Anyone who knows me well probably laughed a little that I'm writing this article.

In high school, we're brainwashed to believe that grades are everything. We live four years in the same town to wake up, go to school, succeed, and go home. All the extra-curriculars you do? Not enough. Those A minuses? Not enough. The hours spent doing homework? Not enough. Everything has to be perfect to get into that one dream school.

Then, that magical day comes. You got in. The summer passes by, you pack up your bags, and you're off to start the beginning of the next four years. You settle in just to see the pounds of work fall onto your desk with your head in your hands.

Week after week you lock yourself in your room, keeping those straight A's you always got in high school. You barely see the sun, let alone the dining hall because you have to keep those perfect scores.

But there's so much more to that.

Put the phone down. Turn off the music and take out the head phones. Close the book. Cap the highlighters. And take a step into the hallway.

Listen to the laughter of all the people in your halls. Take the time to leave your building. Join a club, but not because you're trying to build a resume. Enjoy the world that's going on around you. Get to know the people in your building, in your major, in the horrible 8am class that you can barely keep your eyes open.

Life is so much more than grades. College is an experience; it is a life-changing experience. If you don't put down the books and pick up your head, you'll miss the world going on around you.