College can be a great period of your life. It's a time when you get to live independently from your parents and get a taste of adulthood. You have your own (likely shared) living space, you manage your own eating habits, and you make all the decisions about your schedule. You're still not 100% adulting, but you've made a big step towards that. Consequently, it's important that you actively work to develop your life beyond what you've known forever. This is the time to figure out what you want out of life and what you stand by.
\This doesn't have to be anything heavy or serious either. There are just certain things you shouldn't wait to do until you've already graduated. With that in mind, here are five things you must do before you put on that graduation cap.
1. Eat that famous local dish from the restaurant that everyone talks about.
This is probably the easiest one on the list. You know that place that you've heard a million people talk about? The one with hundreds of Yelp reviews? The one you always see featured in a news article here and there? (For Angelenos, that might be The Original Pantry Cafe.) Yeah, you should go ahead and try it. After you graduate, you may move to a totally different city. Don't turn it into a mad dash to check off all the boxes before you move away. Try all the places you want to, now!
2. Research all kinds of jobs and industries beyond those you already know.
You might have a pretty good idea of what you want to do after college, but why stop there? There could be another job you would absolutely love, that you haven't discovered yet. Look at the industries that are growing throughout the U.S. as well as those that are largest in your desired area. You could discover the dream job you never knew you had.
3. Try a new club or hobby.
Hopefully you have some hobbies or activities you already like doing. However, there's always room for more! Colleges often have a bunch of clubs to join. This is a great way to get good at a new skill that you'll use for the rest of your life, as well as an easy way to meet new people. Win-win!
4. Get better at talking to new people.
This goes for introverts and extroverts alike: talking to people is an absolutely necessary life skill! You're going to have to socialize with in-laws, new coworkers, recruiters, friends of friends, bosses, and many more people in the future. You should take every opportunity to practice your skills. At social events, don't just take the easy route of just talking to the one person you know. Push yourself out of your comfort zone -- it'll pay off.
5. Reflect on yourself and work on your shortcomings.
Part of being an adult is understanding that you are not perfect, and it's on you to work on your shortcomings. No one respects someone who refuses to acknowledge their weaknesses and refuses to fix them. Speaking to a counselor or a therapist is a great way to figure out things you seem to serially approach wrong. Therapy is for anyone and everyone. The great thing is, many colleges have such professionals on campus.
Everyone's college experience is different, but these five things are important for anyone. You're an adult now -- embrace it!
