A Closer Look: What they donât tell you about college
Do you all remember everything the orientation leaders said at orientation? Probably not. One thing you did hear often was, âGet involved! Stay active!â This is sound advice, and very true. Being active and involved provides students with a community while at the same time connecting them with their school. However, nobody ever gives you the real 411 concerning the next four years. You will learn and experience things about yourself that you never even knew existed. Challenges and struggles will pop up unexpectedly, and you may not know how to deal with them. Hereâs some real advice to get you through college: Grow.
You will grow in ways that you canât even imagine. Your taste in clothes may change, your circle of friends may grow or shrink and you may learn more about your gender or sexuality. Exploration occurs often in college which is pretty normal. Take time during these college years to learn about yourself. Educating yourself is important, but realizing who you are as a person is important as well. Essentially, growth comes with change. Youâve opted out on being a nurse or engineer. Instead, youâve discovered a new major that sparks your interest in a new way. Yeah, about that. Donât work yourself up if youâve already changed your major once and youâre thinking about changing it again. You donât go into college knowing all the answers, you go there to find them; even then, you still may not find them all. Â
When you move from adolescence to adulthood, life tends to get a little harder and emotions get stronger. Becoming an adult means youâll be on your own and you may not have a safety net. If you feel the need to speak to someone, there are counselors waiting to hear your story. If thatâs too much, see if your professor has time to speak for a few minutes after class. Tell them why youâve been struggling in the class lately. They want to help you, so always reach out when you have the chance to talk to someone. Donât hold onto things that will build up and make you want to explode later.
If that isnât enough, you may also find yourself facing an identity crisis, constantly asking yourself âWho am I?â College is where you will find yourself or at least take the first teetering steps along the path to self-discovery. Finding yourself can be a lifelong process. Who do you want to be? To get closer to figuring that out, take time to learn what you truly admire and what youâre passionate about. You see those organization flyers all over campus? Take a few. You canât knock something till you try it. Archery Club? Check. Ski club? You got it. Do you like playing hide and seek? Yep, thereâs even a hide and seek club. Online thereâs hundreds of organizations to choose from provided by the Student Organizations Council that may interest you.
Youâll have great days and youâll have terrible days. There will be times when you cry because youâve had a horrible day, and there will be times that you cry from laughing with your friends. Maybe you failed that test that you studied so hard for, or there are some personal issues going on in your family. If life ever leaves you feeling overwhelmed, slow down and take a deep breath. Remove yourself the problem so you can have some distance and get a new perspective. Remember to just breathe. You will survive this, and you will come out stronger from it.
One of the most important life skills you can learn is how to let go, and the sooner you do it, the better off you will be. Letting go can be one of the worst feelings ever. There are people youâve had in your life for a long time, and disentangling them from your social network can be both difficult and painful. Let go of toxic relationships and friendships that donât mean you well. The love of your life goes to Texas State but youâve been fighting a lot, or you and your best friend forever are drifting further and further apart. Some relations can be fixed indeed, but if it isnât benefiting you both as a whole, let it go. Delaying the inevitable may seem like itâs putting off the pain of ending things, but itâs really just prolonging your hurt.
Napoleon Hill once said, âStrength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.â Struggling is a part of life, and there will be many struggles here at Texas State. Just remember to stay true to yourself, recognize your growth and let go of things that are doing you more harm than good. There arenât any instructions on how to get through college without any challenges or obstacles. You just have to grow through it.