We all enter college coming from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Each of us have our own expectations of what our college experience will be like – the things we will do, the friends we will make, the adventures we will have, what we will learn. Some of us come into college overly cocky, thinking we have it all figured out, and that just because we've finished high school, we are totally adults now, and do not need any guidance or discipline. Others of us come into college very timidly – we are nervous about the change and what lies ahead of us. While the ways we view college may vary, one thing is for sure: we all enter college being fairly naïve as to what our experiences will be like, and what it actually means to be an adult. Sure, college is a lot about academics and a teaching environment. But what if experiencing college actually teaches us more than just the academics? What if it teaches us about life and people, places and things? What if there was much, much more to it than what we expected to get out of it when we first set foot on campus as a young, naïve freshman?
Here are some things that college has taught me:
1. It's okay not to have everything figured out.
And that's okay! I am a perfectionist. So much so that I want everything to go smoothly and the slightest bump in the road throws me off. I like to have everything planned out. For me, this plan included details about every semester until my graduation. But you know what? Things don't always go as as planned, and that is alright. Learning to accept this as early as possible will make life and all its changes much more easy to accept and deal with.
2. It's okay to admit that you need help.
If you don't know where something is, are struggling with something, or need someone to help you understand your homework assignment, it's okay. It is much worse to flounder around, lost and on your own, than to admit to someone that you need them to help you out.
3. Look to people who are older and wiser than you for advice and encouragement.
Whether it be parents, grandparents, professors, or other older adults in your life, if these people care about you, they are willing to be there to offer you advice and encouragement. We don't always have the answers to our struggles and the decisions we have to make, but by leaning on these people we have in our lives, we can learn, grow and be challenged a lot.
4. It's okay to be challenged in your beliefs and viewpoints.
Just don't allow others to change you. Peers, readings, and professors may challenge the things we hold dear. However, being challenged in our beliefs and viewpoints is the only way that we can grow, learn, and mature, and truly develop who we are.
5. Choose your priorities.
What is most important in your life? Is it homework? Friendships? Family? Relationships? Your job? Something else? Whatever the most important things may be, choose which ones are priorities, and minimize the others. Be willing to say no to something if it is going to cut into the things that are most important to you.
6. Time management is absolutely necessary.
Organize, organize, organize. Buy a planner, use the calendar on your phone, do whatever it takes for you to be able to organize your life. Things will go more smoothly, and you will realize you have more time than you had thought to do what you need to do.
7. Do not feel like you have to go with the crowd.
Don't be afraid to be yourself! Say no to the things that you know are wrong. Do not be sucked in by peer pressure. Follow what you know is right – what you know you are meant to do. Most importantly, do not let people change you.
