For those of us who have just finished our first year of college, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed. Not like those who just graduated because they’re actually out in the real world. We are still living two lives that aren’t fully our own, but they actually need a plan because there’s no more two lives or school (unless graduate school is in their plan). They’re done preparing for the outside world because the day they received their degree was the day they no longer had to wait for the rest of their lives.

Now for rising sophomores or juniors, you aren’t overwhelmed because you’re almost done with college. You’re overwhelmed because you have a few years to figure out what the hell you want to do with the rest of your life and within those few years, you need to figure it out fast because there are other things you need to accomplish before you graduate.

You have to get the full college experience. At least that’s what everyone says. You have to join a bunch of clubs you may or may not like. You have to have job experience and internships that pertain to your intended degree. You should study abroad because the best way to learn is through real life learning—in other words, how much more money can I spend to raise my chances of getting a job right out of college.

You can’t just go to college, graduate, and get a job because you went to college.

You have to be exceptional. Your resume should be overflowing with experience. That’s why we are overwhelmed. I wasted my first year of college trying to get used to the life outside of my county and my family. I had to make new friends and get used to classes and my new living arrangements. That took me about a week. After all that was done, I just got lazy. I didn’t want to participate after that. In my mind, college is just college, a stepping stone to my actual life. So, I wasted one year. I have no good memories or experiences that are worth sharing. I need all the things I listed above because I have nothing besides one completed year of college. There needs to be more than that, and there will be.

We all make promises that the next time will be better, but my next time will, in fact, be so much better. I’m already living in a better place because who really wants to spend their days in college living in a dorm and eating peanut butter? A majority wouldn’t protest, but I would. Next year will be better because I am determined to make it better. So if you wasted your first year, don’t waste the next three. It’s not worth wasting.