As I work my way through my second semester junior year, it’s fun to look back on how I’ve grown and the lessons I’ve learned since I was a freshman. Each year seems to present a new set of life lessons, practical skills, and self-proclaimed “wisdom”. There are things I wish I knew, but I know it was important to learn them on my own. Any time I’ve struggled in the past two and a half years, it’s helped to think about all of the other college students who were making the same mistakes and learning the same lessons as me.
During my first year, everything I learned, I learned because I had to. Being thrown into a new environment where you are completely independent and responsible for yourself can be pretty shocking. I wish I knew how difficult college classes would be, and how much more time and effort I would have to put in compared to high school. I also remember being shocked at the environment and culture of university life. People are (mostly) more mature, and conversations lean towards more adult topics and problems. I also learned how to be more open, make friends, and try things out of my comfort zone. The best advice I got freshman year was to say yes to everything (as long as it’s safe). I think the reason I had such a positive experience my first year was because I said yes to every opportunity. Yes to grabbing coffee, yes to studying in the library, yes to meeting my neighbor’s friends. Those small, random moments would lead to meeting the best people and creating the most memorable experiences.
Sophomore year, I learned more practical life skills like cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and apartment maintenance. Although I had already learned most of those skills before, it was different having to do them completely on my own. When you’re living on your own for the first time, it feels weird to encounter a problem and have no one to fix it but yourself and the other clueless college students you live with. When the sink in my apartment started leaking or we blew a fuse in the bathroom from running too many hair dryers, I found myself wanting to yell for my dad and ask for help. Even though these were minor problems, it felt good to figure out the solution on my own for the first time.
This year, my junior year, I still have a lot to learn. Although everyone moves at their own pace, I feel like I’m far behind compared to my friends and classmates. I’m learning how to write a good resume, cover letter, etc. I’m learning what kind of jobs and internships I’m interested in, and the process behind achieving them. I’m also just now learning the skill of time management, and how to study in ways that work best for me. It does make me feel better, however, knowing that every college student has to go through trial and error throughout their four years, which is advice I wish I got two years ago.
Although I don’t want to wish away the time, I look forward to the things I’m going to learn in my last year of college. I believe that it’s important to grow as a person and to know that making mistakes is okay. And college, where everyone else is making the same mistakes as you are, is the best place to learn all of those important life lessons you’re going to use for the rest of your life.