I always thought…a college degree — it’s what makes a person successful, right? However, I have come to realize just how wrong that statement is. It’s not about the piece of paper you earn after the four years (or five ... or six) of hard work, blood, sweat, stress and tears.

Growing up, I knew I always wanted to go to college. How could I not? My parents and even my brother pushed me. They all wanted me to be the first in the immediate family to attend college. They wanted to see me succeed. The teachers I became close with over the years pushed me into the decision of attending college and the closer I become to earning my high school diploma the closer it came time to make the decision.

However, I have learned something in my few short years (just one left, yay!) of college ... It’s more than just working for a degree — it’s about what you learn along the way. I think that’s what can really make up a person.

So, I asked some of my friends what college has taught them, other than how to work for a degree and some of their responses were pretty funny:

“How to function on 2 hours of sleep”
“How to funnel a beer”
“It’s okay not to have my life together”
“It’s normal to have breakdowns”
“I am not ready to be an adult”
“How to get creative with your hair when you don’t feel like (don’t make time) for washing it for days”
“Alcohol is either your best friend or your worst enemy. There’s no in between.”

My point is, I truly believe your college experience is all about what you make it. My college experience has been the best years of my life. I’ve learned so much about myself, about people, and about life in general. I’ve learned how to manage my time. I’ve learned that kindness gets you a long way. I’ve learned to stay humble because I can trip just as well as I can get back up. I’ve learned that people come and go in life but the best ones are always there even if they haven’t physically been there in days. I’ve learned that life doesn’t always have to be taken so seriously and sometimes life is so unfair but everything happens for a reason. I’ve learned that sometimes our plans are different than God’s. Let go and trust him. Opportunities don’t come to you … you have to go chase them. Life can suck, so just keep on going with a smile. You never know what life is going to throw at you, you have to be well-rounded and able to take on anything.

I have learned self-control as a student and I have learned when I can and when I can’t procrastinate. I have learned how to pay bills and how to manage money. I have learned I am never to old to need my parents or yearn for the comfort of being at home and being surrounded by my family. I have learned how to communicate better with people and do things completely on my own. I have learned to finally understand, "you'll meet your best friends in college." I really have met the best people. I have learned self-motivation; how to find the push and the drive within myself. I have learned how to be independent; to worry about myself first and just let everything else fall into place. I have learned, just because I will earn a degree, it doesn’t mean I’m ready to take on the real world and that I automatically have a golden ticket to be successful. A degree just betters my chances at earning a higher salary. I’ve got to go out there and chase my dreams because I will only be successful if I try. I have the drive if I work for it.

I can’t remember my freshman year math professors name, I can’t remember what was on my biology exam last year, and I can’t even remember what the lecture in my feature writing class was about today. However, I will always remember the experiences college gave me. I will always remember the times that made me who I am today, and I will probably never run out of lessons to say that they have taught me ... and I still have more to learn.