This semester marks the halfway point of my college experience. Which is actually insane. How am I already 50% done with college?
I can remember my first semester so vividly. Moving in, walking 20,000 steps in one day trying to find classes, and being amazed by lecture halls. My first party. Staying out way too late when I had a 9 am the next day. Studying for my first exams. Failing my first exams.
How was that already a year and a half ago?
And while I finally feel like I am getting a hang of this college thing, there are a lot of things I think about and wonder what it would be like if I could go back in time. I think about how little decisions I could have made then would have seriously rerouted my entire college experience. So, here are five things I regret not doing in college:
- NOT LIVING ON CAMPUS DURING MY FIRST YEAR
Okay, I will admit I go back and forth between this one. Walking past Jester at night does give me some serious awkward summer camp vibes– with all the people walking around in pajamas, some with wet hair and others with some serious B.O. Bunking with strangers, showering in the same space, and sharing meals together. Definitely doesn’t sound appealing.
But, I also do think it is cool how you are kind of forced to socialize. To share your space with others and bond with people who are feeling the same anxieties you are.
And while I loved having my own room with my own bathroom, I do think a lot about how different college would be for me if I had dormed. Would I have a different friend group? What stories would I have to tell? Would I be in different orgs or have different favorite spots on campus? I’ll never know.
- COMING IN WITH A DECLARED MAJOR
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 80% of students change their major at least once. Why did no one ever tell me this? Why did I feel forced to immediately confine myself to a major when I hadn’t even stepped foot on campus? In hindsight, I wish I had taken my first semester to explore a bunch of different classes. Find what really sparked an interest in me, and then declare that as a major. Instead, I changed my major three times and did that self-discovery thing in my third semester of college. And while I now have a major I really love, I wish I could go back and tell myself it is okay to wait until I am sure I’m pursuing something I am passionate about.
- GOING TO FRAT PARTIES
I’m going to keep this one short and sweet– IT’S OKAY TO ADMIT FRAT PARTIES AREN’T FUN! Sticky floors, horrible body odor, gag-inducing jungle juice, sweaty boys everywhere… Never once did I leave a frat party without at least a tiny feeling of regret. There are better parties. I could have saved myself so many Saturday nights and cute outfits.
- NOT MAKING AN EFFORT TO FIX MY HORRIBLE STUDY HABITS
I’ll be honest, I had no study strategies coming into college. Before UT, school always came super easy to me. I would dedicate, at most, an hour to studying for anything.
That doesn’t fly in college. You HAVE to study to succeed. Because I didn’t have any idea what strategies worked and didn’t work for me, I have spent so much of college doing trial and error on different studying methods. Flashcards. Pomodoro. Different colored pens and highlighters. I even got an iPad. Though I finally feel like I have a vague idea of what works for me, I’m already halfway done with my degree. I’ve taken so many exams stressing over the right ways to study when I should have been worried about the actual exam.
But with regrets also came amazing things that have happened since I came to college. Things like:
- GETTING A DOG
My dog is expensive and time-consuming. But, he’s the best friend I have ever had. The most comforting presence a stressed-out college student can have. What better partner for a hot girl walk than a fluffy friend? He welcomes me home on good and bad days with kisses and cuddles. We go on picnics. He sits at my feet while I read. Dog parks have been a big source of my happiness since I got him. I will never regret getting my dog.
- PRIORITIZING MY MENTAL HEALTH
College is hard. Being away from home is tough. Building a new home here is even harder. Being sad, frustrated, and lonely is so common while in college. So, I got a therapist. I started prioritizing taking time to do things I love– going on walks, painting, reading, and going to bookstores. Taking time for yourself is so important. The days when I have been alone and wandering the city have been some of the best days of my life.
- TAKING CLASSES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MAJOR
My major is in CNS. Yet, my favorite classes by far have been an acting class and a class that studied the New Testament of the Bible. Absolutely nothing to do with natural sciences. Yet, I think these are the classes I will remember forever. I will always remember the passion and excitement that happened in these classrooms. College is too short to keep yourself restricted to classes that only pertain to your major. Take classes that excite you, no matter what they may be.