As I slowly culminate my college experience, there are various things that, if I could do it all over again, I would change. Although my college experience has been fulfilling and a growth/independence opportunity, I wish I had known about some things earlier on so I could’ve made it even more fulfilling. This is why I decided to share these so I could further help undergraduates struggling to find their paths or others who would like to broaden their experience.
Explore different classes!
I am the type of person who is a planner and looks ahead, so from the moment that I found my major class requirements, I started to explore how many electives I had to take and how many free electives I had. However, in my search for those, I didn’t really broaden them enough and went for the basic classes. Although this might be ideal for intro classes, others such as Philosophy, Ethics, and Sociology are perfect classes to take advantage of the different points of view your school has to offer. For instance, for my upper-level Philosophy next semester, I will be taking Philosophy of Asian Thought, where I’ll be learning about philosophical and spiritual traditions of Asia, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. This is a perfect course to take if you are interested in learning about other countries, their traditions, religions, etc.
Don’t always take easy, minimum-work classes!
Around the same lines as the last point, as a college student, you might be inclined to take easy courses with “easy professors” so you can put minimum effort in and still come out with an A. Although this is good for heavy semesters when you take harder, more time-consuming classes, if you have the opportunity to balance more work-based classes that still interest you, do so! If the class requires reading and writing papers, don’t be discouraged! While these can be time-consuming tasks, they will work as tools to help you gain interest and perspective about topics you wouldn’t have ever thought of or considered if you hadn’t taken the class. Besides, papers are a great way to develop writing skills that you will definitely use throughout the rest of your future plans!
Explore minors and/ or double majors!
Out of this entire list, I think this is my biggest suggestion. Maybe not necessarily as a First Year, but at some point, in your Sophomore Year, look into the majors and minors your university has to offer! The number of minors that I found around my interest a semester too late are countless! By declaring a minor that interests you, you’d also be filling up your free electives which is one less thing to worry about when thinking about getting all the requirements/ credits for graduation. Furthermore, having a minor and/or double major will set you apart later from those who might be applying for the same job or grad school!
Take advantage of volunteer experiences!
If there’s something that is always a plus in someone’s profile is volunteer experience, and not necessarily just in your area of study, but in any area. Keeping in touch with that side of yourself and others throughout your college life provides you with perspective and experience in areas that you might have not even thought of. It also serves as a way to connect and meet people from other areas and make new friends!
Keep your resume and curriculum vitae (CV) up to date!
As you progress in college, you are bound to stumble upon experiences, internships, volunteer, and/ or jobs that are worth putting in your resume and/or curriculum vitae (CV). It’s best for you to add these at the time you’re doing them so you can add as much detail as possible than adding it after and trying to remember what you did.
Finding a path that you feel content with can be hard. Although everyone is bound to have a different plan and college experience, these are tips that I believe will help everyone broaden said experience for the better and possibly explore/ consider new career paths. Besides getting a degree and education, one goes to college to learn new things and experience life; make sure to take advantage of that time and opportunity!