Navigating university life is truly a different experience for everyone. We spend so much of our high school years building up ourselves as students in hopes to one day find ourselves living the college life we once pictured in our heads. But the truth is, the reality of university life is quite far from how it’s portrayed in the media.
Here are 5 things I wish I knew before entering college:
- Your body isn’t the same.
Looking back on my high school experience, I genuinely have no idea how I woke up so early for school, went through 8 classes in a day, and still had time in the evenings for all of my extracurriculars. And by extracurriculars, I mean I was handling being in student congress, conducting research, playing in my high school’s marching band, and more on top of being the type of student to rack up on AP classes. Don’t get me wrong – it was not easy and it was quite exhausting. But the shocking part is I survived through a schedule like that yet now I’m in college and I am exhausted after one lecture. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that your high school body and your college body are just not the same. What you could handle before may not always be the case right now and I’m here to tell you that that’s okay. It’s all a part of growing up but as a college student, expect to adapt your schedule to what your body can physically handle!
- Put yourself out there.
Here at Stevens, I have genuinely loved everyone that I have met so far. And at first, it can be so nerve-wracking to start conversations with people. But once you get into the hang of starting random conversations with fellow students on campus, you’ll become more comfortable with your campus environment as a whole. But the whole idea of being open to meeting new people doesn’t just go for making friends but it even trails onto developing professional relationships with your professors, faculty and staff, and any professionals that you meet on campus at networking events. Who you know can truly get you far so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
- Get involved.
One of the ways to make friends as an adult is by meeting people through activities that you do consistently. For example, most of our friends when we were younger were people that we were classmates with. A primary factor that helped maintain those friendships is how you would often see and interact with those same people. That concept can be applied as a university student and even later on as an adult. Getting involved on campus will allow you to meet more people and being a part of a certain club/organization will provide you with something that keeps that connection going. As much as possible, try to attend events!
- Make the most out of your college tuition.
While you are on campus to learn, don’t forget you’re also paying to learn that information. Take advantage of all of the resources that your university provides. Need a job/internship? Utilize all of the campus networking events, the career center, and your professors to help you get to where you want to go. Too broke to actually afford food? Sign up and attend campus events that have free food and take some to go if you can too! Whatever resources are on campus, use them to fit your needs as a student! Make the most of what you are paying for – make every semester payment count!
- That Hoboken wind is strong, but make sure you’re stronger.
College life is genuinely so busy. Things could be slow at one point and then before you know it, it’s midterm season and you’re in your room trying to balance coughing and studying. I don’t know what is in the Hoboken air that is making my lungs give up on me, but what I need you to know is that doing what you need to do to prevent yourself from getting sick is 100% necessary. Getting sick as a college student isn’t fun because while you’re trying to recover, your workload will just pile up right in front of you. And you don’t want to be in that position – trust me. So eat your meals, exercise properly, and get enough sleep so that your body doesn’t give up on you. You are a human being who deserves to be cared for. Caring for your body will save you in the long-run.
- Living independently is expensive.
While commuters and those who live on campus may have a completely different set of expenses throughout the semester, one thing remains the same: living expenses will easily catch up to you. In this economy, it might not be such a smart idea to spend $6 on a coffee everyday. Grocery expenses add up, eating out adds up, even commuting costs add up! As a growing adult, one of the most important skills to have is the ability to adapt and find alternatives to the things you like to buy. Budgeting and having self-control is essential to not ending up as a broke college girly.
- Focus on you.
For my last point, remember that your college experience is solely yours. Do not compare your successes to the successes of your peers. Just continue to focus on your own goals, passions, and your own direction. It’s so easy to get caught up in watching as your fellow college students might be getting internships, research positions, job offers, and the like while you’re not quite there yet. College is a lot to navigate and it’s okay to be moving and achieving things at a slower pace than others. And don’t worry – your time will come. Just keep working hard and staying focused. And before you know it, you’ll be exactly right where you wanted to be.