The rumors are true – you can do absolutely anything and everything that you’d like in college. Stay up super late, go out on weekdays, drink during the day, or skip as many classes as you’d like. The list is endless. This may sound like paradise to you – especially if you had strict parents who controlled your whole life – however, this huge amount of freedom can get out of control very quickly.
The easiest trap to fall into is convincing yourself that it is okay to skip class. You start off with one day, then two, and the next thing you know you are weeks behind on the material! In some classes, attendance doesn’t really matter. You can do all the coursework on your own without having ever to step a foot in class. However, there are some evil professors who make attendance mandatory or begin doing in-class assignments because they notice how low the attendance is. Asynchronous classes seem like the best, but since you don’t have mandatory classes, you easily fall behind the many modules you were supposed to go through. After your first semester, whether you miraculously passed the class or bombed it, you convince yourself that you will not skip that many classes again.
I am here to tell you that that is not going to happen. The power college gives you makes it too easy to not fall into this trap once again (unless of course, you failed and really have to try this time.)
Not all hope is lost yet, I am also here to tell you that it is totally possible to overcome whatever bad habits you created for yourself. Make it a goal to go to class every day and get those straight A’s. Find a balance between your social life and academics. Give yourself the power to become the best version of yourself. I’m not going to lie to you, it is a little hard. Sleeping in on rainy and cold days is very tempting (especially if you have a cozy cuddle buddy in your bed) but you have to fight it and go to class! Some off days are okay, we all need them. Just learn how to control it and stay on top of your game. Use the freedom you are given wisely; you don’t want to let down others, or worst, let yourself down.