Top 10 College Tips

It's May 1, 2008. I'm packing up all my belongings in my dorm room for the last time. Finals are drawing to a close, people are moving home for the summer, and a sigh of relief floats across this campus with a force so powerful you can't help but feel it. Another school year is coming to a close and this time it is different. Tomorrow afternoon I will be taking my last final...and it's of course for my history class. Then I have the joy of moving at warp speed and leaving Saturday at 2 for Oklahoma. I'm just so excited! ...not.

As the semester ends my new job will be beginning. I'm going to be an m.i.t. (Manager in training) at Abercrombie and Fitch at the Lakeside mall. I'm actually very excited about this job! I love working part-time at the A&F in the Village, so this is the next step, a bigger challenge to face I guess. I'm also excited to move into an apartment and decorate. I have big plans for my bedroom especially. :)

But I digress...So, what have I learned after 8 semesters, 2 maymesters, 53 classes and 148 completed credit hours? (Yes, I'm procrastinated on studying for my final exam tomorrow by adding that up...haha)

1.) People are always more important that getting the grade. I'm not saying you should slack off or anything, but if you have to pick between building relationships and killing yourself studying, I vote for the relationships every time. Good friends are hard to find, and they last a lifetime.
2.) Don’t worry too much about your looks. Trust me, they aren't everything. Leave your room without make-up and hair gel weighing you down. Feel good about being natural. Anyone who thinks any less of you for that, isn't worth your time anyways. And it makes those times you do get dressed up all the more special.
3.) Utilize the resources that are in your environment. This might be a good professor who will challenge you, building a relationship with the dean of students, taking a course that you will have to work hard in to succeed, etc.
4.) Make good friends. And when I say good, I mean it two fold. a.) Friends who are good people and encourage you to do good things and b.) friends who treat you right.
5.) Read, as often as you can.. enough said.
6.) Try and keep up on current issues. (This is still something I could be better at.) Whether you do this by watching the news, reading newspapers or the Internet, etc. You should be aware of the world around you, especially outside the U.S.
7.) Enjoy the social aspect as much as you can, but make sure you can balance your schoolwork too! :)
8.) Don't get caught up in gossip, especially when you go to a small school and have facebook to help you stalk people, it can be tempting to talk about your friends. We're all guilty, but in the end it tears people down and is NEVER good.
9.) Don't wish away your college years. There are times when you'll be stressed and frustrated but remember this is a special time in your life and you need to soak it all in.
10.) Try to be open-minded. If you go in with your mind already made up then you might miss out on getting to know a good person, making a new friend, or hearing a new perspective.

I'm sure there are more I could sit here and think of because these 10 came to mind so quickly but I feel that the cliché less is more fits well here. I'm not claiming to be some expert on "How to have the best college experience possible" but I think these might be universal and useful...that is all. :)