We're told that our college years will be the best years of our life. For some, this may be true, but it's not without its struggles. I graduated 5 months ago, and lately people have been asking me for advice on how to do well in college, and I find that most of the things I tell them are things I wish I had known myself. A little background on me: I went to a medium-sized, liberal arts school in a large city that was far from home. So while my experiences may have been different from others, I believe that there are certain experiences that all college kids go through. This post is mainly geared towards those experiences and to help anyone looking for a bit of advice in how to deal with the struggle that is college.
Choose your roommates wisely...
This will make or break your whole year - trust me. I've had living situations that were great, and I've had living situations that weren't, and let me tell you the years I had the great roommates were my best years at college. I knew a girl my freshman year who had a roommate who was incredibly rude, dirty and controlling and she was miserable the whole year. Your tiny dorm room is basically your house while your at school, and you wouldn't want to live with someone you don't get along with. Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw - especially your freshman year when you possibly don't know anyone, and in that case you have to make the best of the hand your dealt - to a point anyway. I would also tell you that living with friends isn't always the greatest idea. Make sure that before you commit, you really take a look at your lifestyle versus your friends and see if they mesh well. Rooming together has killed many friendships, and sometimes living with a random person leads to the greatest friendships.
You will do badly the first semester...
There's always exceptions to this, but for the most part, the first semester was the worst (grades wise) for almost everyone I know. I went to a very good high school and was an above average student so I thought I would be okay, but the way you studied in high school won't get you anywhere in college. It's a completely different ball game, folks. High school really doesn't even teach you how to study - it teaches you how to memorize enough to pass the test. College is pretty much the same, but the way they want you to think about the subject matter is very different. They don't want you to memorize it, they want you to understand it well enough to apply it to something. So don't be discouraged if you do badly your first semester, or even if your first year isn't your best. It takes a second to learn how to do college right, as long as you make improvements and try to do better each semester, you'll recover.
You take professors not classes...
If I had to pick one of the most important tips, it would be this one. I always made it point to check out Rate My Professor before enrolling in a class. If the teacher was terrible I was not going to take it. If that meant I had to take an 8am to get a great teacher, then so be it. You might think I'm crazy but until you have a horrible professor that you're pretty sure is actually Satan, then you don't even know. Always pick the professor over the class. A great professor in a class you don't necessarily want to take is 1000x better than a terrible professor in a class you think you may love.
Wait until after your 1st class to buy your textbooks...
My older cousin actually told me this one my sophomore year. I'm the type of person who always like to have everything together before school starts - and that includes getting all the necessary textbooks. Teachers will put 2-3 books on their syllabus each semester and chances are they aren't cheap. I once paid over $200 for an accounting textbook that I never touched - textbooks are the biggest waste of money, and if you can avoid buying then you should! My cousin told me to wait until after the first day to buy your books because the teacher may even tell you not to buy it at all. You'll save yourself money and the hassle of waiting in those long lines at the bookstore.
This one may seem obvious, but it's actually very difficult to motivate yourself to go see your professors during their designated office hours. Seeing them in class was enough for me, I didn't want to spend any extra time with them. Plus, it all felt very awkward and uncomfortable to me. But looking back, I probably could have made some great connections with my teachers by going and talking to them. Even if you don't need help on anything, just going in and saying hello and getting to know them as a person (yes, you're professors are actually people with lives, unless they're the one I had that was almost definitely Satan..). It can also help get that final grade up, so the benefits of taking 30 min to see them outweighs hanging out on the couch binge watching a show on Netflix - although not by much. P.S. Also take advantage of the free tutoring on campus - it's a life saver!
Study abroad if you have the chance...
Not studying abroad is my biggest regret from my time in college. I always dreamed of studying in London, but when I actually felt ready to do it my junior year it was too late. Long story short, I had needed to take certain classes in order to still graduate on time, but couldn't take those in London, so I had to choose whether going was worth staying in college an extra semester. I made the decision that it wasn't, and while I don't regret that decision, I do regret that I waited until I felt like I was ready to pursue it. I know so many people who have studied abroad and every single one of them says it was the best time of their life, not one son them regrets their decision to do it. Not only will you have memories that will last a lifetime, but you'll get the opportunity to travel the world with your friends!
It's okay to not go out all the time...
I'm the first one to advocate for a night in. As a homebody, I had many weekends in college where I stayed in while my roommates went out - and I loved it. At first I felt like I wasn't making enough of an effort to go to parties and meet people - but after a couple of attempts I realized that I wasn't the type of person who likes going to parties. After a while I stopped worrying about what other people thought about me because I wasn't going out every weekend, because I would much prefer a night where you go out to eat, see a movie or do something fun with my really good friends. Also, don't underestimate the power of a really good Girl's Night In. You also need some nights where you just hang with yourself and watch a few episodes of Say Yes To The Dress while eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's...no shame.
Ahh the dreaded major question. Throughout your time at school, thousands of people will ask, "what's your major?", it's the go to question when you're meeting someone new and the default for any adult in your life. I changed my major probably about 4 times before finally making the decision to do Marketing my junior year. I started in International Business, then went to Economics, then to Finance, then back to International Business because I was putting the idea of being successful before the idea of being happy. Your parents may not be totally pleased with what you pick - I know mine weren't the happiest at first because so many people go into marketing and it's a tough field to get into right out of college, but I made it work because I know that this is my dream career. Choosing a major you're interested in is incredibly important. Am I passionate about marketing? Not always. But I do really love being in a creative business and marketing gave me that outlet with a business background to go with it - and that's why I chose it. Basically, make a smart decision that will get you to where you want to go.
There are obviously a lot of things I could tell you about how to survive college - and I'm sure I'll share some more later on (if I did all of them in this post it'd be called '88,000 Things I Wish I Knew In College') but I really feel like if you know these things going into it you'll be ahead of most of your peers, and you'll avoid many "I've made a huge mistake" moments!
