From high school to college, from being a kid to being a responsible adult, from being dependent to being partially or wholly independent, from a constraint little world to a world with no boundaries, a world full of new and bigger opportunities to help establish who and what we are and what we shall become, it sure is a massive step and change in our life.
School helps in shaping our outlook towards life, but college, it shapes our life and the kind it will be for as long as we shall live.
Therefore, taking wise steps from DAY 1 of college is essential. Always remember, college life is much more than what they portray in the movies so DO NOT let yourself be fooled! First year plays an important role as it lays the foundation of your coming years with people you don’t particularly know. To make it a memorable one, here are somethings that you can do :
1)FORGIVE AND FORGET
Forgive yourself for your past failures and let your memory overlook them, as failures are only to be remembered till you are done learning from them. The best thing about starting with college is that you get a RE-DO option to correct all your past mistakes! No one knows about you, so they won’t be judgmental. Be the best version of you which you always wanted to be but couldn’t, as people imposed their views upon you or by your own shortcomings. Let the past, be the past, you no longer exist there.
2)A GOOD RAPPORT WITH THE TEACHERS
No one is telling you to be a teacher’s pet! But having a good rapport with them can’t hurt, now can it? If you think you can do whatever you wish to do with them, so can they, regarding you and the marks which you get from them, and the worst part is, you can’t even question them about it! Therefore, have a cordial relationship with them, respect them, be a little responsive and attentive in class and that will definitely put you in their “GOOD STUDENT” limelight which will only benefit you in the future.
3)A GOOD FRIEND CIRCLE
Let things just *CLICK*. Don’t force yourself to do things in order to be a part of a popular clique or to form one, let things happen naturally. Sometimes, it’s okay to be judgmental, to critically observe people around you as people tend to have numerous faces behind the masked one which they put forth for the world to see. Form few but true friends that stick with you and not against you or abandon you when adversity strikes. Its better to have a slow start than to follow the wrong path with the wrong person.
4)LEARN TO SAY NO
No matter how tempting college life and its freedom seems, there are times and situations when one should learn to say NO and not fear being hated. People around you do drugs, they tell you to do so too, will you? NO! Do not fear rejection or being ignored neither should you feel low about it. Its not something that everyone can do. Standing up for yourself, being strong and saying a NO to someone’s face for something wrong or for something which doesn’t suit you, especially when that someone is somebody close to you, requires guts ! People sometimes tend to drag you down to the pit which they have fallen, DON’T LET THEM!
5)SENIOR SUPPORT
A good rapport with your seniors is highly essential! Not only does it give you a backup support for when you mess things up, but they also give you pretty relevant and helpful advice about how to survive your days in college! Its even fun to hang out with them (the good ones, at least). You don’t need to do their assignments to win them over neither run errands for them (genuine ones are fine), all you need to do is to be respectful as you certainly don’t want them on your bad side!
6) A BIGGER TALENT PLATFORM
Have a talent but you could never give a voice to it or make it known? NOW YOU CAN! College gives you a HUGE platform, tons of audience, a chance to be recognized for what you truly are, many opportunities from various other sources and in turn the time of your life! Don’t let your fears get the better of you. Its high time you let go of them or you’ll regret it for as long as you shall live.
7)STAY AWAY FROM MESS
Stay away from fights, drama, in short, TROUBLE! Stay away from people who might get you into one. No one is worth your getting hurt. Try solving disputes verbally and if things get blown out of proportion know when NOT to care about them any more! Be wise and walk away from them before you come to a stage where you no longer can.
8) STUDY!
As boring as this may sound, its something mandatory! College is not just about having fun, it is an important passage of life though which you shape your future! Do not waste it or it may waste you away later. Set aside a few hours each day for self-studying. BUNK LESS! Maintain notes of each subject in separate note-books and do not procrastinate regarding studies ‘cause trust me, it becomes a heck of a burden later, something which we then, cannot complete!
9)SECRECY IS VITAL!
its good to meet ‘good’ people, who do not go about bitching, are genuinely nice and helpful, keep your secrets and all, but do not get too OPEN and TRANSPARENT with them, at least in your first year of college you can avoid being vulnerable. Talk to everyone, share things, but keep stuff that might give away too much about yourself, to yourself. OBSERVE and ANALYSE people. No one is telling you to be critical about others, but a little probing in their life and mind won’t hurt, on the contrary, it will give you an idea of what kind of a person they are and whether you should trust them or not.
10)DO NOT FORGET ABOUT OLD FRIENDS!
This is something which we inevitably end up doing and shouldn’t be done! It is true that college friends are for a lifetime, but you’ve been friends with some people in school even before you knew what friendship really stood for! That in itself is very special. Hold re-unions, meet up or do something as simple as call or text. Things might end up getting hard for you in college and in such times no one can be a better solace for you than your school friends who have seen you at your best as well as your worst for a very long time. They are people who truly need to be cherished and remembered more frequently than we tend to do.
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