Although the semester is quickly coming to an end, there are still a few more weeks left to make the most of it. For me, these next few weeks are the last few weeks I will ever experience in college as an undergrad student. This is something that has consumed my thoughts recently and something many of my friends and family have been talking to me about. Every conversation I have had with people I am quick to say something along the lines of, “I was ready to graduate last year” or “Graduation can’t come soon enough!”. Although these comments truly do reflect my feelings, there are many things about college I will miss. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of many opportunities when I entered college, so I have been trying to make the most of my experience the past two years. With that being said, regardless of where you stand in your college career, I think the following suggestions are ways to make the most of your last few weeks or even of your last few years of college.
1. Get involved
My first piece of advice I would give to any college student is get involved. Yes, college is busy, and yes, clubs/activities are time consuming, but they are worth it. Not only does being involved look great on a resume, but this is where you actually make meaningful and lasting friendships. Also, the great thing about college is that there are so many different people coming from different backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, and environments, so you are bound to find an organization that compliments your likes and interests!
2. Decide what you want
College can be confusing. Most people graduate high school and at eighteen-years-old head straight college, where they are thrust into a whole new world. You no longer have curfew or have to report to your parents about where you are every waking second. Because of this, it is important to know what you want. It is okay to have some fun with your friends and stay up late some nights, but at the end of the day you need to know what you want and how you are going to get there. After all, the purpose of college is to walk away after four years having an in depth knowledge of the career you want to peruse and dedicate the rest of your life to. The sooner you figure out what you want to do, the easier your and less stressful your college experience will be.
3. Take advantage of the resources you are given.
Although college is expensive, those expenses come with opportunities. There are so many resources universities offer that college students overlook. A few that my friends and I have taken advantage of over the years are: Free gym access, yoga classes, peer tutoring, writing centers, counseling services, guest speakers, concerts, and special events. There is a never ending list of opportunities. If you are unsure of what your college has to offer, just go to your universities website, and simply type “free activities for students” or “free services for students” and countless results will appear.
4. Take risks.
This is something I have embraced over the last few years. For me, taking a risk was studying abroad. I always knew I wanted to travel, but going to a new country comes with many unexpected situations and as a young person, that can be difficult to handle on your own. However, because I put myself out there and took some risks, I am a much more independent and confident person. I have friends who have taken risks by changing their majors to something entirely different, or friends who have spoken at conferences on their research with hundreds of people in the audience. College is a time where you should stretch yourself. If you are thinking about taking a big step in a totally different direction than you normally would, I challenge you to do it.
5. Document your experiences.
With the world of social media at our fingertips this is not something difficult to do. With that being said, sometimes I get so caught up in the moment or am way too busy and I forget to take pictures or write about a really great experience. Although the big, meaningful experiences from college will probably stick with you for life, there are still small, meaningful moments as well. At the beginning of college I took copious amounts of pictures and would share them frequently on my Facebook page. However, the last two years have gotten extremely busy and I have converted to taking a minimal amount of pictures, and I chose to write about my experiences instead. Your experiences are your own and sometimes they are personal, so writing them down can be a good alternative to sharing them with the whole world. Whatever your preference is though, it is important to collect some form of documentation throughout your college years, as something to look back on and reflect on in the future.
Over my last four years in college I think I have ultimately learned that your experience is what you make it. There will be some tough days still, but that’s how life is. There are some good days and there are some bad days. There are also some people who would love to be in college but for one reason or another they can’t. As college students we are extremely privileged to be in the situation we are. Since we are given the privilege to expand our knowledge and views, we should be doing everything in our power to make the most of our college experience!
*All images courtesy of Tumblr