College is a time that you’ll never get back. The stress, laughter, memories, exams and late night library sessions won’t last forever. Whether we’re relieved or in distress that college can’t last forever, it means you make the best of it. Some of the times you have in college won’t be the most important moments of your life, but it’s more about the reasons why going to college is important.
College is an expensive time in your life- any student, parent, bank, financial aid rep, and dean can agree with that. It can sometimes be the factor why a student can’t get that college degree, also can be the reason a student is working overtime while being in school full time. It’s about investing in your dreams and your future. Earning that degree gives you the confidence you have to invest in your own well being, that you believe you can strive further. It won’t always be your lecture halls, exams, or professors who show you why investing in yourself is something great. It can be those club meetings which then form an idea for a company, your roommate who connects you into your dream company, or the college services offered to get you one step further into your profession. You’ll leave college with a degree you invested in, but college is a time to invest in yourself in every aspect.
We’ve all heard it before, that college is a time to find your lifelong friends and create friendships that will bring you so much joy. Whether you joined Greek life and you found your “sisters” or “brothers” or your freshman year roommate is now your co-CEO. College is a time that you’re surrounded with like-minded people all determined to leave with a degree and great experience. It’s the time that everyone is so close in age, with so many different interests and so many ambitions that you’re destined to find your people. Join clubs, get involved, become a part of Greek life, talk to the person next to you in lecture hall, and be open-minded because college offers you thousands of opportunities to find those lifelong friends.
This is a time you get to become who you are. At college it’s just about you. You don’t have to have your parents knowing your every move, that high school drama is irrelevant, you’re home away from home. College allows you to find what you love, hate, admire and want to become. You’re responsible for whether you make it to that 8 am lecture, whether you never want to step foot in the gym or not, how much late night pizza you eat, how many clubs you join, or if you love your roommate. It’s your time to find what works for you, time to do your own thing without anyone’s judgement. Find what works for you and find what makes you happy to be who you are.
We all know school is somewhere you learn. Late night study sessions or memorizing drastically questions until the minutes until the exam we’re all still learning, even if it’s not necessarily about the class. College is the best place to learn. You’re going to learn about things you’ll probably never use again and you’ll learn about things you can’t live without. You’re not only going to learn in the class room, you’re going to learn in the shower, your bed, the library, the gym, a party, with your friends, at a restaurant and everywhere else you go. You will learn more about yourself than what you could’ve ever imagined. How you like to study, or if you hate to study, where you like work, what kind of parties you have fun at, what you like to do with your free time, how you manage your time, how to do laundry and even how you like to learn. In 4 years of college you’re never going to stop learning and once you have that degree the learning just begins.
If you think a college environment won’t grant you further opportunities, you’re crazy. The amount of resources, services, help, and opportunities a college offers it could create or change your career path drastically. Your college campus will offer you career fairs, interview practice, resume building help, advising, counseling, internships, networking, and so much more. Not only do they offer so much assistance in helping you find something after college, also so much opportunity while you’re there. The amount of Greek life positions, clubs, leadership roles, jobs, etc. a college campus has and always needs new positions and leaders every year can grant those who take advantage of them great opportunity. Take advantage that college has thousands of resources, students and professors and create your future.
You may feel like an adult in college, living on your own, grocery shopping, paying bills, working, studying and taking care of yourself which is all a part of adulting. But you still have the freedom to stay out till 5 am if you so choose, and can eat pizza and ice cream with your friends over a movie, if you miss one class you won’t be fire from your job, you still get to be young. Be young and careless and free while you can. Once you have a degree in hand you may feel the responsibility overwhelming you, which it probably is. College means responsibility but know when to be young and a kid for a change.
Here comes the responsibility side of college. Managing your time. Between classes, clubs, work, a social life, and so much more managing your life is so important. You’ll learn to live off of your calendar and to-do lists. Keeping yourself organized is key to success and also to not forget anything huge. You’ll thank yourself when you set reminders for an important exam or meeting, don’t rely on your brain to remember everything. College truly puts you to the test and makes you learn whether you want to or not to keep your time managed and organized.
College is a time to connect. Connect to yourself, your friends, your classmates, your professors, your bosses. You have a couple years to find yourself and many people can go two ways with that. College is a time for you to connect with your inner self and find yourself, it’s a time to connect with your dream companies and land yourself an internship, it’s a place to connect with professors who will help you in your class and so many other connections waiting to be made. Don’t be afraid to reach out, don’t be embarrassed. People love to help out others who are interested in something they do, take advantage of all the connections waiting to be made.
When you say you’re in college people usually automatically think about you earning a degree. College gives you a degree but it also gives you memories, networks, experiences, failures, successes, friendships, and a new chance at life. Remind people that college isn’t only about the degree you’ll be leaving with. But also remind yourself why you started in the first place, don’t get lost in the partying or studying. Earn the degree you came for and it’s limitless where you’ll end up.
Allow yourself to dream. Dream big and dream far. College makes you believe that you can take over the world if you wanted, you’re unstoppable. If you want a degree but no one else can see how you’d put that to use, get that degree. Go after what you want and the life you want to live, be confident in yourself and your future. It’s important to take control of your life and understand that you can make as many decisions to please others but you’re the one who has to live your life. College teaches you how to dream.
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