Back when my youngest brother was graduating from high school, I wrote him some advice. As I watch friends and family start a new college semester, these words deserve some revisiting. Share with your favorite college student!
Congratulations! You have survived your first month on campus.
By this point, you may have realized that you are not at summer camp.
Your classes might be heating up. You might have overslept for your 7:50 seminar, or run out of toilet paper, or avoided the laundry room.
It’s a hard world out there. And I’m here to help you survive it.
Target will tell you which frozen pizza to buy. Your advisors will tell you what classes to take. But only a seasoned college graduate will tell you these tips for getting the most out of your college life.
Tips to Get the Most Out of College Life
1. Learn how to cook one thing well.
You might be asked to bring food to an event. Or you might want to wow a special someone with home cooking. (Gentlemen, take note. Girls are really, really impressed when you cook.) Have at least one fool-proof recipe in your arsenal. If you are hopeless, Ghiradelli brownie mix works miracles.
2. Track your spending.
I know it sucks. But you really need to. If you find your bank account withering, you have to figure out where you’re throwing your cash. I didn’t do this until after college, and I wish I would have started sooner.
3. Find a hobby.
And no, Netflix does not count as a hobby. Binge-watching is easy and entertaining. It is not fulfilling. You will be a happier and more interesting human if you step away from the screen sometimes. Sing. Lift weights. Paint. Yarn-bomb trees. Bring back planking. Take walks after dinner. Just do something.
4. Meet deadlines.
You don’t run the world (yet). That means that you need to respect other people and their time. Showing up on time and meeting deadlines makes you seem mature. If you aren’t sure you actually are mature, this is a great way to fake it. Meeting deadlines will also save you money. Let’s be honest – no one likes late fees.
5. Do not begin a new relationship in your first semester of college.
In your first few months in a new place, you need time to adjust. You need time to establish a solid friend group. You need time to let yourself adapt to your new surroundings. Trust me, it will take all of your energy to develop those in your first semester. Don’t spend all of your time pursuing one person. Make yourself at home, then work on snagging that dreamboat.
6. Find your people.
We are not meant to meander through life alone. Community is necessary. We need people to watch movies with us, show us dumb YouTube videos, and walk with us to Starbucks. So get out of your room and talk to people. Ask someone to grab dinner, or to attend a hall event, or to toss a Frisbee. Believe it or not, other people want to make friends, too. Yes, even with you.
7. Get off the Internet.
Especially when you’re homesick, sad, lonely. Inevitably you will see a cheery post from that gorgeous girl in your Comp class. Then you’ll get snarky about her bajillion followers and perfect eyeliner.
So save yourself some angst. What you see on Instagram is what other people want you to see. That girl doesn’t share snapshots when she believes she’ll be single forever. She doesn’t brag about the test she failed. She doesn’t post about the argument with her mom. Do not compare someone else’s public life to your private life.
And if you are tweeting about being single forever or failing tests or arguments? Please revisit tip #3.
8. Know that everyone has one really terrible semester.
Mine was fall semester, freshman year. I felt alone, like anyone truly knew me, and I was convinced I was terrible at everything. I literally counted the days until I could go home at each break, and I sobbed every time I had to return.
But I kept showing up. (I was paying tuition, after all.) I tried to form deeper relationships, and I gave myself grace. And like all terrible life seasons, it got better. If you’re going through one of the nasty seasons, you will not stay there forever. Things will get better. Hang in there.
Many blessings to all of you settling into new semesters. May the opportunities for free laundry be frequent, may the backpacks be light, and may the memories tremendous.