As an incoming senior this fall, so much time has passed since I started as a freshman. It’s hard to realize that I will be graduating next May.
Looking back, how many countless hours did you spend cramming for tests, homework assignments, and group projects? (Oh, the infamous group projects!)
You spend all of this time working towards your degree — a degree that will lead you to a career that you will be doing for the REST of your life — and then it hits you. Jobs do not rely on your GPA to determine your work ethic and the skills you acquire are learned on the job.
This leaves me with one question: Besides the cap, gown and piece of paper that you receive at graduation; what will you be left with? What did you really learn in college?
Here are nine things I came up with:
1. Self-Discipline
Who has ever heard the “in college, no one is going to hold your hand” speech? Well, let me be the first to say that this is so true. No matter how prepared you think you are, college is a different world compared to home. You have to adapt. No one is there to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing with your time. Teachers will fail you in the blink of an eye, and no one is there to tell you to skip a party to study instead.
At the end of the day, your success depends on you, which makes self-discipline a key part of the college experience. Whether it’s attending class regularly, doing homework assignments on time, or choosing to study instead of going out; self-discipline is what will get through these challenges.
2. Caring for Yourself
This is still one of the hardest things to do in my opinion. I hate having to book my own doctor’s appointments because I don’t fully understand what I am doing. What if I forget my insurance card? What if I had to have sudden emergency surgery and my mom wasn’t there?
Moms are not going to be there to save the day for you anymore. It is up to you to get the groceries now, to make your own doctor’s appointments, do your laundry, and get yourself to class.
If you didn’t care for yourself, you had no one else to blame but you.
3. Who My Real Friends Are
Friends come and go, but the friends that you make a special effort to keep in contact with, even after graduation; those are the real friends. As you get older, you figure out what type of people you want to surround yourself with. You understand now that quality is better than quantity, and that’s okay.
4. How to Create a Resume
I cannot stress how crucial this one is. One of your ultimate goals in college is landing an internship so you can gain experience in your job field. Campuses often have resume and networking workshops that you can attend, in order to boost your credentials and make yourself an appealing prospect for an internship or job.
5. Alcohol 101
Alcohol is going to be around you in some shape or form throughout your college years, so it’s best if you know how your body reacts to it. It also helps to know how to deal with situations responsibly, if and when too much alcohol was consumed.
6. Who I Am vs. Who I Am Not
As you mature and try different things, you become aware of who you are, as well as who you aren’t. You learn about your interests, personality, strengths and weaknesses that help you define who you want to be. There is no point in being something you are not. College allows you to spread your wings and be happy with who you are.
7. Appreciate your Parents
It's more than just the homemade dinners and the laundry that they clean for you. It's the unconditional love and effort your parents put in, not only see you happy, but to also see you succeed. They will always be there for you no matter what, even in times where tough love is needed. As you grow older, you become more appreciative of all of the things that they have done for you over the years. You want to make them proud and show them that their efforts weren’t meaningless.
8. “Ballin’ on a Budget”
What is the first thing you think of when you think about being a college student? Does the word “broke” ring a bell? Finding new ways to be frugal in college teaches you the true value of a dollar. Whether it’s living off of pizza rolls, free food from campus events, sharing with friends, buying cheap alcohol that tastes God awful or simply going to the dining hall as much as possible; you really are able to see the effects of how money comes and go’s.
9. Seize Every Opportunity
You have to be the one to reach out and talk to other people, to apply to jobs you are interested in, and to raise the money yourself if you plan on going on school service trips. You have to put yourself out there. If you want something, go get it!
College continues to open up the world for me and give new vantage points to look from. It has helped shape me into who I am and who I am striving to be, inside and outside of the classroom. I won’t leave with just a degree; I will leave with a better understanding of values, self-worth, lasting friendships, and a better appreciation of the people who have guided me along this incredible journey.
