Hi, Lovelies.
I am back from hiatus. I know that I’ve been gone for a while because I decided to take a break while I was focusing on college life. However, now it’s summer and I’m so excited to write new posts and continue sharing my love for stories, books, and writing.
Since I just came back from my junior year at a four year college, I thought I would talk about the things that I’ve learned in college. I won’t call it tips to a good college life because college is like a lot of things, it’s subjective. What works for me might not work for you.
But I can definitely say that I’ve learned a lot from my time in college and that there are definitely lessons and opportunities that you should seek to learn in college. Not really purely educational or career focused lessons, but oftentimes just lessons about how to live life and be a decent adult.
1. Be wise with money
One of the first things that college taught me was to be wise with my money. College is a huge investment and really expensive. But I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know. Being wise with your money means different things to different people because there are varying degrees of financial status. However, college is one of the best times to figure out how to use your money wisely.
For me, it looked like going to a junior college before transferring to a four year. It also meant filling out FAFSA and getting good grades for scholarships. It also meant joining honors societies for additional help with scholarships. Honestly, though and it’s probably on me, I didn’t get that many scholarships. But if you have the time to jump through all the hoops for scholarships, then definitely apply for as many as you can.
However, it also means figuring out whether having a car is an investment or a burden. How much you should speed on food and fun activities with friends. College is like the baby step to figuring out how to budget. You still have a little net if you fall with your parent’s help and Campus supplies, but it is also on you to choose how to spend your money and on what.
2. Realize that stuff is just stuff
Moving is a pain. Especially when you spend about nine months in one place, and three in another. And then, have to move everything out in a day. I don’t know how people do that for four years. I’ll only have to do it for two. It really puts things in perspective. You realize that items are often just items. You can just get rid of them and buy new stuff. It’s okay to be sentimental sometimes, but at the end of the day, physical objects aren’t that important. Learn what is necessary for your life and get rid of what isn’t. The things that are the most important aren’t the objects or mementos. It’s the relationships and memories and those you’ll carry with you for a long time. So, just remember, while having stuff is nice, it isn’t really all that important for a good life.
3. Step outside of your comfort zone
I went to college in a whole different state. While this was something that I wanted to do, it was definitely out of my comfort zone. I was five hours away from any family, in a whole new environment and people. It was new and scary. I remember sitting in my room after my family had left and freaking out. Like how was I supposed to make friends? What if my roommate hated me? And how was I supposed to live on my own and go to school?
Needless to say, I got through it. I made friends. I got used to my new environment and came to love it. And my roommate had been just as nervous to meet me, but we became close friends. I did eventually figure out how to do both school and life on my own.
College is the time to do something out of your comfort zone. It may not mean going to college in a different state from your family. It can look like joining a club that you want to try, but don’t feel comfortable doing. Or it can look like taking up a leadership position, giving a speech, or submitting to a publication.
4. Learn to fail or do something hard
I took a website design class last semester. I am an English major. I have no idea what I was thinking. Okay, I have a little idea. I thought; oh, I figured out how to set up a blog on wordpress. Let’s take a class called Website Design and Development that will help me learn more about blogging and having a website. And it did. But I didn’t realize that there was such a focus on Development, which meant I needed to learn how to code.
I was highkey freaking out the first week, I didn’t understand anything. I was considering quitting, but I didn’t. I decided I was going to stick it out. And I survived, I built my own website from scratch, and I even came out with an A. I failed so many times, though. I got it wrong, had no clue what I was doing half of the time. In the end, I am so proud I took that class. It taught me to be okay with failing, but not to stop there, but continue and try again. It taught me to ask for help. Professors really do want to be there for you and help you, just put in some effort and reach out.
It’s okay to fail. In fact, I suggest that you do fail. But don’t stop there, continue, learn, and reach out to others. You’re not failing. You’re learning, growing. Keep going.
5. Create connections
I hear this all the time, but it really is true. College is the time to make connections. You are going to be surrounded by so many smart, ambitious people who want to make the most of their lives. This is the perfect time to find those people and become friends with them. I’m saying this as an introvert, who dislikes being around people. I still make it an important goal of my college experience to find smart people who inspire me and become friends with them. Find people who share your interests, so you can geek out together. That’s why I joined the writing club and found a group of people who share my passion.
But also find the high achievers, the people who are going places and learn from them. I’ve always heard that you should hang out with a group of smart people and when you become the smartest one there to find a smarter group. Although, I don’t believe in ditching friends because you’re smarter than them, I get the message. Find people who push you to grow and become a better you, not people who are okay with being average.
Go out and find your people. And if you don’t, that’s okay too. But try to make at least one long lasting friend who encourages you to be the best person you can be.
6. Be okay with being alone
I know I just said to make connections, but college can also get lonely. After my first roommate left when she graduated in the fall semester, I was so scared that I was just going to be alone the rest of the year. I obviously made friends. But I also got okay with being alone. In fact, I enjoy my own company. It’s okay to do things alone. Be with yourself. Do the things you want even if you have no one to do them with them. Eat alone, go to the movies alone, go to events alone, read, talk walks. The only person you’ll really live with forever is yourself, so learn to enjoy spending time with yourself.
A couple of pictures I took on walk alone in the nature reserve
7. Be uncertain of the future
The common question in college is what is your degree and what are you going to do with it. For me, I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to be a writer and that’s going to happen, I’ll make sure of that. But many people go to college and have no idea, they changed majors and they figure it out as they go. And that’s okay. There’s a quote from Oscar Wilde that essentially says that it’s beautiful when you don’t know what you want to be because that means you can be anything. You aren’t limited by what you say you want to be. And while I know that I want to become a writer. I am also a little uncertain on how that’s going to happen and what exactly that’ll look like. I’m unsure of what I’ll do when I graduate college, but I think I want to travel.
So, it’s okay to be uncertain about your future. Change our mind a million times, start over, chase random passions. That’s okay. You’ll find your plan eventually.
“If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.” — Oscar Wilde
8. You’re stronger than you think
This one is more for me. I didn’t realize how much going to a four year college, away from home was going to stretch me. I was learning how to live on my own and balance being a good student and decent adult. I was balancing school, friends, work, life, and my mental health. It was hard, lonely, and I’ve run out of words to describe the feeling. But every time, I had a breakdown. And let me tell you, I had an embarrassing amount of them. I remember that I have gotten through every hard day I’ve experience before. And honestly, I’ve experienced worse. So, I would sit in that feeling for a little while, but then I would wipe my tears, get up, and get back to work.
You are stronger than you know. You got this.
Final Thoughts
That’s all the tips I’ve got for you lovelies. If you are just starting off your college journey, I suggest reading my Off to College post. Hope you have a great week and I’ll have a post for you next week.
