Now, of course, we go to college to get a degree in a specific field that interests us, but is that all we learn? No, you learn things about yourself you might not have known already. You learn your strengths, weaknesses, who your friends are and who aren’t your friends. You learn how to grow as a person and how to be on your own without your parents’ support. You may learn how to do your laundry or how to cook. The things you learn at college are endless. They will help you for the rest of your life.Â
The Best Things College Taught MeÂ
The easiest thing I learned from college that wasn’t in the classroom was how to let loose. I learned that I can’t hold as much in. Holding things in is just a recipe for disaster. Another positive I learned was how to do things alone without feeling bad about it. Past me out be embarrassed to eat alone, or embarrassed how I dressed to go to class. Now I learned that people could care less if I eat alone at the dining hall, and they could care less if I wore sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt. One of the last things I learned was how to talk to strangers. I went to a high school where everyone knew each other. I never had to meet new people, but once I came to college, I had a culture shock. I learned how important it is to just talk to the person next to you in class, or the people you run into at a party. You never know who could be your friend, so you always have to take that step to talk to those random strangers.Â
The Hardest Things College Taught MeÂ
Now to switch gears, there were, of course, hard things I learned in college. I learned that I am an adult now, and there are responsibilities that come with that. I had to save money in ways I never had to before. I couldn’t just buy things to make me happy, because I had to pay rent, buy food, and pay for gas. Another thing I learned was I can’t just quit when things get hard. What I am doing now will set me up for my future. I had to learn to manage my time and workload, so I am succeeding and not failing. I had some setbacks learning how to do that, but you will eventually figure it out. The hardest thing college has taught me out of them all was who your real friends are. You think you meet people and there will be automatic clicks, and for some people there is. That isn’t the case. You also learn who your real friends are from back home. You all go away and make new friends, but sometimes the bond you had before won’t always stay. Your people are out there, but I learned to not give up on it. Times do get hard, but you will find people.Â
In the end, going away to college is so fun and rewarding, but it is hard at times. You grow so much every year you are there. There are endless lessons you will learn. Going to college prepares you for the real world. There are so many new things you will learn, but what I learned the most was to live in the moment and enjoy it all. Even the hard parts.