Go to college, advance your education, get a good job and live happily ever after, right? Wrong. It is hardly ever that simple.
How it really happens: Graduate from high school, live it up during your last summer home, go to college with hardly any money, spend it all in the first few months, spend the rest of college broke, begging your parents for money, struggling to hold 15 credits a semester because you have to work 30 plus hours per week in order to afford rent, while also trying to keep good grades, a social life and romantic life. Whew…isn’t college fun?
College is the perfect transition period between childhood and adulthood (Even though we all like to think we are “adults” at 16 or 17 years old). We still have a lot to learn between about 18-23. There are so many life lessons to be had in college, especially when you are away from home, out of state and/or living on your own.
I think we can all say that we have fallen on our face in one way or another during college; financially, academically, because of family, friend and significant other problems, or maybe all of the above. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in having a good social life and lose focus on school and adult responsibilities.
But, here is why all of these things are actually good for us:
We need to be broke.
We need to eat Ramen, hot dogs and mac and cheese for a week waiting for our paycheck. It reminds us how lucky we are to have the food that we do, as well as how to budget our money so that this won’t happen again. We need to learn that we shouldn’t blow our money on clothes, alcohol and things that we don’t really need in college. Most of us learn the hard way and have to call mom and dad for help like a puppy with our tail between our legs (I’ve had to do this more than I would like to admit).
We need to have our heart broken.
How are we supposed to learn what real romantic love is if we don’t ever experience the heartache that comes along with it? This is especially true while we are still young. Falling in and out of love in college is going to teach us what to expect in the “real world” as well as what we want out of a significant other. Not to mention, many of us will find the love of our life in college, but usually not without a few heartbreaks along the way.
We need to fail a class or two (or change our major a few, three times).
Being knocked-down academically is something that many people in college experience. It is part of the journey for some of us. But, pulling yourself up and admitting, then fixing your mistake is what life is all about. Why not start by having to pay another couple hundred (or thousand) dollars to retake a class? Lesson learned.
Life is all about learning from your mistakes and taking the next step to get to where you want to be. College is a huge stepping stone because of how much you will learn, and all without living under your parent’s roof.
