Tips to make most of your “COLLEGE LIFE EXPERIENCE”
If you just graduated high school, chances are going to college won’t feel any less than going on a Percy Jackson quest. Okay, maybe that was too much, but you get the crux right. At this point in time, when you are about to begin your journey, you are having a plethora of feelings. It may get overwhelming, but trust me, you are going to enter the best part of your life. The part where you transition from a teenager to an adult.
If you are already in college, and have been feeling blah, unmotivated, or plainly numb, don’t worry, I got you covered too. These tips will make your mundane college life filled with purpose and will take you out of that slump that has been devouring you.
- TAKE PART IN EXTRA-CURRICULARS:
A major part of college life is exploring yourself, and no, it is not simply a cliche. Some people, who are the universe’s favorite, know from the very beginning what they want to pursue in their lives. But there are some, who are in a state of constant dilemma as to what should they choose as their full-time career. College is the best time to figure that out. Engage in different societies. If you feel like, speaking is your forte, join that Debating Society. If a corner inside your heart slowly tells you to try writing, try for that college magazine’s editorial position. Do you feel like you are not good enough in communication skills, and want to do something about it? Go and take part in those inter-college debate competitions, and speak.
Explore your hobbies. Join that dance club and participate in inter-college competitions. The friendships, the bonds that you share with people who have the same interest as you, is remarkable and lifelong. That will broaden your horizon to a whole new level.
You’ve got these years to get better at it. See, you may have entered college to pursue programming, but what if exploring different options bring you closer to yourself. Explore your hobbies. That will broaden your horizon to a whole new level.
2. FIND YOUR INTERESTS:
This in a way is co-related with the first point above, but this is of utmost importance. When I entered college, I had chosen my major as Electronics and Communication Engineering, but I can proudly say that, I did almost everything in my college apart from that. When I started studying, I started losing interest in it. I did not hate it, but I did not love it too.
So, I joined the literary society, took parts in debating and writing competitions, and organised literary events. I took a step further and joined the Western Music Society as well.
3. DON’T MISS YOUR CLASSES:
As much as it is important to explore yourself to the best of your opportunities, it is also important not to miss any classes, unless and until you have to. You never know when an opportunity may find your way. You never know what subjects you find interesting, if you don’t study them in a structured way and keep bunking your classes, you may never find out what you like. A lot of times, especially in Post Graduates, teachers choose students for some teacher assistance programs. So, don’t miss your classes, and try to build a genuine connection with your teachers. That’ll take you a long way. There are thousands of stories wherein the teacher had recommended their students to reputed organizations which have led to students get their dream job.
In case you have found out that the course that you are pursuing is not meant for you, and you’d rather be doing something else, it’s still not okay to miss classes for no reason. You still have exams to pass, don’t you?
Don’t get me wrong. It’s phenomenal that you have found out something that excites you and you don’t want to pursue classes anymore. I feel you, and I relate to that. But I still recommend that you get those classes and pass your degree with flying colors. You can try and manage both, your classes and your hobbies together. It’s definitely tough, but since when has easy been worth it?
And if, you are not enjoying your classes as you thought you would, and still haven’t found your thing, keep exploring, but not at the cost of those classes. If you have the know your major subjects, you can always earn a side income by teaching, or solving questions online on websites like Chegg, so do not miss your classes, you hear me. Do not.
It may sound weird, but I got a fantasy novel idea from one of my engineering classes, and I got various ideas for the same novel, from the fashion society, I started in college. So, really you never know, what can happen and at what time?
4. RELAX:
College is excruciating, and it will drain you. So, you must take time to relax. Take out at least an hour every day for yourself, where you just relax. And of course, by relax I mean, STAY AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE. I know, you might be thinking, what better thing to make me feel relaxed than binge-watching Netflix? I am not telling you not to watch it. I am just saying have an hour of “relaxation” time wherein you either meditate, go for a walk, journal, just sit down and visualize your dreams, or call your family, your high school friends, and talk. Just avoid screen time during these times.
Your mind already deals with so many things, and when reinforced with so much work to get done in college, it needs to be clutter-free for your well-being. This hour of relaxation will ensure your mind is free from any jumbled thoughts.
5. Make use of your “Student” status:
Did you know? Apple offers almost 10% discount for students. Microsoft Office is free for students, tons of restaurants, salons, and places to hang out offer an additional student discount. Make use of that. Some bookstores also have students discount, and had I known this during college, the bookworm inside would have shopped like bonkers. (within a sustained budget of course)
A few colleges and universities also offer free-of-cost medicinal facilities, while others offer it at a discounted price for students. Make sure you utilize all these options available for you.
You are paying an exorbitant amount as your tuition fees anyway, might as well take advantages wherever you possibly can.
6. Learn Money Management:
College is the best time when you can make yourself familiar with financial literacy. Stay on a budget, don’t overspend, and try to save as much as you possibly can. Learn more about side hustles, passive incomes, investments so when you get your first job, you already know how to multiply. If you are privileged and do not have an education loan, try and start a side hustle or a part-time job along with college, save up and get to investing, no matter how low the sum is.
In case you have an education loan to take care of, try to find some extra source of income, save up, no matter how meager the amount could be. You got this. Kickstarting your financial journey early on will give you a heads up, and you’ll be more mindful of your money when you graduate. Today, there are tons of students, who make enough money in their college years to pay half of their education loans.
The most precious thing that college gifts you apart from the multitude of others is time. If you are on an education loan, you have time to start your side hustle. If you want to start your freelance journey, you won’t have the same pressure, you will have once you graduate. If you want to start a YouTube Channel, go ahead, and start. You have plenty of time to get better.
So go on, have fun, explore, study, make amazing friends for life, discover yourself as you’ve never before and earn that damn money. Live your college experience as vividly as you can, because I ensure you, you’ll miss it when it’s over.
Let’s go, and make the most use of our college years, shall we?
