For the most part, the seniors I talked to when I was a first-year all had witty, profound nuggets of wisdom about following our dreams that would guide us lowly beginners through one of the most exciting times of our lives.
Now that I’m completing my last year of college, I’m afraid my advice might not be as good. Nevertheless, this column offers just a few adages that I wish I had known when I was younger (and because my generation is addicted to “Buzzfeed,” it takes the form of a “Top 10” list).
1. No one here really cares what you did in high school. Plenty of people were class presidents, valedictorians and cheer captains. The more you shove your accomplishments in people’s faces, the less impressed they will be.
2. The most important classes you might take are ones outside your major. If you’re so afraid of maintaining a certain GPA and challenging yourself that you never take a class that makes you think or feel mildly uncomfortable, you’re not getting your money’s worth here.
3. If you pledged, you’re not automatically cooler than the GDI’s. If you didn’t, then don’t act smugly superior to those in Greek life. There’s much you can get out of either path, and you can make good friends in both.
4. From the moment you started school everyone has been telling you to “get involved.” That’s certainly great advice, but don’t just jump into clubs or accept leadership positions for the sake of having them on your resume. You’ll burn yourself out quickly and inevitably forgo more fulfilling opportunities.
5. Never let anyone convince you that your dreams are stupid. People told me for years that I have “bigger fish to fry” than wanting to become a teacher, but teaching makes me happier than so many other career options I could imagine.
6. You get to decide your major. Not your parents. Not your frat brothers. Not your friends. If someone asks you: “What are you going to do with a degree in English?” tell that person confidently, “Whatever I damned well please.”
7. You’re going to start your senior year of college and, if it hasn’t already, your Facebook feed will be flooded with pictures of people getting engaged, carrying their first child or receiving “big boy” job offers. Don’t panic if none of those things have happened to you yet. Some people spend their whole lives figuring out what they want to grow up to do, so if you haven’t figured it out by 22, you’re in good company.
8. This school in particular is great at rewarding ambitious students. If you have a project you want to make happen, there is some department here that wants to give you money. Opportunities for undergrad research and work are valuable, so don’t let them pass you by.
9. Life happens. No matter how well-planned out your goals are, you might have to deal with pain and suffering you never imagined. Illness and loss of loved ones only become more common as you get older. Don’t feel like you have to suffer alone though. There’s a friend for everyone out there, and someone will understand if you let them.
10. Make mistakes. No one can give you the keys to success in 10 simple bullet points. College can be four years of “high school round two,” or something else entirely depending on how much effort you expend and how willing you are to bust out of your comfort zone. Learning happens everywhere, and a good amount of it comes from outside the classroom.
Bub is a senior majoring in English, political science and history.
