Going away to college can be an exciting or anxiety-inducing thing for many, but the idea of starting at a university is always seen as an exciting milestone that should be celebrated. It’s normal to start as a bright-eyed first-year student who finds it easy to notice and appreciate the simple things of being at college. Yet, this mindset can fade as the classes get harder, people’s schedules get busier, and pressures get piled onto an already full plate. This makes it easy to forget what a privilege it is to attend a university and receive the classic “college experience.” Here are some tips to keep the excitement alive on your journey here at Michigan State University.
Be Grateful For The Little Things (Even the Inconveniences)!
Going to a four-year college isn’t the picturesque movie scene where parties happen every single day and students pass all their courses without ever having to study. Going to MSU or any other four-year college may provide the opportunity for parties and going out with friends, but at the end of the day, it is a lot of hard work to graduate from any higher education institution. The work that is required from every college student can suck the joy out of the experience because every day there is something new, not to mention the responsibilities that students have who work and are involved in campus organizations. If you allow yourself to breeze through college and don’t seek out the joy, you may miss the little things. Little things like the sound the Red Cedar River makes on a nice, breezy day or the way the MSU squirrels chase each other around the trees on the first nice spring day of the year. Even if you have to force yourself to stop and smell the roses, make sure that you do! You can carry these slow moments where you take a breath and appreciate the nature on your college campus with you for the rest of your life, instead of remembering how you failed that exam and rushed back to your apartment to wallow.
Laugh A Little At The Frustrations That Make You Want To Scream.
Sometimes going to college is a lot. We are all humans, which means everyone has bad days now and again. Being at college means that on your worst day, the CATA bus you’re riding back to your apartment could slam into another one causing a 30-minute delay when all you want to do is go lay down. Instead of getting angry or annoyed and becoming obviously frustrated, you could just laugh. Laugh and enjoy the fact that you are young and have time to wait for a little fender bender. Chuckle at the irony of the CATA buses always giving you a run for your money. Just don’t allow a small frustrating moment to ruin a perfectly good day. The journey of getting a degree is different for everyone, some complete their studies in four years, and others take a different path. Regardless, everyone has their own timeline, and laughing when you hit a road bump is always preferable to crying. Being a young adult and doing things on your own for the first time is an incredibly frustrating experience sometimes, but it’s also an opportunity not everyone has. You will never be this young or in this exact situation again. Enjoy figuring out the best way to navigate things and make the most of it!
Stop Being So Hard On Yourself (It Will Workout Somehow).
As a fourth-year student who is set to graduate this spring, I still struggle to keep this specific tip in mind. When you realize what a wonderful opportunity it is to attend a four-year university, it can be very easy to pressure yourself into constantly trying to do more. I am a huge culprit of this behavior, and I can tell you from experience it leads to burnout and self-doubt, and it takes the joy away from the current moment. It’s important to get involved, secure that internship, get the job, and go to the party but you can only do so much at once. The time you spend in college is a time that is uniquely yours to experiment with who you are and learn how to survive on your own. You will make mistakes, you will get frustrated, and there will be some days that you sit down and cry. Yet, the day you realize graduation is around the corner, you will sit and reflect on your time getting a degree and realize this was also the time you learned how to live, the time you grew the most, and the time you had irreplaceable moments with friends. Don’t be the drill sergeant in your own life, consistently reminding yourself that you must do more, be better, and work harder. You can also just live and try your best. That will be more than enough.
These are three pieces of advice that I wish someone had explained to me in exactly this way when I started my journey in college. I have learned so much being a student at MSU and went through a plethora of life experiences that have shaped me as a human being. Whatever journey you take in life, remember to enjoy every single second.