As the sun begins to set on my final year in college, I have been trying to reflect on the last four years I was in school. My college experience has been one that is unique, as I will be graduating with credits from four different colleges/universities. When I was younger, I always wanted to have the seamless, enjoyable four-year college experience where I go to school somewhere rural with a big campus and graduate with the major I declared my freshman year. Things worked out quite the opposite for me, as I started as a nursing major at Worcester State University, took a semester home at community college, transferred to University of Delaware for my sophomore spring and majored in nutrition, and have spent the remaining two years here at UMass Boston where I will be graduating with my undergraduate degree in Communications. If high school or freshman year me could have seen what I have gone through, she would’ve been upset and probably very anxious for the road ahead. However, I learned to navigate my ever-changing college experience, and would like to provide some four pillars of advice to undergraduate students who are nervous about what is to come.
- Involve yourself.
This, to me, is the most important one. Involving yourself in clubs is a great way to meet new people and do things that are outside of your comfort zone. When I was at UD, I joined a sorority and knew absolutely no one. This turned out to be one of the most transformational experiences for me, not because of the affiliation of being in a sorority, but because I proved to myself that I could go off the deep end, drown a little, and stay afloat. It taught me to rely on myself and that even in the most uncomfortable situations, I could still handle myself and make good friends.
- Make friends with your classmates.
Making friends with your classmates is the easiest way (in my opinion) to lower academic stress. For all of the times I was confused about an assignment, got a bad grade, or needed someone to study with, all of these issues were solved just by having a phone number from the person I sat next to in class. Especially where UMB is such a small campus, it really helps to make the campus feel smaller and more familiar just by befriending people in your classes or within your major.
- Understand the way your courses work and are organized.
My junior year is when I finally started to understand the methodology of classes and the way they were organized, and had I known this sooner, I feel I would’ve been able to prepare myself far better for the amount of coursework I would be receiving and planning my schedule accordingly. Meaning, understand that 100-level classes are easier with lighter workload, 200-level classes are slightly more, 300, 400 etc. Learning to understand your degree audit is imperative as well, as I, and several others I’m sure can attest to this, have yet to have a positive experience with an academic advisor.
- Choose elective classes outside of your major.
The most impactful courses I have taken in college have been elective courses in which I was given free range to decide what topics interested me. For example, I took an amazing Africana Studies class here at UMB that completely changed the way I look at society. Similarly, I took a Women and Gender Studies course on women in southern Asia that also just made me see the world differently. Humans only know what they are told, and there is so much to know and so little opportunity for you to discover academic findings after you graduate. If you are an English major, but you’ve always been interested in marketing, take the marketing class! The likelihood of educating yourself this way post-grad is very slim, so best take advantage of the educational variety while you can.
I hope this advice is semi-useful to someone. I know if I would have come across an article like this, I would’ve definitely been interested in hearing some of the ins and outs of college aside from “party hard!” or “do all your assignments early!” College is a confusing, exhilarating, life-changing experience in which your blossom from your childhood self into your young adult self. These four years are meant to develop your character and foster self-discovery, so take advantage of the freedom and limitless opportunities that college was created to provide for you.