There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are forced to grow up. Many of these times include going to college. This experience changes people in many ways. Being on your own, becoming more self sufficient, and learning to rely on yourself are all major ways that people change once they go to college.
One of the biggest ways that college has changed me is by making me more independent. I have learned how to do so many things on my own from laundry and shopping, to money and time management. I find myself relying on other people less than ever before in my life. I have learned that if I truly want something done, I have to do it on my own. This is the time were many people find themselves, and I have learned so much about myself and my independence than ever before.
Something else than has changed about me from being in college is my social skills. I have learned to socialize much better than ever before in my life. Childhood is a time when you grow up with the same people from a young age and likely are friends with them until you graduate high school. Coming in to college, I did not have any of my close friends by my side. I had to learn how to really talk to people and go out of my comfort zone to make friends. College made me a more social person because I was forced into situations where I had to socialize to make friends.
Being in college makes everyone so much more mature. I did not realize this until I spent time with people that are still in high school. Maturity levels are forced to be raised in college. You have to rely on yourself and make major decisions about your life that may affect you for a long time. You are receiving a higher education. Everyone in college is an adult and being surrounded by people who are mature constantly forces you to also become more mature. This one is more subconscious than any of the others, but being on my own in college has made me a much more mature person.
The way I evaluate decisions has also changed from being in college. I think long term. Is this one decision really worth it and will it have any sort of impact on my in the future? These kinds of questions are ones I find myself asking often. In high school, things seemed to matter less, but in college, they seem to have more of an impact. I tend to not only think about the long-term impact my decisions can have, but also let it change the way I make these decisions.
Being in college is an experience that many young adults will go though after high school. I think that simply being in college and living away from your family can help make people adults. Being out of your comfort zone and realizing the impact you have on your own life are the first steps to changing into a new person. The person you become in college is likely the person you will be for the rest of your life.
