Life in college has been all about exploring new things and making mistakes, and while I feel I have learned a lot of new things about myself in that process, there are certain things I wish I didn't find out the hard way.
1. Read more books.
This has been, by far, one of my biggest misgivings with college from day one. When I came to college, I was 19 years old and already had a sizable collection of books back home, and had already read a majority of them. However, all that changed rather quickly.
Between performing well academically, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping up with my social life, I feel like there’s no time left for me to just kick back and read a book with zero distractions. What’s more is that reading books has made me the person that I am today – it has helped me develop character and become exposed to new ideas. And so, one thing that I would definitely tell the 19-year old me is to never stop reading.
2. Sleep is a luxury. Cherish it while you can.
Now, don’t get me wrong. College has been everything I expected it to be, and I have truly enjoyed my journey so far. But if I were to tell like it is, I would have to say that college drains you too. Often to the point you find yourself going without sleep for nights on end. Hence, the regret for not valuing sleep while I didn’t have to try to make the time for it.
3. Start saving now, and thank yourself later.
It was only after the second semester of my sophomore year that I opened up a savings account, and I cannot stress how much more financially secure it has made me feel. From helping me cover incidental expenses to venturing into investing, opening up a savings account has only helped me, and is another thing I wish I knew about sooner. And if you were to ask me, one of the best feelings in the world is to see the small little sacrifices build up into a bigger capital – capital that you are free to do whatever you like with.
4. Not everyone will stay by you, and that’s okay.
This is one thing that I wish I hadn’t learned the hard way. In high school, I was quite social and made a lot of friends.
However, I never truly lost a friend. Sure, the number of times I saw a person or the number of hours I spent texting them at odd timings about the most random things would reduce every once in a while. But had I ever truly lost a friend? I don’t think that I had.
Next thing you know, I’m in college (cues an everlasting sequence of first-time experiences), and I love every part of it – the people I’m meeting, my classes, the sense of accomplishment.
But it’s not all rosy all the time. And that’s because as people, we are constantly shifting and reshaping ourselves, and sometimes, you just cannot sustain a relationship with a person anymore. That’s something I struggled with for a long time initially, and so I wish someone had told me something along these lines before I had to experience it firsthand.
