Seven key takeaways after spending three years in college as an undergraduate student

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Moving from school to college is a metamorphic experience. For most of us,college is the first time that we move away from the comforts of our home; Into the real world and away from the protective wings of our parents.

I still remember my first day in college, It was time for my parents to go back to our home after helping me get settled in my hostel room. I could see tears rolling down my mothers eyes, she kissed me on my cheek and told me goodbye; dad hugged me, then told me “we will see you back home in an year”. I could feel my eyes watering as they walked towards their car.

Now its the third year in college. The three years of gaining education and knowledge have had many ups and downs,but everything that was thrown at us in college had one lesson or the other to teach us.

1. Intelligence does matter; but its the effort and persistence that matters and helps you in the long term.Being from a very good college in India (NIT Trichy) , I spend my time with the smartest young adults in India. I often wonder about how they were able grasp things quickly and do problems in the blink of an eye. Being a slow learner in the bunch, I had to put in some extra effort to understand things, but it paid off well in the end; sometimes it was even better when others tend to overlook facts.
2. Friends prove to be better teachers than your professors. There have been times when certain confusing concepts were taught by friends in a more understandable sense than the professors, that too just before the exam. I have had multiple experience when friends came to my rescue.
3. Talk to your peers more. This will give you some varied perspectives about the world and the things that happen around us. Its just wonderful to hear people expressing their view points and stance about various topics. they may even teach you indirectly about looking at scenarios from varied angles. There may be wonderful story tellers around you, you have to look for them; they will tell you about the things they love doing; this is a bliss for the ears.
4. Ask for help when you need it, never hesitate. Help comes from the most unexpected places at time. When you are in need of an aid academically or other wise, ask your peers. Never hesitate, they will definitely help you without judging you.
5. It taught me who I’m not and who I am. In college I saw people excelling in a lot of fields ,be it in academics or co-curricular . I wanted to excel at the same domain as them, but I was not as good as them. In the end I realized that I am good elsewhere than the ones I perused. College provides you with the environment to understand who you really are.
6. It taught me how to let go. In college and in general there are all kinds people we will meet. Some will be blessings, others will be lessons. I’ve had people move in and out of my life in these last three years. Some have been always supportive, encouraging and positive. Some have also been negative, discouraging, and not worth any trust, We begin to realize much of it after a lot of interaction with these people. However these people carried lessons with them. I learned how to build trust within myself. I learned how to let go of negativity, let go of the fake friends, and to stop unnecessarily worrying over people who never mattered. I learned that it is okay to break the bond when it becomes a necessity of time.
7. You are in control of your learning. College is the first time you are away from home. There is no one responsible enough to keep a check on you. It’s you who is in control of yourself and your learning. So you have to be wise at times.

The college Journey has been interesting so far, It surely will be more intriguing as it passes.

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