Your parents are not always there to bail you out. Most of us are used to having our parents around to lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on, but your parents cannot be there through all the daily trials of college. It sometimes takes going away to college to realize how much we all relied on our parents. This doesn’t mean you won’t want to call your mom every time you don’t feel well, but it is also the first time in your life you are truly independent.
The friends you make will never compare to your high school friends. But sometimes they can be better. Your high school friends knew a different version of you, but your college friends are getting to know the new person you are becoming. They are seeing this whole new adult version of you, and that is a side of you that your childhood friends will never experience.
Failure has consequences. In the past, you could do poorly on an exam and still succeed in the class. There was extra credit, homework grades, and even sucking up to your teacher. In college, sometimes there will only be a few exams or a big paper that determine your grade for a class that will be a prerequisite for other classes. Failure has very real consequences and can put you behind in your future plans.
The decisions you make will actually affect the rest of your life. So think twice about that before a big night out. Making one drunken decision can lead to legal trouble that will affect your career for the rest of your life.
Your professors are not there to walk you to success. You are an adult now, and this means taking success into your own hands. Your professors are there to teach you the material, but it is up to you to actually learn it. There is no spoon-feeding in college classes.
Your health is in your own hands. So sleep. Wash your face everyday. For your own sake, take your makeup off after a night out. Take your vitamins. Go for walks. Get fresh air. This is the youngest you’ll ever be, but don’t take it for granted.
Do not take kindness for granted. There’s a saying that says, “If you can’t find a nice person, be a nice person.” Kindness doesn’t cost a thing, so spread it everywhere.
Giving up will not get you anywhere. So work hard. If it’s important to you, never give up on it.
That being said, you will work harder than you ever have and sometimes still not do as well as you did in high school. College is a whole new level of academics. You have to learn to learn in different ways than you did before. Different teachers have different styles, and you have to adapt to do well.
This is the most selfish four years you will ever have in your life. College will be a bigger emotional rollercoaster than you even knew was possible. It is also the only time in your life you get to do everything for yourself. Your only job is to learn, both about academics and about who you want to be. So do what makes you happy. Find out what that is, because this is your time.