I wasted a lot of time overfour years in college because I wasnât there for any particular reason. So step one in preparing for college is to want to go to college.
Another thing is to know âyouâll find your peopleâ isnt quite right. You can find your people but you have to look for them! Try lots of things and meet lots of people.
Balancing your people and your studies comes down to discipline. I donât think thereâsa universal answer to that. If youâre in a nerdy major at a nerdy school, itâll be easier than if youâre taking sociology at Arizona State or whatever a big party school is nowadays.
I think failing is a valuable part of college. Whether thatâs literally getting an F or just not getting the grade you want or the person you want, etc. Just like itâs a great place to meet people, itâs a pretty safe place to make mistakes as you figure things out. Especially because youâre surrounded by other people doing the sane thing! No one knows how theyâll do at college, you just figure it out.
I recommend watching the Psychology ofWell Being before you go. Itâs free on Coursera and is a popular course from Yale that teaches important things about what does and doesnât make us happy, and how our minds trick us into emphasizing the wrong things. Itâs really good!
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College (and especially first year) is one of the rare times in your life where it is so easy to meet all sorts of different types of people. Everyone is young and outgoing and you all have this shared âthingâ that you got accepted to this institution and most importantly youâre all geographically concentrated in this one place (the campus) in multiple settings and environments (class, library, dorms, activities, parties, etc). You also havenât been hardened by life (everyone gets busier, a little more risk averse, a little more guarded as they age - the game is just protecting as much of your youthful self as possible while still maturing and growing in all the best ways as you age but thatâs for another post).
Studying is important (especially if you want to at least **keep the door open** on going to some form of grad school because NO ONE PLANS ON GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL IN FIRST YEAR) but do not forget to make the most of EVERYTHING campus life has to offer - itâs like a buffet try the lobster tail and if you donât like you donât have to finish it get another plate. Life and memories happen in the most mundane moments: the stuff I remember and get misty eyed is such a random collection of experiences you couldnât design it if you tried itâs just the cumulus of doing a whole bunch of random stuff - some of it is sort of crazy stuff and some of it is as simple as getting a coffee with someone or throwing a charity car wash or polar bear dip or staying up late and ordering pizza studying for a midterm with friends.
Lastly be generous and be a honest, good person. The campus is a surprisingly small place, and reputations are quickly made or unmade (if youâre on here youâre probably a very awesome person but itâs always worth saying). Kindness goes a long way and you have no idea which of your acquaintances will go on to become lifelong friends. The people I stayed in touch with 15 years later are NOT who I expected!!
Feb 8, 2024
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i had a similar mindset to you coming into college where i wanted to achieve a lot. it's important to have that ambition earlier on, as it can propel you to improve yourself.
at the same time, don't get disheartened if things don't work out the first time around. i had a lot of issues in my first two years chasing after this idea of "lifelong college friends", and it's only after i stopped chasing and focused on myself that i was able to build some stronger friendships. engage with your hobbies and the things you like to do - people with similar interests can be found there.
be flexible and open - have a list of priorities for the day, and engage in "productive procrastinating" where you procrastinate on something by doing an unrelated productive thing (like taking a break from an essay and cleaning up my room). i split my time between career prep, clubs, and other engagements using this tactic.
it's a time of a lot of change, but you got this. good luck :)
Jan 8, 2025
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make sure that you're applying to colleges that you're actually interested in not just the same colleges everyone else is applying to - same goes for deciding safety schools make sure you choose ones that you would like going to (eg. based on size/ location/ party schoolness etc) instead of just leaving safety schools as an afterthought
don't pay attention to where other people are applying and get in/how many schools they're applying to - some people like to make a big show out of the whole thing but it's really just because they're insecure - don't let it stop you from applying somewhere bc you think won't have a shot - you never know what will happen and people who brag are usually exaggerating their achievements
if you feel certain about your major or a few majors that you're interested in, make sure to look at what that major looks like a specific schools - how much flexibility is there is courses? is there a strong focus on one aspect of that subject (eg. cold war history for history majors or clinical experience for biology) - maybe even look at specific professors (which you can talk about in supplementary essays about your interest in that school)
the most important thing: no matter what happens, it will all be ok - i have lots of friends who didn't get into their "dream schools" and they all love the college they ended up going to - it's all about what you make out of it
good luck! i know firsthand how stressful it is but you'll get through it! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
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Oct 30, 2024
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The occupation persists, the oppression persists, the torture persists.
The occupiers are psychotic and their work is never finished.
People whoâve paid attention wonât be surprised by this photo from Gaza.
Jan 22, 2025
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Give people like jilly a break!
I actually practice what I preach on this one đ
Jan 25, 2025
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