By Caleb Garcia | Photo Editor
It’s the beginning of your freshman year of college. You’ve already gone through the madness of move in day, had fun at the freshmen welcome events and maybe spent some time with new friends. The weeks before school were different for all of us, but maybe your experience happened a little like mine.
I remember sitting in the hard plastic chair at my desk. Twas the night before the first day of classes, and not a roommate was stirring. As I sat there beneath the gentle glow of my LED lights staring at my computer, a feeling washed over me like a tidal wave. It was a total sense of being lost.
I needed a hero at that moment, someone to save me from the feeling of uncertainty, but I didn’t have a single person to go to. The only ones available were already sound asleep in their dorms atop their mattress toppers, or were hundreds of miles away.
It’s obviously been a few years since that moment, and I like to think I’ve figured out college just fine, even though it hasn’t always been easy and there’s been plenty of slip ups. I’ve come here to tell you about some tips that I wish I had known before jumping into the deep end of life, so hopefully, you don’t fumble around as much as I did.
To anyone who is a little unsure about all the years that are ahead of them, let me offer some tips for college success.
1. Getting out there.
It goes without saying that the start of college is a very social time. Even if you’re deathly afraid of people, it’s important to get over those fears and get out there. It’s totally okay to have FOMO, it’s not okay to do nothing about it.
Some of the people you meet might be some of the most influential friends you’ll ever make, so say yes to everything. You might agree to go to a concert in Austin and meet a lifetime friend. You might say yes to a game of cards and meet your next roommate. Going along to that steakhouse dinner you might meet a whole new family. Don’t be afraid to chase the life that you’ve always wanted.
2. Grades.
This one is really just common sense. A lot of things rely on your GPA — arguably an unreasonable amount of things. Indeed, this reflection of your work ethic will actually matter in the real world.
It is especially important for scholarships, sororities, fraternities, study abroad programs or maybe even impressing a new romantic prospect. The list goes on.
If you want to party in Europe, become a politician in D.C., do missionary work abroad that’ll be posted to your Instagram, you’ve got to get those grades up, and keep them high, folks.
3. Plan and look ahead.
Don’t be like me and ruin over your chance to study abroad or apply to a specific internship because you thought the deadline was the wrong day. Set up a system to keep track of your plans for life, jobs, going out, studying and even your plans for plans. Stay prepared and always have a backup plan.
God is all-loving, but he has a sense of humor that might involve throwing you a life-altering curveball every twenty minutes.
4. Accept that despite all those plans, things aren’t always gonna work out.
Everyone has an idea of what they think their future will be like. Despite all the work that we do to attain it, it doesn’t always go our way. That’s just how things are, and that’s what I wish I had learned earlier.
You might despair over lost friends or opportunities, or lament over a relationship that ended painfully. Sometimes a family member or loved one might pass away when you thought you had more time with them. You might fall behind or feel totally lost.
That’s okay.
My father always said that life wasn’t a race, but that it was actually a marathon. Some of us might run through it faster and flashier than others, but at the end of the day, we all completed an insurmountable task. Have faith, and believe that things will get better. Just like Jeff Buckley said, “it’s never over.”
5. Prioritize internships and career work.
If you’re like me and want to sign your life away to the federal government, or any other prestigious institution, start thinking about internships now. Stop scrolling and go look into things you can do that’ll make you stand out and shine.
While life isn’t a race as a whole, careers and paychecks certainly are.
6. Have fun out there.
College an incredibly serious and formative time. But it’s also a time to get wild, do crazy things with fun people and make memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy your life and get a nice balance of fun in.
That’s all I have for you. Take this quote as you go about your newly enlightened life, said by a federal prisoner I had the pleasure of working with this summer.
“Do as I say, and not as I do.”
