I've officially been out of college for 3 1/2 weeks now (HOW?!). Although I've learned a lot during my college career in and outside of the classroom, there are a handful of things I wish I knew before I started college. Today I'm sharing 10 things I wish I knew before college and hopefully will help those of you going into college / in college!
Happy Monday friends!
As many of you know, I'm a recent college graduate. During my time in college, I learned so much both in and out of the classroom. Even though I learned some valuable lessons during my time in school, there are a few things that would have been nice to know before I headed off to college.
1. Take advantage of your general education classes
ATTENTION FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE COLLEGE STUDENTS, take your gen ed classes seriously! Just because those classes aren't part of your major doesn't mean it gives you room to slack off. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, during my first two years of college, I thought just because the classes didn't pertain to my major doesn't mean I have to put too much effort into them...
Little did I know I should have worked hard and I could use them to help boost my GPA. It's pretty obvious that classes get harder the more you get into your major, but I wished someone would have drilled it in my head freshman and sophomore year to give my gen ed classes my all so I could keep up a high GPA.
ATTENTION FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE COLLEGE STUDENTS, take your gen ed classes seriously! Just because those classes aren't part of your major doesn't mean it gives you room to slack off. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, during my first two years of college, I thought just because the classes didn't pertain to my major doesn't mean I have to put too much effort into them...
Little did I know I should have worked hard and I could use them to help boost my GPA. It's pretty obvious that classes get harder the more you get into your major, but I wished someone would have drilled it in my head freshman and sophomore year to give my gen ed classes my all so I could keep up a high GPA.
2. It's ok to not be in a sorority
Truth be told, I rushed for a sorority, twice. I rushed for the first time my freshman year and once I realized the price of being in the sorority I dropped out halfway through rush. I rushed again my junior year and after being dropped by the two houses I wanted to be in I declined the one I got offered to join. Before I went to college I always knew I wanted to be in a sorority, I thought it was the only way to do college and make friends and I would be doing college wrong if I wasn't in a sorority.
Well newsflash, there's not really any "right" way to do college. Yes, being in a sorority can be a great way to meet new people and be involved with campus, but it's not EVERYTHING. You can still have a great time in college (and I did) without being in a sorority. It's not the end of the world if you didn't get into the sorority you were hoping.
Truth be told, I rushed for a sorority, twice. I rushed for the first time my freshman year and once I realized the price of being in the sorority I dropped out halfway through rush. I rushed again my junior year and after being dropped by the two houses I wanted to be in I declined the one I got offered to join. Before I went to college I always knew I wanted to be in a sorority, I thought it was the only way to do college and make friends and I would be doing college wrong if I wasn't in a sorority.
Well newsflash, there's not really any "right" way to do college. Yes, being in a sorority can be a great way to meet new people and be involved with campus, but it's not EVERYTHING. You can still have a great time in college (and I did) without being in a sorority. It's not the end of the world if you didn't get into the sorority you were hoping.
3. No one cares what you wear to class
I've said this before in the 5 things I learned in College post way back when, but it's true. I use to care SO much about what I wore to class (lol, I am a style blogger..) to a point where I would sometimes run late to classes because I would be hung up on what I would wear for the day. NEWSFLASH, no one cares. During my freshman year, there was a kid that would show up to my sociology class every day in PJ pants, slippers and robe. You're at school to learn, not to rock a runway. Wear what makes you feel comfortable!
This can totally work for wearing an outfit you are afraid others might not like. In my freshman year I owned a pair of black skinny jeans with velvet hearts. I thought they were the bee's knees and loved them! I always wanted to wear them with a cropped royal blue sweater and combat boots but never did because I thought it was too out there and was afraid of what people thought of my outfit. Would I wear that outfit now? Probably not, but it's what made me feel confident and comfortable at the time so I wished I would have told little freshman me to not worry about what others though and rocked it!
The bottom line is: wear what you want to wear and if you're late to class just throw on some clothes and run out the door!
I've said this before in the 5 things I learned in College post way back when, but it's true. I use to care SO much about what I wore to class (lol, I am a style blogger..) to a point where I would sometimes run late to classes because I would be hung up on what I would wear for the day. NEWSFLASH, no one cares. During my freshman year, there was a kid that would show up to my sociology class every day in PJ pants, slippers and robe. You're at school to learn, not to rock a runway. Wear what makes you feel comfortable!
This can totally work for wearing an outfit you are afraid others might not like. In my freshman year I owned a pair of black skinny jeans with velvet hearts. I thought they were the bee's knees and loved them! I always wanted to wear them with a cropped royal blue sweater and combat boots but never did because I thought it was too out there and was afraid of what people thought of my outfit. Would I wear that outfit now? Probably not, but it's what made me feel confident and comfortable at the time so I wished I would have told little freshman me to not worry about what others though and rocked it!
The bottom line is: wear what you want to wear and if you're late to class just throw on some clothes and run out the door!
4. Join clubs that interest YOU
One of the biggest mistakes I made in college was not getting super involved with my school through clubs. For some reason, I still had the high school mentality of "it's lame to like ___." I know, I know college is usually the place where everyone "starts over" and discovers their "true self," but for some reason I still had the little voice in the back of my head saying it's still lame to actually like what you like.
