When people say your college years fly by, they aren’t exaggerating. My first five semesters at Penn State have gone by faster than I would’ve imagined, and now, I’m one semester away from being a senior.
Every day of college is a life lesson. Even those days you spend rotting with your roommates on the couch come with something to remember it by. Here are five things I’ve learned so far at Penn State.
- Semester 1: Getting Involved Is Key
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My first semester at Penn State was probably the rockiest one possible. I entered college as a broadcast major, and after my first time on-air (which I wish never saw the light of day) I realized I hated it. That left me without any clubs when I refused to only focus on behind-the-scenes action.
The brutal truth is that as a freshman, it’s hard to meet people without joining clubs. This led me to joining Her Campus at PSU my second semester, finding the girls who make my college experience now.
For any freshmen reading this: please get involved. It will make your entire experience at Penn State worthwhile.
- Semester 2: You Can’t Keep Everything Inside: Find Someone You Can Talk To
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The spring semester of my freshman year, I thought I could handle all of the emotions I was feeling myself. The short, cold days were leading me to spend most days in my dorm. Instead of talking about my problems, I kept them all bottled up.
I don’t think most people understood how hard of a time I was having until I brought it up a whole year later. It’s easy to talk about the past when you look back on it, but when you’re living it, it’s a scary topic.
Honestly though, finding someone to talk about your problems with is the key to not going insane in college. If I didn’t have my roommates now to scream “Creep” with at the top of our lungs whenever we have a minor inconvenience, I would have a lot of bottled up emotions.
While finding someone to talk to might be hard, please seek them out. You deserve to have someone to listen to you, and give you advice when you need it most.
And just know, if you also have a song you have to skip when it’s dark on campus because it reminds you too much of a time long ago, you’re not alone. Mine is unfortunately “Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus.
- Semester 3: Stop Skipping Classes: It Turns Into a Lifestyle
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My first two semesters, I had almost straight attendance in all of my classes. I never had perfect attendance in high school, but I was still always the one to go to class with a migraine or the worst stomach ache possible. I knew I had to continue that when I went to college.
In my third semester, I was hit with a meaningless gen-ed that would almost put me to sleep anytime I went. So I did what any college student would do: stopped attending it. I think I went a month without attending, and still ended the class with a 102 percent.
My ending grade didn’t make me feel good about myself though. Skipping this class led me to start skipping classes whenever I felt like it. It’s a slippery slope, and it becomes a lifestyle rather than a little excuse when you don’t feel well.
If you’re someone who likes to skip your classes, take this as your sign to stop. It costs a lot of money to be here, so make the most of it. Even if your class tries to put you to sleep sometimes.
- Semester 4: Don’t Waste Your Energy On Meaningless Encounters
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The entirety of spring semester of my sophomore year was a canon event. You could pay me $1 million and I probably wouldn’t go back to relive it.
That semester I wasted a lot of time on people who didn’t deserve any of my time. I learned the hard way that you can’t always find yourself in others.
I probably spent about 50 percent of my semester ranting about the same situation to my friends. So this is my official apology to them. I was going through it.
While it sucked that it took me an entire semester (and truthfully, some of this current one as well), the character development I found at the end changed my life.
People aren’t always going to like you as much as you like them, and that’s ok. College is all about finding out who you are, and who fits into your life best. Just don’t waste the little energy you have left after stressful classes on someone who doesn’t care.
Trust me when I say it isn’t worth it in the end, and you’ll find much better.
- Semester 5: It’s Ok To Slow Down When You Need It
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It’s funny that I’m writing this out, because I’m not even sure I’ve mastered this yet. I’m a part of four clubs, I have a job and I take five classes. Somehow, I’m still out every weekend.
A lot of times I find myself grinding to the point of breakdowns. Unfortunately when you have a busy schedule, It’s hard to find the time to truly relax without any distractions or stressful encounters.
Towards the end of this semester, I find myself realizing that it’s ok to slow down and take a break when you need to. You shouldn’t have to wait until your body physically breaks down to have that moment of rest.
This lesson is something I’m taking the time to prioritize, especially as I’m getting towards the end of my college experience. If I complain about being the oldest one at the frats, why am I going if I’m tired? If I’m not in the mood to go to the bar or have those three vodka sodas, why am I even doing it?
If you find yourself in the need of a wholesome night in, just take it. You have so many other nights to dance the night away with your friends. Take the self-care night instead of going to Wine Wednesday so you have the energy to dance on the weekend.
While these lessons were not easy to learn, they were an essential part of my college experience. Here’s to more lessons in my next three semesters.