By: Jacqueline Dua
Introduction
Starting college can be an exciting and nerve-racking time. It’s a time to find yourself and learn who you are as a grown adult. You’ll want to make your mark, make friends, and build your independence. You’ve also probably imagined having a college experience like what you’ve grown up watching in entertainment. Well, this blog is going to give you 5 things I learned about college the hard way.
Tip #1: Even if you’ve picked your major be open to other majors
You may come to college knowing exactly what major you want, but you could end up hating it semesters down the line. Learning about other majors will give you a backup plan if you realize you want to drop the major you declared. Taking a minor in a completely different career field can help give you more options after graduation, or it can help you test out other majors to switch to. Also, don't just read about the positive aspects of the career field you're interested in; actively look for the negatives. It’s easy to get caught up in all the glitz and glamor of a career field. You don’t want to enter a career with unrealistic expectations and regret your choice. Take it from me: I was a nursing student with one semester left to graduate. Now I’m graduating with a more business-focused degree.
Tip #2: Your high school teacher lied
Not everything your high school teacher tells you will be accurate. For example, in high school, you’re taught to believe that college will be more uptight and have higher expectations, but it’s dependent on the professor. College is a lot more easygoing than high school. Some professors won’t mind if you skip class, while others may let you turn in late work with points deducted. They might even cancel or shorten classes as a nicety to students. This is because in college you are considered an adult. The outcome of your academic success is highly dependent on the choices you make. No professor will hover over you to make sure you are learning the material and turning in your work. The difficulty of college depends on your ability to understand how to study and find a learning style that works for you. You’ll do a lot of self-teaching, but visiting professors during office hours is an option.
Tip #3: Take a moment to breathe
When you’re in college there are so many things going on and it can feel like there’s not enough days and hours to keep up. You can get so overwhelmed running you forget it’s a marathon and not a race. Remember to take a moment to stop and breathe. Sit down and think about what you have accomplished instead of what you must do for the future. Feel good about your accomplishments and consider if you still want to do all the things you think you have to do for your future.
Tip #4: Don’t be upset if you’re not having the stereotypical college experience.
Stereotypes are called stereotypes because they’re oversimplified images or ideas. There is no such thing as a standard college experience. Your experience is what you make of it. Also, anyone who says college will be the best years of your life must have peaked in college. There are too many years in the human lifespan for it not to be possible to have exciting experiences after college. It’s also okay to hate your college experience. If you need a place to vent there is an entire forum on Reddit dedicated to ranting about your frustrations with the college experience, r/collegerant.
College can be fun and it’s possible to make a lot of friends. However, sometimes those friendships might have fit who you were yesterday, but not who are today. It’s okay if your friendships drift apart. It only means they were meant to last for just that part of your life and be a great memory to look back on. They helped you in your personal growth for that moment and now you will find friends that fit the person you are now. Life is all about moving forward and growth. Your college friends don’t have to be your only friends or your forever friends. You always should strive for friendships that uplift and motivate you and you want to be that friend to others.
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