Well the time is finally upon me. After four and a half fun filled years, my college career is coming to a close. These past few years have yielded to me many circumstances, both good and bad, that have impacted me more than any other span of time in my life.
I think its normal (and wise) that when you get this close to the end of college to spend some time reflecting on everything that has happened whilst at school. It's easy for me to say that I don't have many regrets, but there are certainly quite a few things that I wish I would have known four years ago.
On the other hand, I can, with some confidence, look back upon my choices and decisions and realize that I did the right things. During all of this reflection, I have come up with my own top ten list of things you should know for your college years. The list is un-numbered, largely in part that I don't think any one idea is necessarily better than any of the others. So take some time, enjoy reading through them, and maybe some will help you on your way.
TAKE YOUR TIME
People sometimes get convinced that finishing up school in four years (or three for the super motivated that came into college with lots of credit) is the most important thing about college. The more I think about the last few years, the more I am realizing that the most important parts of college usually happened when I wasn't in class or studying. If you spend all your time focused on getting out of school, you won't have time for all the other important parts of college. Stretch things out a semester or two, your grades will go up, stress will go down, and college will be a better overall experience for you. On a side note, if you are planning on attending graduate school, or law school, or med school, things change some. Since you're committed to 2-4 more years of college after the real thing, you'll have plenty of time to experience the rest of what college has to offer. So, I would not stretch the undergrad out too far if I were you...
CHOOSE FRIENDS WISELY
When you go away to college, the friends you make become like family to you. Considering the amount of time you spend with them, and the lack of other influences, these people will have a significant impact on how you think and what you do. When you find yourself doing something new, or something that you wouldn't normally do, look around. Most of the time you'll find the friends around you doing the same thing. A popular saying by old people seeking to give you friendly advice is "you can tell a lot about someone by the friends they keep." As cliché as it sounds, there's certainly some truth behind that phrase.
DON'T FORGET TO LEARN
Grades suck! They make us focus on what we think is going to be on the test, and what it takes to complete homework assignments. In reality the tests and homework are really just a scattered cross-section of what the subject is all about. So don't get so caught up in tests and homework that you lose sight of what the class is really about. Since most people choose majors that they are interested in, and most classes they take are related to their major, they should be interested in most of their classes (at least in theory). Usually it is also not a bad idea to learn stuff in the classes that may not interest you. Sooner or later this general knowledge will come in handy.
DO SOMETHING STUPID
It's college. Welcome to all sorts of new freedom. One can't be expected to always remain logical and to color within the lines. This is your last free ticket to act like a moron and it be considered socially acceptable. The trick here is to be responsibly stupid. As counterintuitive as that may sound, it has all sorts of merit. Often times stupid actions have stupid consequences, and those potential consequences should be kept in mind when deciding which stupid things are worth doing. So unless the consequences are avoidable, make sure they are worth the enjoyment of the stupid act.
SEE THE BIG PICTURE
Sometimes you gotta take one giant step back and look at what's going on around you. College life was meant to be unstructured. This leaves room for the spur of the moment stupid things with your new friends while you are taking your time getting through school. A downside of this lack of structure is that it is easy to lose perspective and get wrapped up too much in one thing. For example, you meet the 'love of your life.' It is very easy to get so caught up in this relationship that you neglect your friends and your schoolwork. A common trend is a significant drop in grades the first semester of a new relationship. Many times it takes something significant like a bad report card to help people put the relationship back in perspective. Other times its just a friend smacking you in the head and telling you to stop ignoring the rest of the world. Once again, the trick is to always keep the big picture in view. When you do that, you can more easily achieve the necessary balance.
CALL HOME
Your mom loves you. So does your dad. Make sure they know that you are calling to talk to them, and not just cause you need money (which you will always need). One nice part of calling them regularly is that then you won't have to worry about them calling you at the 'wrong' time. Another nice outcome of regular calls is that they will feel closer to your needs, and will be more likely to send that money you need. And as much as we hate to admit it, there was once a time when our parents were the same age that we are now. So it is very likely that they can relate to what we are going through, and might even have some advice worth listening to. Even if we don't follow their advice, it makes them feel good to give it. And the better they feel, the more money we get.
· GET INVOLVED. This one isn't just for the resume...I promise. But while we're on the subject, companies (and scholarships) love this kind of stuff. More likely than not, there's about 1000 student organizations at a campus near you. Take advantage of them. It is an excellent opportunity to find people that you have things in common with. In addition, you can meet new people, try new things, help someone out that isn't as fortunate as you are, learn something new, expand your appreciation of culture, and all for the low price of some measly semester due and a few hours out of your week. Never underestimate the power of a group of people set out to accomplish one goal. Not to mention it's a special thing to be a part of.
BELIEVE IN SOMETHING
Live with purpose. When you make decisions, understand the choices you make. Make sure the reasons behind the choices align with your values and what you hold to be true. These truths and values should be guided by your heart, and should not be easily influenced by others. Solidify your values and know what you believe. What you believe is who you are.
IF YOU'RE GONNA STAY UP ALL NIGHT...AT LEAST WATCH THE SUNRISE
What are you gonna do, sleep for that 15 minutes? In theory, all assignments would be finished well ahead of time, and all tests would be prepared for way in advance. Yet, since life and theory rarely cross paths, sometimes back-up plans have to be implemented. An all too common backup plan for college students is the all-nighter. This is where we see how much caffeine our body can handle and still be able to maintain some minimal levels of focus. Usually at some point in the wee hours of the morning, productivity approaches zero while time keeps trucking by. What's left is a zombie-like student surrounded by miscellaneous academia. The problem is that there exists in those times no transition between yesterday and tomorrow. It is much like a casino in Las Vegas. You walk in and it is daylight, you walk out and it is daylight, yet you don't walk in and out on the same day. It is much more helpful if you have something symbolic like a sunrise to help you transition into a new day. Not to mention that the sunrise is one of the most underrated occurrences in nature. Its close relative the sunset gets all the press with the deep oranges, yellows, and reds. The sunrise possesses amazing amounts of energy and potential, awakening nature with its warmth and glow. What better way can there be to start a day in which you have not slept at all in preparation for?
GO TO CLASS AND MEET PROFESSORS
Isn't that what we pay for? One nice part about college is they rarely try to trick you. They usually won't test you over something unless they spent time talking to you about it in class. And it's an easy way for them to prove to you that what they are talking about is important. Although some professors use books they've written, most don't. Class is a good way for them to let you know which parts of the book are worth your time, and which parts aren't. Class also allows you to share the joys and pains of learning with several other people, and you can take turns keeping each other awake. Meeting professors is helpful on many levels. They tend to be more generous with grades if they know you care enough to go to office hours and meet with them outside of class. Also, in those same office hours, they tend to be more generous about what may or may not show up on the tests. But the most important reason for meeting professors does not involve tests. Professors are full of insight knowledge and wisdom. And most of the time they are eager to help you whenever possible. All of this before you even ask them for a letter of recommendation. So when you make school decisions, having problems with another class, having relationship problems, try to figure out what to do with your life, or just feeling chatty, hit up a professor. They would much rather talk to you then get back to their research - you would too.
If you made it through all this, congratulations, your attention span will prove a valuable asset. They say that in college one experiences the best years of your life, but that's only if you can take advantage of them.
Nathan Stal
