Whether you're here because you want to be or because your parents made you, college is both the most exciting and most stressful time you'll have. While some seem to be getting through the semesters with ease, others are regretting their college decision every day. Here are just a few of the many things you should remember about being a college student.
1. It's supposed to be hard. Like, really hard.
The old phrase "if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it" is so true. College is meant for hard-working, book-smart and highly meticulous people. While some think college is a test of intelligence, it's really a test of meeting deadlines, remembering assignments, participating when needed and juggling all of that with the crippling debt you're accumulating. There's a reason that some people get denied acceptance into college.
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2. It's easy if you know your limits.
Not everyone can rock 21 credit hours in a semester. I mean really, that's inhuman. Taking 12, or even fewer hours is admirable because you're getting yourself through your degree. The best thing you can do for yourself is make smart decisions. Partying the night before a midterm is probably not smart.
3. You learn just as much outside of the classroom as you do inside.
Your late-night, caffeine-fueled all-nighters-while-binge-watching-Scandal with roommates is just as important as the tests and quizzes in your classes, and you may not recognize that you're learning lessons all the time.
4. Success in high school does not predict success in college.
Sure, the kids in your English class might have been honors, AP/IB stars in high school, but being a wiz kid last year in your hometown means nothing once you enter the college gates. No one has a leg up on anyone else just because they were "smart in high school."
5. A semester is only so long.
Anyone can last one semester of the worst professor ever. Anyone can suffer through one semester of organic chemistry. A semester doesn't dictate what your college career, or your actual career, is like.
6. If you're not enjoying your classes, maybe your major isn't for you.
7. You reap the benefits of a college degree.
No single greatest decision in your life will afford you more upward mobility when it comes to socioeconomic status than a college degree. You've probably heard how competitive you need to be in the job market, and a college degree is your key to success and to landing a well-paying job.
8. We all contemplate being hookers.
I've said It before and I'll say it again: school is hard. We all have those times when we want to give up and resort to the world's oldest profession, but fear not, school pays off.
9. You're not alone.
College kids complain all. the. time. Why? because college is so damn stressful, tiring, drama-inducing and unpredictable. If college is hard for you, odds are it is hard for everyone around you in your classes, your major and in your dorms. Use all the resources you have to get yourself through it. That piece of paper will be worth the blood, sweat and tears.
10. It's not for everyone.
There is absolutely no reason why you have to go to college. You see articles all the time about people that made millions after dropping out of college or deciding that higher education wasn't for them. There is also no reason why you should rack up a ton of debt if you don't enjoy learning. There are plenty of jobs that don't require degrees, but also, anyone can suffer for a few years to make decent money.
