As mid-November approaches and we finally surpass the hump of this semester, most of us college students are simply beyond exhausted. Let’s face it: college is hard, especially for freshmen. We all probably came into school with some of the most typical freshman worries; the difficulty of classes, the amount of homework, making friends, getting enough sleep, etc. Just keeping up with the above is a task in and of itself.
However, as we now have settled in and are more adjusted to the basics of college life, we start to ask ourselves some deeper questions. What am I really passionate about? Am I excited about what I’m learning in class? Am I comfortable in the relationships I’ve formed so far? And most importantly, the simple question that seems to perplex many college freshmen: How am I doing? An answer of good, fine, or OK doesn’t suffice here. Really, think about it - how are you doing? If you don’t quite know how to answer, know first, that you’re not alone, and second, that it’s totally okay.
Being out of high school has opened us up to a whole new world of possibilities, but now our standards for success are up in the air and the paths that we were set on following only a few months ago have changed more than we could have ever imagined. With this in mind and the mid-semester slump hopefully behind us, here are some tips on how to be successful in college and define your own path in the future.
1. Set your own standards.
One of the most important elements of college life is realizing that you and only you are in control of what you make of your experience. Without the more centralized influence of peers and parents that you encountered in high school, setting goals of your own can be a difficult task. There is no cut and dry definition of a “good” GPA, no tried and true standard for extracurricular involvement, and no certain number of friends that you should have to be happy. Success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose,” and once you realize that only you can create this purpose, your fears of not making the cut will start to disappear.
2. Discover your motivations.
With goal setting in mind, it’s important to step back and really think about why you want to invest your time and effort in something. Is it because you want to make a difference in the world? To learn more about a field you find fascinating? To improve at an activity you simply enjoy? Once you identify why you really want to pursue something, staying focused on that goal will become much easier. If after some thought, you can’t quite reach a consensus on your motivation for doing what you do, it may be useful to take a step back and investigate what you really want to do and learn during your four years in school.
3. Put in the work.
This one may seem self-explanatory, but it is absolutely essential to be reminded of it in college. Making a commitment to work your hardest and stick to it requires perseverance, but as it pays off over time, it will start to become a habit. Understanding that the results we desire from hard work are often delayed will help you push through when you feel like giving up on something or are having a difficult time.
4. Be humble.
It’s always easy to get swept up in what others are doing, especially given the excessive social media presence that many college students maintain online. Here, the key to success is to remain focused on your own goals while celebrating the achievements of others. Just because your friend got an internship or your teammate received a scholarship doesn’t mean you need to scramble to do the same, nor should the accomplishments of others cause you to look down upon yourself. Inadequacy is one of the worst feelings in the world, and you’ll experience it many times throughout college. However, when you realize that you are your only competitor, it will become easier to regain your focus as well as solidify supportive relationships with others.
You may have noticed that this article does not focus on study tips, organizational skills, office hours, or many other traditional topics for college advice. This is all about living your life in college to your best potential, and using the above guidelines, I truly believe that you can achieve whatever academic, extracurricular, social, or personal goal you desire. To my fellow students – we’re almost there! Stay focused and push through the rest of this semester, and always keep looking forward to the next.
