How to College: Do’s and Don’ts
I’m graduating in June, and I am scared shitless.
It feels like my entire life has been leading up to this moment, and I have no idea what comes next. Ever since I started school at Cal Poly in 2013, I’ve divided my life into two time periods: B.C. and A.C. — as in before college and after college. In hindsight, that was probably the first of many signs that I’m in denial about graduating. I even contemplated getting a second degree in journalism and staying a fifth year to delay the arrival of the real world (and to study something I’m interested in, of course). But now that “after college” is rapidly approaching, I’ve never felt more clueless and lost.
So lately I’ve been looking back — both to avoid any and all responsibilities, and to reminisce on the memories I’ve made as the result of having a complete lack of responsibilities. And I’ve learned quite a few lessons along the way. Some of which I’ve learned the hard way. So consider me a guinea pig for your college experience.
DO:
Go to class as much as you can. Even if your professor reads straight from the PowerPoint, just go. It’s highly unlikely that you would be spending that time productively otherwise.
Convince your parents to get you a Costco membership. Or pay for it yourself — either way it’s well worth it. When you’re a freshman, go there to avoid the dining hall food and get samples for a free meal. When you live off-campus, actually shop there and save money.
Get to know your professors. Go to their office hours. They’re pretty cool people who know a lot about life, and you never know what connections they might have that could land you an internship or job.
Take multiple classes with the same professor if you can. It’s always good to have them know you beyond merely your name and face.
Run to the gym at some odd hour of the night when you hear a rumor that Zac Efron is there. It’s definitely 100% true. You should totally go for it!
Find a private place to cry — you need some time alone every now and then. Don’t spend an hour crying in the common lounge and then have the supervisor of your dorm set up a meeting with you because they think you’re depressed. However, if you are depressed, by all means get help.
Change your major if you’re unhappy with what you’re studying. It’s not nearly as difficult as they make it sound. That being said, don’t contemplate switching at the end of your junior year; it’s more likely to give you an existential crisis than it is to actually benefit your career and future life.
Get a part-time job in a field related to your major if you can. I joined Mustang News my sophomore year, and it was one of the single best decisions I’ve ever made. I don’t know where I would be without it.
Take a kind stranger up on their offer to drive you to In-N-Out at one in the morning. High risk, high reward.
Sit in the hallways of your dorm after you get back from a party and hang out with your friends until 4 am. I found that those late night talks were almost always more memorable than the party ever was.
Try as many new things as you can. Four (or five) years will fly by surprisingly fast. Make sure you have as much to look back on as possible.
DON’T:
Go out four nights a week, every week. It will wreak havoc on your mental and physical health, not to mention your GPA (exhibit A: spring quarter freshman year). Or do go out four nights a week. What do I know?
Chase with Four Loko. Your night will probably end like this:
Order Domino’s so much that they recognize your address and apartment. A week ago, the delivery guy told me that he recognized the poster in our living room and that he had been to our place multiple times. Yikes. Have some variety in your late-night munchies.
Hike a mountain at midnight and then try to climb down at two in the morning, get lost, and call 911 for help. Hypothetically of course, because this never happened to me. People are always weirdly specific when they’re being hypothetical, right? Right.
Drive to your 7 am class (if you live off-campus) because you don’t want to walk. Especially if you live less than a ten-minute walk from campus. You’ll have to get up even earlier to find parking, so just suck it up and walk. However, I do highly recommend wearing your pajamas and slippers.
Go to Taco Bell before midnight. And don’t cry to the cashier about boys. But if you must, there’s a chance he might give you free tacos. Your call.
Make your friends do irrational things for you, like sprint to the campus market at 11:50 p.m. to get cheese for you before it closes at midnight. Be a decent human being.
Above all, just enjoy this year. You will never have another experience quite like living in the dorms as a freshman. And there will never be a time in your life quite like your college years in general. Of course, there are still plenty of great things to come; you’re not destined to peak at age 18. But in the meantime:
