It’s a golden period in your life, those four years you spend in college, so you must ensure that you extract the maximum out of them. You’re going to meet new people, make many friends and go through different experiences. You may or may not be prepared for this new kind of life after twelve years of the same school, the same friends and the same neighborhood. But college is an experience that is to be savored, one whose aftertaste lingers long after you graduate resonates throughout your life. So it’s best you make your college experience a positive one, one that includes lots of good friends, higher than average grades, and all-round good fun. You may have certain goals to achieve when you’re in college, but along with those, try to do these fun things as well:
• Take a walk around your entire campus: Most of us end up knowing only the routes between our dorm rooms and our classes. And with college campuses being vast, sprawling areas that encompass huge spaces, it’s a shame that we don’t spend time exploring every nook and corner. One of my favorite pastimes when bored was to close my eyes and try to take an imaginary walk through campus, using all the pathways and corridors that I remembered. Go ahead, take a walk around campus, one that will get you acquainted with it and help you relax as well.
• Do something just for the sheer fun of it: Ok, so you’re the studious student who never misses a class and aces all your tests. But that does not mean you cannot have fun. Pranks and jokes are a large part of the appeal that college has, so try skipping a class at least once and sneaking out of campus to take in a movie or drive around with your date. It’s exhilarating if done very rarely and for classes that do not matter much. I was a good student in college, but I was also such a great prankster that no one suspected it was me who was up to so much mischief at first. But once word got out, I became the cool cat who was so much more than just a nerd.
• Work up the courage to ask that hot guy/girl out: Your friends tell you that they’re way out of your league, but there’s no harm in trying to strike up a conversation with people you have a crush on. Once you start talking to them, you do realize that they’re just ordinary human beings just like the rest of us. And so what if you get turned down? It was expected anyway. But if they say yes? Wouldn’t it be the date you’ve always dreamed of? So go ahead, work up the courage, and do what others before you have chickened out of.
• Make friends with your professors: No, it’s not nerdy to do this – your teachers could come in handy when you’re trying to find a job or create meaningful relationships in the world of academia and in the job market. Also, you might be surprising at how different your professors are outside the classroom. You don’t have to hang out with them; just knowing them beyond the classroom adds to your college experience.
• Do something totally against your nature: And finally, at least once in those four years, do something that is so not you – if you’re not the adventurous type, try something daring just for the sake of it. If you’ve never taken a vacation out of the state, save up enough money to travel. And on the plus side, try paying off your credit card bills in full for a change – you’d be surprised at the difference it makes to your finances.
This post was written by Michelle Young, who regularly writes on the topic of online accredited degrees . She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: michelle.young1@rediffmail.com