Did I survive not being super involved with my school? Of course. Do I wish I would have been a part of more organizations and put myself out there? Definitely! Clubs are a great way to get more involved in school as well as meet some like-minded people!
5. Go to any and all events that interest you
Again, one of my biggest events in college was not getting involved with my school/campus. There are always so many events going on campus that I would like to attend, but I either didn't have anyone to go with or think they would be lame... If an even interest you, go to it! 99% of the time these events will have free food so even if it sucks you'll get some free food out of it. (: Also, it could also be a great opportunity to make new friends!
One of the biggest mistakes I made in college was not getting super involved with my school through clubs. For some reason, I still had the high school mentality of "it's lame to like ___." I know, I know college is usually the place where everyone "starts over" and discovers their "true self," but for some reason I still had the little voice in the back of my head saying it's still lame to actually like what you like.
Did I survive not being super involved with my school? Of course. Do I wish I would have been a part of more organizations and put myself out there? Definitely! Clubs are a great way to get more involved in school as well as meet some like-minded people!
5. Go to any and all events that interest you
Again, one of my biggest events in college was not getting involved with my school/campus. There are always so many events going on campus that I would like to attend, but I either didn't have anyone to go with or think they would be lame... If an even interest you, go to it! 99% of the time these events will have free food so even if it sucks you'll get some free food out of it. (: Also, it could also be a great opportunity to make new friends!
6. Start looking for internships/jobs early!!
LOL, as a super recent post grad I can definitely say that searching for a job is a lot harder than you may think it may be. I got an internship my senior year of college and wished I had started looking my sophomore year and started getting more experience earlier on.
It's hard as it is getting a job straight out of college and most employers look for people with experience. Do yourself a favor and build up your resume with part-time jobs and internships!
LOL, as a super recent post grad I can definitely say that searching for a job is a lot harder than you may think it may be. I got an internship my senior year of college and wished I had started looking my sophomore year and started getting more experience earlier on.
It's hard as it is getting a job straight out of college and most employers look for people with experience. Do yourself a favor and build up your resume with part-time jobs and internships!
7. Balance is key - work hard, play hard
For the longest time I thought I had to either lock myself in the library all day and study to get good grades or could go out and party all the time with my friends and have my grade sink... not in between. It wasn't until around my junior year of college did I realize that balance is key. Work hard, play hard. You can still have fun with friends on the weekend, but make sure you have your "ish" together and done for the week. Balance is everything whether it be school, work, or personal life.
For the longest time I thought I had to either lock myself in the library all day and study to get good grades or could go out and party all the time with my friends and have my grade sink... not in between. It wasn't until around my junior year of college did I realize that balance is key. Work hard, play hard. You can still have fun with friends on the weekend, but make sure you have your "ish" together and done for the week. Balance is everything whether it be school, work, or personal life.
8. Networking is EVERYTHING
It really is all about who you know, not what you know. Connections are everything. From school events to blogging events networking and making connections is so important. I'm still working on my skills with putting myself out there and making connections because I'm so shy at first, but it's a work in progress!
9. Take advantage of your resources!
Think about it, you're already paying this HUGE price tag to go to college, why not take advantage of all of your resources? My school had 2 on campus gyms, a career center, library (as I'm sure most universities do...) and so much more. I wish someone would drill it into me more to take advantage of all my resources on campus. (LOL, especially the gym because getting a real membership actually racks up a lot of $$).
10. There's really not "right" way to do college
Like I mentioned in #3, there's really no "right" way to do college. Some people may think their ideal college experience is to just go straight to class, study and go home without socializing. Others may think it's all about the social aspect. It's really what YOU make it.
Just remember that you are there to LEARN and that school should come first. Other than that, just remember to have fun and enjoy your time there. If you're not huge into partying, that's fine. Find what makes you happy and DO IT.
What did you wish you knew before heading off to college? Let me know in the comments down below! I hope you all have a wonderful week and as always, thank you for reading!
It really is all about who you know, not what you know. Connections are everything. From school events to blogging events networking and making connections is so important. I'm still working on my skills with putting myself out there and making connections because I'm so shy at first, but it's a work in progress!
9. Take advantage of your resources!
Think about it, you're already paying this HUGE price tag to go to college, why not take advantage of all of your resources? My school had 2 on campus gyms, a career center, library (as I'm sure most universities do...) and so much more. I wish someone would drill it into me more to take advantage of all my resources on campus. (LOL, especially the gym because getting a real membership actually racks up a lot of $$).
10. There's really not "right" way to do college
Like I mentioned in #3, there's really no "right" way to do college. Some people may think their ideal college experience is to just go straight to class, study and go home without socializing. Others may think it's all about the social aspect. It's really what YOU make it.
Just remember that you are there to LEARN and that school should come first. Other than that, just remember to have fun and enjoy your time there. If you're not huge into partying, that's fine. Find what makes you happy and DO IT.
What did you wish you knew before heading off to college? Let me know in the comments down below! I hope you all have a wonderful week and as always, thank you for reading!
Photo by: Deeana Kourtney Photography
No comments: