5 Essential Tips for College

School is right around the corner.

If you’re anything like millions of folks around the world, it’s the time of year where you return, or begin for the first time, your time in higher education. How exciting!

College is one of the greatest times of your life. I should know; I just graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2022.

It’s your chance to discover who you are, expand your interests, meet new people and grow your career. But before you dive into those waters, here are some helpful tips you should know along the way:

1. You Will Learn More Outisde of the Classroom

During your time in higher education, you will spend so much time in the classroom, participating in lectures, taking exams and discussing topics in small groups. But the learning doesn’t stop there.

Sure, in the classroom, you will learn as much as you can in your field. But you will learn so much more outside of the classroom.

You will learn who you are, what you like and not like, and what drives your passion. These lessons and so much more will be ample help to your college career and your life.

2. Befriend as Many Professors as You Can

Not every professor wants to be your friend. That’s okay, but for those who do, make sure you want to keep them close by.

They will be the ones who help you advance in your field, be there to discuss any thoughts you have and help make the college career better. I’ve befriended so many great professors during my time at college, and I’m grateful for every one of them.

They are essential to your college experience. Be glad you befriended them.

3. Write Something Every Day

This one is easier said than done but it’s essential for you to write something every day. It doesn’t have to be a chapter of a novel or even a poem.

It could be something simple as your thoughts of the day, some new ideas you have or what you plan to do for the week. Doing this clears your mind and helps you to focus on what’s in front of you.

It also helps you to stay creative which is also great for the mind. Everyone needs a little escape in their life and writing might just be yours.

4. Check on Your Personal Finances

This rule is a big one too.

Trust me, during your time in college, you will spent great amounts of money on so many things like take out food, beer, useless purchases and so much more. That’s okay for a while, but at some point, you may want to get your personal finances in check.

Here’s how you can:

• Start a side hustle like tutoring or bartending
• Invest in the stock market
• Save $5 every week

Little things like this will help your finances out immensely. No, you will not become rich in college as many of you will still be paying student loans.

However, if you grab a hold on your personal finances early on, then you will thank yourself later in life. Trust me, there’s no better time to be thinking about all of this than in college.

5. Make the Most Out of Every Day

There will be days in college when you think you can’t go on anymore. There will be days when you just need a break.

It’s perfectly okay to have those days and moments. I know I sure did during my time in college. However, you still need to make the most out of every day at school.

Here’s how you can:

• Do something new.
• Go to a new restaurant.
• Smile more during your day.
• Laugh a little louder.
• Love a little harder.
• Just be grateful for every day.

When you do this, you’re making the most out of your time in college. Just like high school, it goes by pretty fast. You don’t want to graduate having done nothing exciting.

Instead, you want to leave college with all of the great memories you’ve made along the way. Take it from my experience.

I made the most out of my time at college and I’m so glad I did. When I graduated, I had done everything I set out to do and made the most of it while I was there.

Closing Thoughts

College is one of the greatest times in your life. You shouldn’t go into it blind and not knowing much about it.

Instead, take these tips as you will for your time in college. Hopefully some and all of them will come in handy at some point.

They all did for me, and I’m sure all of them will for you too. Enjoy college while you can!

It’s the best time of your life!