When it comes to the big step of moving up into college, you will be bombarded with advice and tips. From what meals to cook, and the best majors to take, to what to pack and how to make friends. It gets pretty exhausting. We have got the only real advice you will need during your freshman year.
Trial and error
That’s it. It’s that simple. Aside from getting your degree, the most essential part of college is learning who you are, what you like, what you hate, what you believe in – and the only way to do any of this is just through trial and error. It’s the perfect time to make mistakes!
Explore yourself
If you’ve lived under your parents’ roof for the past few years, you’ve probably not had a whole lot of time to explore what it really means to be you. Explore your independence, your romantic orientation, your party tolerance. Keep safe and try not to hurt anyone else, but otherwise, give everything a try and see what you are all about.
Think for yourself
Again you will no longer have your parents spoon feeding you opinions, and you will be encouraged to think for yourself. College is a pivotal time in your life. You will meet so many new people from all over the world, and these people will help shape your opinions, your beliefs, and your ideas. Don’t go to college thinking that you will always feel the same about everything as you currently do; chances are you will change and hopefully for the better!
Grab experiences by the throat
It is really important to study and attend classes of course, but outside of that time, would you rather binge watch Netflix or have some real experiences? Will you look back on your life, glad that you finished the new series of Stranger Things before anyone else in your dorm, or that you saw in a sunset with a group of new friends on top of a hill? Say yes to more things (but only if they are good things of course!) and through trial and error – your new college best friend – experience the world and find out what you love.
Remember to learn outside of class
Although your grades are important, there are other ways to learn that will be vital for the future too. Whether you join new clubs, take classes on something you’ve always been interested in and learn from everyone around you. For example, perhaps you have always thought you could be a good radio presenter – why not give that a go on your college station? A real station in the outside world is not likely to give you a chance with no experience to learn from scratch, so college is the perfect place for this. If you hate it or find that you’re no good, it’s not a problem. At least you tried.
As long as no one gets hurt, make sure your college experience is all about trial and error. There is no better time to make mistakes, open your mind and learn who you are than your formative college years so really make the most of it. Hopefully, you will emerge, not only with a degree but also with a better sense of who you are.
