How to Spend Your College Years
I am a second semester senior, and I've been reflecting a lot on my college years. They didn't go as I imagined they would when I was in high school, but they've been remarkable and surprising despite that. In the past few semesters, however, I have lost sight of the things that really matter in college. The things that are uniquely college. So I wanted to share my thoughts so you guys can hopefully have a piece of mind over this.
What you're told to spend your college years doing...
Improving your GPA. Caveat: You do need to maintain a certain GPA to be deemed competitive for job applications and grad schools, and these do vary depending on your field of interest. However, I say this here because sometimes we can get sucked into this idea that we need perfect grades and that our only pride and joy is our GPA. Let me tell you, getting a 4.0 doesn't feel as good as you think it would, and slipping another semester surely does suck, but it isn't the end of the world. You do not need to stress over getting A+'s in every single class, for unless it comes easily to you, you may be focusing on the wrong things. I know I talk about GPA a lot because for some reason it matters a lot to me, but it really does not matter as much as how much you learn. You also need to realize that other factors speak to you as a person, not just your GPA.
Being a leader. Do not be a leader to be a leader. You can still get a great job and/ or get into grad school without explicit leadership (that is a title in a club). You should only be a leader if you are committed to the cause (as in you like doing the work associated with your position). If you're doing something for your resume, chances are, you won't do a good job, and your other team members suffer, especially ones who truly care for the club. Don't drive yourself and others insane.
Going out every weekend. Going out can be fun, especially when it is new. We all have this idea in our minds (because of TV shows and movies) that we will meet a lot of cool people when going out and just have so much fun! But most of the time, we hang out with the group we went with and/ or you do meet a bunch of people, but then forget how they looked like the next day. Going out is not that memorable (and that’s not just because you may experience memory loss due to drinking). If you are torn between going out of town for a conference or a club activity and staying at school to go out one weekend, go out of town! You bond so much more and your memories will be so much more lasting. And I’m not even going to get into going out turning dangerous and/ or being disappointing (which it usually is because it can be superficial). With all that said, going out can be a lot of fun! Go with your close friends and just be ridiculous; it can end up being a great way to bond with them. Also don’t worry about FOMO! Likely, you didn’t miss anything at all. :)
Dating the love of your life. I always thought that I would meet that guy, you know... the one. There are probably statistics out there that say that the majority of people meet their spouse in college, and it may still be true, but that shouldn’t matter. I have had some really happy times dating, but I’ve generally had horrid times dating people just to date. Don’t have high expectations because you will only let yourself down. College is for you to grow, not for you to find someone to “complete you”. If you happen to also meet “the one”, lucky you, but if you don’t, welcome to the club. (Note: I promise I’m not saying this just because I’m “forever alone!”. I’m saying this because college is really so much more than your MRS degree.)
What you really should spend your college years doing...
Join an organization that interests you greatly. It doesn't need to be academic in nature. I joined cheerleading as a freshman, and it was one of the best decisions I made in college. As part of the group, don't feel intimidated because you are a freshman, share your opinions and try to meet other people in your org. It's intimidating at first, but everyone is there for a same mutual interest, and that really is enough to start forming a bond.
Spend time hanging out with your friends. Doing nothing. College is one of the last times you will live so close to the majority of your friends. Take advantage of this! Sometimes when you hang out with your friends, you guys do nothing but eat a lot and lay around, and that's okay! College is one of the last times you can be listless and spend time doing nothing. It's a luxury.
Meet a diverse group of people. I come from NOVA, which is a pretty homogenous area. While there is decent (still not very) diversity in terms of race, everyone is kind of the same. Everyone wants the same thing: to be successful and make a lot of money. Everyone is relatively privileged and very lucky. However, in college, I have met so many people who are just so different from me. It’s amazing because they have opened my eyes, inspired me, shocked me, and angered me. Being exposed to this diversity has really helped me grow and learn a lot more about myself and encourage me to embrace being uncomfortable.
Embrace yourself. In high school, we all strive to be the same, and if you're not like everyone else, it's not viewed favorably upon. However, in college, that suddenly doesn't matter. You will find yourself surrounded with people who are like you, and you should be friends with them. You will also find yourself surrounded by people are just so different from you who accept you, and that’s simply amazing and why you should definitely do (3).
Attend talks. Participate in talks. There are so many interesting guest speakers who come to campus! Take advantage of them, especially ones outside your field. Expand your horizons and learn about something you’ve always wanted to learn more about (without the commitment of taking a class :P).
Take classes that interest you. If you have space in your schedule, you should take classes for fun. Explore those topics in which you’ve always been interested . There is not another time where you can easily take a course on something that interests you that isn’t related to work.
Work in groups. Group projects are simply the worst, but they are also the best! You realize what makes a project work and what environment works best, and then you can apply that to your real work. Working with groups, I have come to realize that I do best with an equal group; that is, a group where we all consider ourselves equals and can ask each other dumb questions. In a group with an overbearing individual, I get too intimidated.
Take fitness classes led by students. Students are spunky and fun and led really fun fitness classes! Once you leave campus, you’re not guaranteed to have such exciting fitness instructors (who playfully chastise you for cheating too :P).
Do research (if you want to). RESEARCH! It’s incredible what opportunities are out there. If you are even a bit interested in research, do it! You might hate it! But now you know that you hate. More likely than not, you will realize how impressive research and gain an appreciation for it. Research is a huge commitment, so only do research if you really want to do it. Don’t do research for a resume booster (do a project team/ club that gives your projects instead!).
Wow! That’s a lot of text! I kind of got lazy at the end. I hope you take these all with a grain of salt and just enjoy college! The amazing thing about college is that you get knocked down, but you can get it up and when you do, it’s inspiring. Also in college, you find a niche of people who accept you. You learn so much in college. Depending on your major, you may not learn much in the classroom, but you learn so much about yourself and life. I have thoroughly enjoyed my college experience, and I hope you all do too.
