It’s that time of year again for us, college students. All of our friends-- the upperclassmen-- are graduating and leaving us behind for a year or more of classes and exams. As much as we’ll miss our friends, we are very proud of them, and strangely enough, they taught us many lessons that will continue to help us throughout our college careers. Here are just six lessons that our upperclassmen taught us.
1. How To (Not) Procrastinate
I think that every college freshman is quick to learn that everyone procrastinates their assignments to as close to the last minute as possible. Everyone regrets doing it, but it doesn’t look like anyone is going to stop. You’d think that our upperclassmen would have taught us to wisely manage our time and complete assignments several days before deadlines, but they really didn’t. If anything, they encouraged us to procrastinate, dragging us along on their crazy adventures around town, giving us a truly memorable college experience. Fortunately, when it came time to suffer for procrastinating and poor work ethic, they would be there with us, madly rushing to finish assignments on time.
2. How To Pick Good Classes
Choosing classes is one of the most stressful struggles, especially when you are a freshman who hardly knows anything about college life. What classes are fun? When is it too late to register? Is that professor a jerk? What are GE’s? Am I guaranteed an A+? These were questions that were perfect for asking the upperclassmen, who learned all the answers back when they were clueless freshmen. They remember what it was like to plan out their upcoming semesters, and they remember that professors and advisors were not always the most helpful people. Those upperclassman knew what they were talking about when they warned us about that one annoying professor and that one stressful class.
3. How To Be Ourselves
There are times in life where it can be difficult to act like ourselves around other people. This is especially true as we grow up through middle and high school, where the social pressures of trying to fit in with the popular crowd can really make it hard for people to accept themselves as a wonderfully unique individual. College is the best place to learn to be comfortable in our own skin because of how we are always surrounded by people from different cultures and backgrounds. Having a sort of mentor-and-mentee relationship with an upperclassman means there is always someone there to watch our backs and guide us as we awkwardly discover new things about ourselves. The love and support that the upperclassmen have in us also give us the strength to embrace the differences we may have tried to shun in the past.
4. How To Be Assertive
If there is one thing that a person can really take out of their college experience, then it would be learning to become assertive. You can say that this goes hand-in-hand with learning to how to be yourself, since as your confidence in your own self-esteem grows, so does your ability to take more initiative. I think that being around upperclassmen-- those who have already learned the skill of taking action-- makes for perfect mentors in the art of assertiveness. We can watch and learn the steps they take to land that internship, job, or even that A+ in a class. Their examples help us understand what it is like to express our thoughts more clearly and how to grasp more opportunities.
5. How To Rely On Others
College isn't always all fun and games. In between all the exams and assignments from classes, there might be drama brewing over the horizon from other places, such as friends, clubs and organizations, or even family. With all those problems weighing down on our shoulders, it can be tough to go through them alone. And these are probably the same type of things that the upperclassmen had to face during their college journey, as well, making them some of the best people to go to for advice. Since they have their personal struggles still fresh in their minds, their words of wisdom can have a stronger impact than someone like a professor or parent might have.
6. How To Be Sarcastic
College is all about expanding our minds and broadening our horizons, though most of the time it felt like our minds were being numbed and our horizons were becoming more and more narrow. There were a lot of times when everything felt absolutely hopeless. It was the upperclassmen who taught us how to use humor to lessen the pain and crushing reality. What kind of humor? Sarcasm. With sarcasm and a sassy attitude, the upperclassmen showed us that even though times would get rough, we didn’t have to be gloomy. Thanks, upperclassmen. Sarcasm really helped us pass those final exams and will really come in handy when we have to deal with student debt.
Soon it will be time for us juniors to become the big fish in the sea. With senior year dawning over the horizon, our graduating upperclassmen pass the baton onto us. Yes, things will be different since we won't be able to see our friends as often as we are used to. But that doesn't mean that their impact on our lives ends there. Thank you to the upperclassmen who taught us not just how to succeed in college, but in life, as well.
