Now that finals are finally over, it’s hard to believe that my junior year of college has come to a close. While I am of course excited and happy for summer, and warm weather, the end of the year does bring up some sadness, as does anything else that’s good and that’s coming to an end. With that being said, here are a few lessons that I’ve learned and that I’ve reinforced for myself this past school year.
- Take Advantage of the Time You Have on Campus
While academics are incredibly important, that is not what I’m talking about here. Instead, what I want to stress is that you have to take the time to enjoy the physical campus itself and all that it has to offer. MSU has a gorgeous campus, so take advantage of the time you have here and have a picnic on the grass by the clocktower or take a long walk by the river (weather permitting, of course). This is especially important for those of us who may have lost a year due to COVID. We won’t be able to go back to this once college is over, soak it up now!
- Say Yes to Spontaneity
I’ve always been someone who prefers having a set schedule, so this is something that I’ve been working on for a while now. This is not to say that you should be spontaneous 100% (or even 70%) of the time, but rather that it’s important to work on being open. Being open to the idea of spontaneity. Some of the most fun and memorable experiences I’ve had during my college career have been because I chose to be spontaneous at that moment.
- Comparison Sucks
College is great, but it brings so many things and so many people that you can compare yourself to because there will always be someone doing more than you. This can manifest in practically any situation, but some common things include comparing yourself to someone who’s involved in more clubs, has more scholarships, has more motivation, is graduating early, or has more work experience in the field you want to go into than you do. While it is hard not to, comparison really doesn’t get you anywhere besides feeling bad about yourself. To be frank, it just sucks. So, try your best to put things into perspective and remember that just because you may not have as many bullet points on your resume as someone else doesn’t mean that you aren’t an intelligent student with an amazing future ahead of them. Wherever you are right now is ok; We’re all learning and we’re all growing at different paces.
- You Can Do Hard Things
There are some things in life that will always be hard to most people, like astrophysics, for example, but that is not what I am talking about here. What I’m talking about are the varying life experiences we all go through, alsong with the more mundane, everyday things that have the potential to be incredibly hard. The things that may be hard for one person could come off as easy for the next, and vice versa. This can be anything from getting out of bed in the morning, getting through a breakup with a significant other, or suffering the loss of a loved one. While these can be some extremely painful and hard times, it’s important to remember that you do not have to go through it alone. Lean on your trusted family and friends for support; this can be a really significant factor in dealing with what you’re experiencing. If you’re not used to asking for help or if you generally tend to do everything on your own, it can be hard, but know that even the strongest, most independent people need outside support every now and then. Asking for help does not make you weak, it makes you stronger and wiser.
- Your Body is Not the Enemy
How you feel about your body may correlate to the things going on around you or the things you’re experiencing. While you’re going through really stressful times, it’s not uncommon that you start to feel more critical of your appearance. This can be hard in college, because with all the good that college has to offer, it also brings a lot of stress. This is also all on top of things that may be happening at home, within friend groups, or at an individual level. While all of this is happening, it’s important to remember that your physical appearance is really not changing very much, if at all. Your body is working to keep you alive, to get you where you need to go, and to give you the strength to deal with all of the things you’ve got going on. Trying to keep this in mind during hard times can be really helpful in order to help bring yourself some peace of mind.
- It’s Ok if You Don’t Always Love Your Major
A major is something that becomes part of your identity while you’re in college. If you’re meeting someone new and they know that you’re in college, asking what your major is typically is the next question after asking your name. Because it is such an important part of your college experience, there seems to be this assumption that you should really enjoy it all the time. So what happens when you don’t hate your major such that you want to change it, but you’re having days where you just really aren’t feeling it? I think this is a really common experience that not many people talk about, and I know it’s something I’ve experienced a lot. I definitely don’t want to switch my major and most of the time I really like it, but there are times where I just really am not feeling it.
If you’re ever feeling this way, it’s important to remember a few things. Ultimately, your major is simply just a way to best set you up for the career you think you may want (or even if you don’t know exactly, it’s just a guess). Whatever your career turns out to be, the chances of it incorporating material you learned from every class is slim. So, if you had a class within your major that you hated, know that it isn’t the end of the world. Also, if you’re feeling really stuck and not liking your major, take a step back and reevaluate why you picked that major in the first place. If the reason was so that you could have a certain career, keep in mind that a lot of career paths accept many different undergraduate majors and that just because you may be struggling right now doesn’t mean that you won’t be good at your future career, whatever that turns out to be. You’re still in school, you’re not expected to know everything yet, and everyone has bad days – no matter the field. Lastly, it’s always a good idea when you’re thinking about these things to evaluate why you want the career you have in mind – is it because you genuinely like it and find it interesting, or is it for external reasons like money or pressure from family members? If it was mostly for external reasons, this could be why you aren’t really enjoying your major.
- Gratitude is Key
I don’t know about you, but it can be very easy for me to sometimes forget just how much I have to be grateful for. If you can relate to this, I highly recommend taking some time each day to remind yourself what you’re grateful for. This does not have to be done in a certain way (gratitude journals have become very popular lately and while they work for some people, they just aren’t for everyone). You can journal if it works for you, but also just talking it out, praying (if you’re religious), or simply thinking about it is a great way to remind yourself of all the things you have to be grateful for. Taking the time to acknowledge what you have in life can be really important and it’s something that I’ve been trying to reflect more on this year.
This list is certainly not one-size-fits-all or a full encapsulation of my year or all of. As I said earlier, comparison sucks. Take some of these lessons to heart, think about them, and adapt them in ways that fit your lifestyle and work to support you in your goals. At the end of the day, only you know what is most important and beneficial to add into your life.