As a junior, I’ve learned that everyone has a different college experience. I’ve watched friends from high school choose different paths, and make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. It’s the decisions that we make that shape each person’s experience as unique. Despite those differences, I think it’s safe to say that college has all taught us some valuable life lessons.
Life Needs Balance
It’s something that I kept hearing from my parents but I never really knew what it meant until sophomore year, when someone asked me where I wanted to be in five years. In that instant, I realized I did not have answer- not in terms of my personal goals or career goals. That forced me to evaluate what I was doing with my life and what steps I needed to take to get where I wanted to be. And at the top of my list was achieving balance in the three most important aspects of my life: physical health, academic pursuits, and personal relationships.
Prepare for the Future
There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do when you graduate. But, there are steps every person should take to ensure that the future is not a chaotic mess. College has already taught you to prioritize your daily life. As you start to work toward getting your degree, it’ll become even more apparent as to why prioritizing what you want for the future is important.
Understand Your Finances
It all starts with baby steps when it comes to finances. Open a checking account and start to learn about what the real world is really all about. College teaches us about money management at a small level, with managing a budget. It only gets bigger from there.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
It’s a cliché, but college teaches you that life is full of little bumps and you can’t let them stop you. You make a hundred decisions a day and in college, you learn to weigh which ones are important and which ones won’t matter a few moments from that point. That’s so critical as we move into adult life.
Have Fun
It’s easy to get caught up in the academics and the overachievers that surround us at Carnegie Mellon, but college has taught me to have fun and more importantly, that having fun is a good thing. It’s all about balance and we can’t forget fun.
People Matter
We’ve all been told that networking will get us farther than we could imagine. College teaches us to work with a variety of people, allowing us to meet those who will have a bigger impact on our lives than we could ever know right now. We’re also learning people skills that will prepare us once we’re out of school.
You Can Do It
I’ve been told that I can’t do it only to prove those who said it wrong. One of the greatest things about college is the opportunities it presents to help you gain confidence in yourself by participating in a variety of activities.