Things I Learned in My Junior Year

My junior year of college has proved to be a roller coaster. It has had its ups and downs and its fair share of loops, but at the end of the day, I want to get back on and ride it again. 

This year has been a year of massive growth and learning experiences for me, especially being that these were the first two semi-normal semesters throughout my three years in college. 

I wrote an article at the end of my sophomore year of the various things I learned living as a college student surviving a pandemic, so for the sake of tradition, here are a couple of things I learned as a junior, still living in very a vulnerable time in the world. 

How to Pay a Bill 

As sad as it sounds, before I stepped on campus this year, I had yet to pay a bill. I am unsure how I could have made it this far without learning how to manage utilities and split expenses, but here we are. In the apartment I live in this year, my roommates and I are responsible for most of our utility expenses.

I became the sole mediator of our monthly expenses, a scary task for someone who has yet to set up a gas or internet account. Luckily, we never had a late payment or any trouble scrounging up the funds to cover each total, which is mainly a testament to how responsible my roommates and I decided to be this year. 

How to Juggle and Internship with a Full Class Schedule

This was easier said than done. Since the pandemic was still in full swing over Summer 2021, I opted against a virtual internship for various other odd jobs throughout the summer months. This being said, I made it my mission to acquire a position throughout the year to gain some experience before I graduate next spring.

Integrating the workload of a new internship alongside the stacked course load taught me some valuable time management skills. I wouldn’t suggest it for someone who isn’t good at making color coordinated calendars but to each their own. 

How to Make Time for Me

As my last bullet may have told you, finding free time to enjoy the excitement of college proved to be difficult. I learned that appreciating the small amounts of time to myself was a crucial skill in helping me not go crazy.

As someone who is not too fond of working out, waking up early and hitting the gym has become one of my favorite activities. Integrating daily hot girl walks and catching up on podcasts on the treadmill are just the small ways I made it enjoyable. Trying to appreciate the time I spend not staring at my computer has helped me live more healthily both physically and mentally.   

How to Maintain Healthy Relationships 

In the past, I have focused my sights on practicing self-love and growing to appreciate who I am as a person. What I hadn’t connected was how that can be somewhat detrimental to some of my closest relationships. This year in particular I have started to learn that growing by yourself isn’t always the best thing.

You can’t be the best you want to be without the right support system: those who love you. This applies to friends, significant others, family etc. and although I am very much still in an active learning period, I have seen a massive improvement over these past months. Realizing it is just as important to share yourself with others while making time for yourself is a tricky skill to learn, but it will be incredibly beneficial in the end.  

The Art of Patience

Patience is a virtue that I do not possess. Thanks to my highly organized and punctual mother, I have been raised to get things done early because on time is late. As any other junior in college might be telling you, the stress is high to find a job. Although, not as much pressure as our superior seniors, this is a pretty important summer for the third-years.

Learning that response time is not always as prompt as they promise and sometimes it’s worth the wait are two important lessons I will continue to be appreciative of. Life is too short to rush around getting things done and I am working on appreciating the long moments. 

I can’t believe senioritis is just around the corner. Fingers crossed that next year I won’t have to worry about exposure or testing, but here’s to hoping.

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