I’m going to say something that might be a little bit shocking. Actually, if it does shock you, I’m glad and I hope you take it to heart. I don’t believe in sugar coating information unnecessarily, and I think babying people that way does more harm than good. This piece of information I’m about to tell you is something that I firmly believe every student currently attending college (or thinking of attending college) should know:

Going to college or a university means a lot less than what you think it does. Graduating does not mean you are smart, nor does it guarantee you a job. The classes that you’ll spend hours studying for, the numerous exams that you’ll take, all the homework assignments and essays that you’ll have to complete: none of it means anything — unless you make it mean something.

I feel like young people nowadays have become complacent. I’m not above this, I have to remind myself to work harder each and every day otherwise I’ll find myself wasting the day away doing nothing. Finding this motivation is exceptionally difficult now, especially given where we are in the academic semester. Classes are coming to a close, we’ll have finals in a little over two weeks, and then we’ll be free! Glorious, glorious winter break.

But think:then what?

We do it all over again. Next semester rolls around and we start strong, doing all of our homework and studying hard for our exams. We'll grind through the semester until it comes near to the end and then again, the lethargy will hit us. Final exams, another few weeks of break. And then we do it all over again. And again, and again.

Why is this bad? It's bad because higher education, done in this way, is a huge waste of financial resources and time. Colleges don't care at all about you, they just want your tuition money. If you just cruise along and let your college years follow this monotonous cycle, you're only doing yourself a disservice.

College is an environment in which to immerse yourself and take risks, a place where you can try new things and meet people you otherwise wouldn't. It's a time to experiment and learn, and I really mean learn. Not just by mindlessly going to class and doing homework, but really learning about yourself. If you're not constantly pushing yourself, expanding your horizons (not just academically but overall), and you're not growing yourself as a person, you're doing it wrong.

If you're focusing only on your grades and ignoring other areas where you could be improving yourself, you're doing it wrong. Make it a conscious effort to always make progress, you'll be glad you did.