10 Lessons I Learned from College

Sarah Thomas

A Google search of “ten lessons I learned from college” produces so many pages with the same advice (FYI, I had initially written this as “a plethora of echoed results.” You’re welcome). Most of the advice is sound: go to class, complete an internship, utilize professors’ office hours, etc. Some extends beyond the academic and professional realm, such as the advice from Adam Starr of Monster.com’s InsideTech that involves how to deal with tight living spaces, social drinking, and coping with breakups. Lifehacker (one of my favorite blogs for practical advice) shares common sense but infinitely useful academic, professional, financial, and social tips in The Ten Most Important Things We’ve Learned About College.

It’s been five years since I became a college student, two and a half since I entered the halls of 400 Commercial Street as a naïve and apprehensive transfer. My time as an undergrad ends in December, so naturally I’ve been looking back on my college career to figure out what I really got from that student status. The lessons I learned along the way have been invaluable. Of course, hindsight’s 20/20, so my first advice (though not included in my 10 lessons- I’m an English major; math was never my forte!) is to make mistakes and learn from them (or at the very least, recognize them).

Here goes my unprofessional professional advice in no particular order:

1. Sometimes you need to say “No”

Fair warning: I am going to share an oft-used-as-Facebook-status quote attributed to Albert Einstein (not sure if this is correctly attributed, FYI): “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” According to this, I am absolutely insane, and I am absolutely sure you are, too. Case in point: every few months, I would take on more responsibilities than I could successfully handle and end up having to drop, neglect, fail, or (admittedly) half-ass some of them. Yet I kept telling myself that this time I can handle all of these overlapping responsibilities or sleep is a luxury. Typically, no I couldn’t and no it’s not. Take a lesson from Miss Granger. <- oh hey, Harry Potter reference!

During your time in school, you will likely experience lulls in opportunities sandwiched by periods of holy-crap-stop-asking-me-to-do-things-I-need-to-breathe! This is when knowing how to tactfully say no is invaluable. Trust me. It’s for your health and sanity. And it’s easy. Say it with me, “No.”

2. It also pays to open your mouth

AKA Speak up- what were you thinking? With professors, employers, friends, and family, communication is key. It can prevent and solve conflicts, lead to professional opportunities, and result in catharsis and compromise.

3. Keeping Friends Close is Invaluable to Your Mental and Emotional Health

Friends can mean the difference between stressing at home [over a paper due, a not-awesome part-time job, a lack of funds] and de-stressing [over a Chipotle burritobarbacoamildsourcreamcheeseandlettucethankyouohyeahandafountaindrink].

4. It’s about finding yourself, not your partner

Though it might happen, the goal of college is not finding the person with whom you’ll watch reruns of Doctor Who for the rest of your life.

5. Running, Walking, Dancing, Singing, whatever, is always a good idea

Capstone Paper due? Have absolutely no idea what your thesis is? Not even sure of a topic? What class is this for? Where am I? Who are you?

…

Time for a run around the block. Or a walk along a trail. Or a dancing and singing like nobody’s watching session. Forget about the paper. Letting yourself go can clear your mind for when you get back to that blank Word doc. Just be wary of walking the procrastination line.

6. Never, ever be embarrassed for being interested in… (music, movie, TV show , etc.)

One of my absolute favorite movies is The Neverending Story. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Really, though, your interests are how people will connect to you in so many ways beyond shallow judgment. So own them.

7. Be present- past experiences, diagnoses, trauma, etc., influence but do not define us

This can be a struggle for so many. It’s a struggle even to write about, but there is so much truth in it. It’s important to understand that you are here now and you are not your past. Easy concept. Difficult in practice. Let me know if you’ve mastered it.

8. Read. It’s good for you.

And I don’t just mean your Underwater Basket Weaving textbook (sorry, Liberal Arts majors). Read everything: newspapers, blog posts, novels, Petrarchan sonnets, children’s books, the backs of DVD cases, the label on your frozen breakfast burrito, War and Peace. Everything. And I mean, not everything. But lot’s of things.

9. If you don’t like something,  you don’t need to apologize for it.

The “I’m sorry” syndrome is a rampant negative reflex. It undermines your feelings and perpetuates the idea that you need to apologize for having an opinion. You don’t.

10. Ahhh I’ve reached the tenth lesson. Like I said, math was never my forte, and I’m OK with that.