| My editors wanted me to take a moment to welcome all the wonderful people gracing our town again this fall to attend one of our great colleges and/or university. I found this quite apropos to do right about now, as this marks the 10-year anniversary of the first time I made my own journey in this right. Around this time in 1996 I was about ankle deep into my second or third week of studies at Tennessee State University, in Nashville, TN (yes I am a Wisconsin native; but Plan 2008 hadn't been enacted yet, so there was NO way I was coming to UW-Madison for college. Sorry!). As cliched as it sounds, that was the first time I was really out on my own in making decisions for myself. I was blessed to have a couple of relatives in the neighborhood, and even an aunt who worked on campus, but when they went home for the evening I was ultimately left alone with my roommate, and every choice to be made was eventually up to me. I didn't make a lot of the best decisions in college, and to be honest, I probably made more bad decisions than I did good ones. With that said though, I still believe I had the best time of my life thus far in the four years I spent in Nashville, and I wouldn't change a single moment of what I experienced ... Well, let me take that back. I met a lot of wonderful people who became some of my dearest and closest friends, and I experienced a lot of life-changing and worthwhile positive activities. However, if I had to do it all over again, I must admit that there are at least some things I would like to have said I did differently. I mean, it's not like I had much of a choice, in that I didn't have anyone in my corner who had done this type of thing before and could truly advise me, but still if I had had someone to give me at least a little advice, I think I might have been in an even better position to succeed after graduation. So, in honor of being at least 10 years wiser from that first step onto campus, I';d like to present the following: Seven Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me When I First Started College: Don't believe the lie that you go to college just to get an education. I mean, you DID go to school to get an education ... but that's not the only reason one goes to college, and anybody who tells you otherwise probably didn't go to college, or didn' have a good experience (I'd be willing to bet). College is about having a wholistic growing experience. If it wasn't, you could have spent a heck of a lot less money doing the whole thing online. But the whole joy in going to college is to experience everything that goes along with growing up in general -- making friends, going out on the town, talking with guest lecturers and taking advantage of free food, staying up all night talking with roommates, etc. As much as you can, do the WHOLE shebang, if for no other reason than to say you did. Student loans are the Devil. Nah, just kidding ... kinda. There's nothing wrong with getting money to cover your tuition and books you know you're gonna need. But if you know that 10 years down the road you won't be able to tell just where the remaining couple thousand of your refund check went after you tricked it in Cancun or wherever else, then you might want to reconsider how much you're willing to commit your future income toward. Trust me -- with the economy as it is, professional poverty is NOT a good look, particularly if you come out only making about 25K or so, which could very well be your starting salary once you leave. And while were on the subject of money, just because you didn't get that many in high school doesn't mean you can't still look for as many in-college scholarships to apply for as you can while you're still matriculating. KEEP GETTIN' THE FREE MONEY, AS MUCH OF IT AS YOU CAN! Mediocrity is not acceptable, and friends or teachers who tell you that anything less than your best is okay are not really helping you. Don't settle for just what your college career is willing to give you, if you know you need and deserve more. This applies not only to classes, but to the time you spend outside of the classroom as well. What is mediocrity, you ask? Any chance you don't take to grow your mind and expand your comfort zone and skills set, FURREAL. Take advantage of study groups, internships, and meeting with your professor, if for nothing else but to discuss the latest research she's doing. Bored? Join a student organization, or do some work in the community. Homesick? Take some time to make friends with someone from outside the United States. Feeling brain dead? Watch something on television other than 106 & Park or Lifetime. Learn a new language, maybe! Whatever it is -- don't let it be said that you left school better only at taking the low road in life. DO WHAT YOU LOVE, AND BE NOT AFRAID TO DO IT. There's another lie out here that says you can only be successful if you follow the path of law, med school, engineering, etc., etc. IT'S NOT TRUE. God gave us all talents and abilities, and passions relative to that; if He's telling you to become a dancer, then dangit, major in dance, and give it your all! Why? Because college is WAY too expensive to spend it on something you're not willing to give your absolute all to pursuing. While you're doing what you love, have a plan for how you're gonna use it to make money when you graduate. You gotta eat; it's real simple. You can build a viable career on what you love-- just make sure you have a real good plan for those disciplines whose career opportunities don't just fall into your lap, and be willing to do research when you aren' sure what all's out there. Trust your instincts, but don't be stupid. If you know you don't have a job or any kind of serious reliable income to pay it back (and by "reliable" I don' mean mom and dad's monthly allowance), don't apply for a credit card, no matter how much free stuff they're willing to give you. If a guy asks you to come up to his room alone to watch a movie, determine if you are cool with it leading to sex, and respond accordingly -- before you're actually in his room, preferably. If you absolutely HAVE to go get that pint of Ben & Jerry's from the 24-hour Walgreens at 2 in the morning, make sure to take your roommate or a friend with you. Regardless of what you think, you can't ever be too careful, too cautious, or too thoughtful when it comes to keeping yourself safe. You will make mistakes ... and that's okay. Learn from them. This is self-explanatory; don't expect to be perfect at any of this, because you aren't -- you're human. Above all, do your best to do the best you can, and you'll do fine. You probably won't follow these rules right off; no one does. As much as I say that I wish someone would have told me one thing or another, the truth is that somewhere along the way somebody probably did -- a few times in fact. I didn' always choose to listen; I thought my issues were unique and didn't take what everybody else was offering, and I learned as a result. Instead of following my formulas line for line, what I suggest you do is just clip this article and tape it somewhere important, so if for nothing else you can read it and be inspired in knowing that you aren't the only one who's done the same things you're about to do. Good luck, best wishes to all of you -- new and returning. Have a great year, and I'll talk to you in two weeks! |
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