As the end of another school year draws to a close, I took a look back over my two years at Case and was surprised with the amount of things I learned. Not school material, mind you, but pieces of life lessons that will carry me through my junior and senior years. Here's just a few:
1. How much sleep you need in a night
Your parents will always tell you, "Make sure you get 8 hours of sleep every night!". Sorry mom, that really isn't possible in college. With school, sports, and other engagements, sometimes I'm lucky to get 8 hours in two nights. In trying (and failing) with many different sleep combinations, you have settled into a sleep schedule in which you can be the most productive and still not be a vegetable the next day.
2. How much you really need to study
'Oh, I don't need to study for that quiz, it will be easy'. Remember saying that freshman year? Me too, and I remember failing that quiz. By this time, you know how about how much you should study for different types of exams for different courses. It takes some time to figure this out, as everyone's study habits are different and they change a lot from high school to college. When you do figure this out, however, it relieves a whole lot of stress.
3. How involved you can be on campus
Getting involved on campus is fun, but getting too involved leaves you stretched too thing to actually be helpful in any one group or club. By this point you realize that being a part of those 10 clubs is not going to happen, and chose a few you really like and contributed to those.
4. How you like to keep your room
There're no parents in college, so you can do whatever you please with your room. By the end of sophomore year you've gone through your super clean phase, a messy phase, and all the places in between and settled on how you are comfortable with your room looking. Unless you have a roommate junior year; then this all will change again, and I am sorry for that.
5. How much time you can spend enjoying yourself on the weekends
And during the week for that matter. By the end of sophomore year, you've got a good handle on time management; You know how much time you need to spend doing homework, how much time you can spend on Netflix, and how much time you can spend out with friends on the weekends.
6. What kind of people you like to surround yourself with
On a college campus there is a huge student population and a wide array of personalities and niches that these students fill. By the end of sophomore year you have a firm grip on what people you truly enjoy spending time with and the ones that are much better off as acquaintances.
7. Your 'type'
There's the crazy one, the smart one, the conservative one, and the one. We've all met people that fit into all these categories. By the end of sophomore year, you know what you're looking for in a life partner. Now finding one, that's the real challenge.
8. The best places to eat
If someone asks you what the best place to eat on campus is, as a freshman you will probably have a few places in mind. As a sophomore, you can give them a list, categorized by price, meal size, and how bad the lines usually are. You also know how late each of these places are open, in case you get the munchies late at night and need somewhere to go.
9. The GPA you hope to graduate with
Let's face it, the grades you hoped you were going to get in college are not even close to the ones you are getting now. That's okay, just figure out what you need to get that job after graduation and stick to that. At the end of the day, that's what college is all about: survive and advance.
