As busy college students, it’s easy to turn on autopilot. We have so much to do and sometimes it’s hard to take a step back. I know I often focus so much on doing my homework and studying, that I forget that I’m even in college. Everyone always says to appreciate your college years, because they will be the best years of our lives. As I near the end of my third year at Villanova, I am realizing just how quickly it’s going by. It seems like yesterday that I stepped into my freshman dorm for the first time! I am working on being more appreciative of my college years by romanticizing my life and not taking any of it for granted. Here are three things I have implemented to accomplish this.
Dedicating time for your friends
When I have a lot of work to complete, I tend to hole up in a study room. I’ll end up avoiding my friends for hours or even days depending on how much time I spend doing assignments. Of course, I want to spend time with my friends, and I have found that the only way to do this is to prioritize my time with them. I need to dedicate a specific time to hang out with them. This way, I will complete my schoolwork before our dedicated time to hang out. Additionally, it’s important to communicate this to your friends so they don’t think you are totally disregarding them. I would explain to them that you are very busy but would like to dedicate a few hours to spending time together. Then, you and your friends can find a time that works for everyone.
Taking pictures and videos
Time goes by in the blink of an eye in college. I have started taking pictures and videos of pretty much everything I do so that when I am older, I can reminisce on my time at Villanova. Cooking dinner with my roommates may not seem photogenic right now, but I know I will appreciate the memories when we are older and live far apart. I also have begun putting these pictures and videos into daily TikToks. Though I’m not able to do it every day, it’s made me start romanticizing my life. Creating a video diary of each day shows me how special every day I get at Villanova is. Whether all I do is go to class and do homework, or I get to spend the day with my friends, or I am traveling, the videos help me appreciate every minute I get here. The goal is not necessarily to slow time down, but rather to help me romanticize the time as it happens.
Scrapbooking and Journaling
The last thing I have implemented in my life to appreciate my time is scrapbooking and journaling. I began doing this when I studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, during the summer of 2022. I knew that the two months would be over in what felt like a minute, so I wrote a few sentences each day. No matter how small or seemingly irrelevant, I wrote it down. I added some type of memento from each day into the journal as well. These ranged from the wrapping on a sugar cube from a new café I tried that day, to my plane ticket to Paris for the weekend. Now I look back on my time abroad and know that I appreciated every minute I had there. Though I don’t do this as often during the academic year, I try to save a few more important mementos from the year, like basketball tickets or polaroid photos.
Generally, I am trying to teach myself to dedicate time to fun and to romanticize the things I can do. I am learning to turn off autopilot and spend time doing fun things with the people I love. I want to be present in the moment while also capturing memories in pictures, videos, and mementos. After implementing these strategies in my life, I am noticing that I am able to romanticize my life much more easily, and I am overall happier. For anyone who is finishing their first year of college, or about to enter college this fall, or maybe you are about to graduate college, I want you to remember – these are some of the best years of your life. It’s time to start romanticizing them!