters, as well as with the many issues that are present in this world. In college you find out if the you in the future is going to be any different than the you in the past, and which you is better. You're able to set goals and run towards everything you aspire to be.
But most importantly, you figure out that you only have one you. You realize that while you have many categories that you may fit into, many labels and classifications that suite your ideals and thoughts, you are unique in your own way. No one is like you and you have the potential to live your life exactly how you want it. You realize external advice can only take you so far and that listening to yourself is most important.
Finding out who you really are is the best part about college because after you find the you you're looking for, you can still change a little. You can still grow immensely and apply new experiences to your established foundation. But that foundation is established in college, in the four years of complete chaos and mystery, where you have the freedom to find something you think you're looking for, or to step out of your comfort zone and find who you're meant to be.
