Have you ever asked yourself the reason why you are attending college? Everybody has a different reason. Mine is to be able to do everything that I ever dreamed of without any problems and be able to take care of my family. I am the first in my family to attend college. Growing up I was not spoiled like most of my friends were and I appreciate that due to the fact that I am now a very independent young woman. I have six younger siblings and I want to be able to give them everything that they ask for, I often say that I do it all for them.
If you are still stuck on the reason why you are in college, do not stress. Everybody eventually finds their path and reason. Try and establish a strong, compelling and personal “why” for why you are currently a college student. You could have easily graduated from high school and took a different path, but you did not. Go ahead and write or type out your “why,” statement. Here are a few “WHY’s” which will tell you that you are enrolled for the wrong reason: Your friends went to college and you wanted to be with them, for the females/males, my parents made me go, I could not think of anything better to do after graduating high school. If they are any of your why statements, college will be hell for you. The struggles that you will experience in college are real; nobody promised that this will be easy, but it definitely is not impossible.
Once you figure out your big, “WHY,” then ask yourself what it is that you want to accomplish with your time in college. This is where I made a mistake as a freshman. I was not involved in any organizations or clubs and I was not networking. I started to believe that I was stuck in this small town (Indiana, PA) with no opportunities available for me. This made me want to transfer. It was not until my junior year where I told myself it was time to start making opportunities for myself instead of trying to take the easy way out and transfer. That is when I began to get involved around campus and networking is the best advice that I can give to any incoming college student. If you are not networking while you are in college you are doing it wrong. Take on the college experience by first planning your course, it will all make much more sense.
I interned in Washington, D.C this summer at a non-profit organization called Public Allies. A successful person said something that stuck with me; “those who don’t set goals are bound to work for those individuals who do.” In addition to that, writing down goals will be more beneficial than just thinking of them. You will not regret it. All you need is four or five, anything more is overwhelming, especially as a freshman. Once you have your goals written down, examine them. Make sure that they are realistic, specific and clear, measurable and most importantly give yourself a deadline. If you give yourself a deadline your goals are more likely to become realistic, instead of just keep saying, “I’ll get to it eventually.” I am currently in my first semester of my senior year as a Child Development and Family Relations major. Here are some of my own goals:
- Graduate with at least a 3.5 GPA
- Become involved in organizations
- Receive a job offer before graduation
- Start a separate bank account for money for after graduation
- Complete an internship or study abroad
Once I wrote down the goals is when they started to come to life. Last semester was my second time being on the Dean’s List. All of the hard work that I put in, receiving that award felt great. I am now involved in two different organizations (Her Campus and IUP Mini-Thon), along with being on the Student Co-Op Board of Directors and bringing a mentor program to IUP where I will be the president. I have not yet received a strong job offer, although I am currently working in my field which is giving me the experience that jobs will be looking for after graduation. From that job, I was able to open the separate bank account which I add money to after every paycheck. Lastly, I completed a 12 credit internship this summer and it was one of the best experiences. I moved to a new state on my own without any friends or family and worked for free. It was definitely a learning experience. Many people would not have moved to a new location without any income, but that is how you know you are dedicated to something–when it is more than just about the money. I am currently working towards a study abroad experience that I can take part in over winter break. I am not sharing all of this to brag; but I want to share the benefits of writing down your goals. Once you determine what it is that you want out of college, stay focused and work to achieve every single that you want, it will come to you. The law of attraction supports, “when you truly want something and go after it without limiting yourself with disbelief, the Universe will make it happen.” Never give up!