How to make the most out of your college life
College is that time of life when people find purpose in life. Serving as a gateway to adulthood, college can open you up to a lot of things and turn you into a completely different person. It’s a humongous task to navigate college successfully because nothing is spoon-fed to you, unlike during your school days. To help you navigate your college life, we have jotted down some things that we feel will help you make the most out of your college life.
1.Say yes to new experiences: New experiences can be scary at first, but they’re the ones that pull you out of your comfort zone and teach you new things. Within the bounds of sanity and good judgment (don’t say yes to bad habits like alcohol and smoking just because it’s a new experience to you), it’s important to try new experiences, because they open up your horizons.
2.Network — (clubs, participate in events)-It might be initially daunting for you to start participating in extracurriculars soon after grinding 2 years for entrance exams thinking of nothing but clearing the exam, but trust us when we say that there is no better way to improve yourself professionally than networking and becoming part of some clubs in college. Memorable friendships are often made in clubs because you get to meet like-minded people who share your passion and enthusiasm for the club’s work. Pro-tip: When you are initially starting out, try registering for as many clubs as possible and see where your true interest lies. As you enter into senior years try keeping your club count to not more than 3. We have noticed that students get to drawn into the club activities that they won’t be able to focus on other equally important stuff :)
3.Focus on acads from the start — You might have heard from some of your seniors that academics is not really important in your first year and that you can focus on them later on but the bitter truth is that it is gonna be very difficult to manage academics in your senior years as you have to juggle academics with internships, projects, and club activities. You will get ample time in your first year to focus on academics. Utilize it to the maximum so that you do not need to worry much about it later on.
4.Do more projects in your favourite field (especially for engineering students) — When students join engineering they are mostly not sure whether they want to continue pursuing a career in the major they are in. Within the second year, most of the students get a clear idea about whether this major is the right choice for them. So for those students who want to switch their major in their post-grad or get offered a job in the domain of their liking, DO PROJECTS!!!!
5.Construct your LinkedIn profile: College is usually the gateway to entering adulthood and a good part of having a successful career in this period begins even before you open these gates. More specifically, building a good profile on a careers site like LinkedIn has many benefits. It helps highlight your professional life to recruiters. LinkedIn also helps you build a personal brand for yourself, which you can leverage to advance your professional career.
6.Learn writing (communication): One of the few skills that will never die, is writing. It’s a skill that has existed for centuries now. From writing emails to Statement of Purposes, to application letters, to making a presentation, writing is a skill that helps you advance your professional and personal career. It also helps improve speaking and expressing yourself better.
7.Apply for scholarships- One of the best things about college is that you can access many monetary opportunities that help you assess yourself better and urge you to assess your competition even more. Never let go of scholarship opportunities in college. It doesn’t matter whether you get the scholarship or not but the application process will help you a lot in your professional life. You learn to present yourself better and understand what to put in an application and what not. This will help you greatly when you are applying for jobs/masters.
8.Friendship: It is said that the friends you get in college are your friends for life. College is a time of exploration and finding that friend who matches your wavelength and enhances your life can make your college life worth it. Choose your company well, because you’re the average of the company you keep.
9.Relationship with yourself: It is said that the relationship you have with yourself is reflective of your relationship with the world. If your interpersonal relationships seem to be going nowhere, it’s time to introspect your opinion about yourself. Fixing your relationship with yourself is the first step to getting emotionally ready for any relationship, not to mention, feeling good about yourself leads to a happier life overall.
10.Develop productive habits: Having productive habits helps you become better physically and emotionally. Working out regularly, pursuing a hobby that lifts your mood, reading books, etc all help you become a better version of yourself. They can also expand your thinking and help you discover new things.
11.Learn taxes and finance: Taking control of your financial life helps you be judicious in your spending habits and become responsible. Learning how to invest and pay taxes can help you lead a more financially independent life. A great man once said, “Only two things in life are certain: Death and taxes.” We would like to add one more thing to it: inflation. And unless you want inflation and taxes to eat your money, learn how to take control of your finances because it’s impossible to survive without it in this day and age. With proper planning, you can get your financial life in order and reduce your tax liability.
This article is written by B. Shiv Kumar and Karthika G Kumar
