Five things I wish I knew before I went to college

It is fine not to have a 4.0

When you are in high school your classes can be hard, but if you work hard enough you will come out with a good grade. This is not to say that education before college is not challenging, but it can be very discouraging when you get to the next level and even your best does not feel like it is good enough. You must push yourself beyond where you thought was possible. And it might be time to accept the fact that a GPA does not define you and if you are doing everything you can, lacking perfection is not a bad thing.

You will make friends

Leaving the place you have lived your whole life is terrifying. Not only are you leaving your home, but you are leaving the friends you have had since elementary school or longer. But the beauty of college is how different everyone is. It teaches you more about yourself and what you want to spend your time doing. You will connect with a great group of people who will help you grow. Friends become who you lean on for everything, they become your family too.

Prepare to be independent

I considered myself a fairly independent person before I went to college, but I did not realize just how much growing I had left to do. Without your family around there is no one there to remind you to take a break from homework and eat dinner. No one will be there to help you check the oil in your car or the air in your tires. Or to tell you that you should really go to bed because it is almost one in the morning and you have class early the next day. None of these are bad things, but they are lessons you learn one by one that make you a better person.

You will not be the same person soon

Did you read that better person thing before? Yeah, that is what you are going to become. College brings with it a new maturity. You have to ground yourself and figure out what you are truly about because those same diverse people who make school such a great experience will also challenge you. They will want to know why you believe what you do, they will make you step up your game. You will become more confident and learn more about who you are as an individual than you thought possible.

You kick butt

These challenges and lessons will be hard, but you will overcome them. So join that group you thought sounded fun but you did not think you would fit in with. You probably will, and the people in it will become your closest friends. That class that seems totally overwhelming, you will get through it and you will be better because of it. Never doubt yourself, you kick butt.


What is your advice for people coming to college? Let me know in the comments!

Comments

  1. Sierra's Sarcastic SpotOctober 5, 2017 at 12:23 PM

    I feel like I've learned most of these at some point in the past two years, but I definitely wish someone had told me them before I came to college. I especially love the one about making friends, because that was my biggest fear in high school, when I came to school I wouldn't make any friends.

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