Well, this week starts off week 6 of my college career. How time flies! So, I figured that now would be a good time to go over some of the things I’ve learned in my first semester and a half of college. The ups, the downs, the all arounds….they made for some interesting times and some interesting life lessons. And you know what? I wouldn’t change one thing that happened.
Now, my friends have impacted just about everything that’s happened so far so I think it’s only fair that they have some say in some of the lessons we’ve learned so far. So, here are the lessons we learned outside of classes together. As told by myself, Madeline, and Sam. (Oh and check out Madeline’s blog here!)
1. Don’t knock it till you try it.
We’re all human – we judge everything before we even have a chance to experience it and really understand it. But it’s always good to keep in mind that until you try that new something or talk to a person, you have no idea what is going on. You don’t know what kind of person someone is until you talk to them. You don’t know if you’ll like that Zumba class until you try. So you know what? Go for it. If you don’t like it, you never have to do it again. But until you try you’ll never know…
2. Your friends last longer than your test will.
If you have the option of going out with your friends or studying, choose your friends. (So long as the test isn’t tomorrow). When it comes down to it, you won’t remember the time you spent studying, but you will remember going out on the town or building a blanket fort with your friends. As long as you balance your time and make sure you set some time aside for your class work, you’ll be fine. Study early in the day, then party at night. Do whatever it takes. But don’t deny hanging out with friends for one test.
Seriously. Make a blanket fort. By the way, that’s Sam, me, then Madeline. in case you were curious!
3. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple circles of friends.
You have so many classes and you know there’s no way you can line up your schedule perfectly with all of your friends, so you know you’re bound to make new friends. And that’s great! The more the merrier. And you know what? If you ever get annoyed with a friend in one circle, you always have another circle to go to. So there’s that. Don’t be afraid to open up your circle to newcomers…you might make a new best friend.
4. Go outside your comfort zone.
College is all about new experiences. Embrace them. Say hi to new people, join a new club, try a new food at the dining halls. Just do it. Trust us, you’ll regret it more if you don’t. You’ll learn more about the people around you and a lot more about yourself once you start opening up and trying some new things. We know it’s scary. We know you’re afraid and nervous. But baby steps, okay? Take it one step at a time and eventually you’ll be looking for new adventures to experience.
5. Watch what you spend.
College is expensive. Like, really expensive. Whatever extra money you have, you’re better off saving it. Don’t buy random stuff if you don’t need it. Always ask yourself if you need it, want it, or if you absolutely can’t live without it. That way you know you always have some spare cash if friends want to go out to eat or if you need any kind of essential items. Also, if you can handle it, try getting a job so that way you always have a little income.
6. Go for the free stuff.
While we’re on the topic of money, if anyone is handing out free stuff – get it. Food especially. Who doesn’t love free food?! We’ve gotten free food, coupons for free food, a free Build-A-Bear monkey, free flowers, some frisbees…you’d be surprised at how willing people are to hand out free stuff. So wherever there are free items, you should be there, too.
7. Do what makes you happy.
College is all about finding yourself. So do what makes you happy. Life is too short to do anything but. Choose a major that makes you happy, choose friends that make you happy, and join clubs that make you happy. Don’t surround yourself with any kind of negative people or negative energy. There will be enough stress going on in your life with homework and heartaches and God knows what else. There just isn’t enough time to waste being unhappy for no reason. Of course you’re going to have your down days where you just aren’t feeling it for the day and you’re just angry and sad and stressed all at once and don’t know what to do. Those are going to be the days where you have to remind yourself why you keep waking up day after day. And your reasons are going to be all of those things that make you happy. So find those things and hold on to them.
8. In the words of one of our favorite Frozen songs, “Let it go.”
Not everything will go your way. It just won’t. You might study your knickers off for that history test, and you get a D. You might try so hard to make that guy notice you, but he’s just so blind. You can’t control everything. What’s meant to happen will happen. We promise. Instead of driving yourself crazy trying to solve an insolvable problem, just let it go. In the words of Reinhold Niebuhr, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Focus your time and energy on what you know you can change and just let everything else go. You’ll be happy you did.
Look how happy and content she is – and you know why? Because she just let it go. Bam.
9. Take lots of pictures and write down everything.
College is one of the most amazing times in your life, so make the most of it. Join every club, go to parties, stay up late talking with friends, and do what you can to remember those moments. You will never have the same moment or the same experience ever again, so every now and then, stop what you’re doing, look around, and take a mental picture of what’s going on. In addition to mental pictures, take lots and lots and lots of real pictures! Whenever you can, no matter what you’re doing take videos and pictures of every amazing moment with you and your friends! That way you can compile a fun memory video or scrapbook at the end of the year. Also, keep a journal, a blog, or a memory jar. Whenever fun things happen that you want to remember, write them down! Put them in a jar to open at the end of the year, tell your journal all of your feelings for the day, or express your thoughts on your blog. So much is going to be happening and you won’t want to forget a single moment.
Write down EVERYTHING.
10. Have patience. Be Flexible. Breathe.
Running around between classes, events, and meeting up with friends can be hectic. You have to keep a level head to prevent stress and be able to make it to everything. The only way to do that is to have balance and trust in yourself. You have to know your limits and know when you’ve hit the wall. Have patience. Not just with others, but with yourself as well. Learn to go with the flow and embrace change. It can be scary, yes, but most always it’s for the better. Also, remember to breathe. Just breathe. Remember, air is good! Sometimes it might feel like you’re going to die and drown in all of your responsibilities, but just take a step back and look at the big picture. The storm will pass. So just breathe, have some patience, and be willing to change directions at any moment in time. In the end, everything will work out. Maybe not as you initially planned, but in some way or another.
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So there you have it, words of wisdom from some college students who have “been there, done that.” Granted, we’re not even done with our freshmen year yet, but if we’ve learned these lessons already in this short time span, I can’t wait to find out what else is in store for us. Happy Monday, all!
Words Left Unspoken 