College is a learning process. That's the whole reason behind it, right? You learn about a certain field in order to pursue a career afterwards. And while those teachings are valuable and will pay off in the long run, it has been what I have learned outside of the classroom that I believe will make me the most successful. Yes I need to know and understand political theory for my politics degree, but I also need life skills to go along with it. Here are the five most valuable things college has taught me, so far!

1. Talking in class won’t kill you.

In high school, I was a very shy student. I hung out with my one select group of friends that I had a majority of my classes with. I didn’t do much talking in classes unless I was very comfortable with not only my peers, but my teachers. Those instances were few and far in between. So when I got to college and realized there was no way I could hide in the back, something had to change. I couldn’t rely on others to take up the time I would have used to speak. College classes are not only longer normal than most high school periods, but have smaller classes (especially at Oglethorpe). Therefore, when you are in an hour and a half long class with eight of your peers, it becomes impossible to hide or not talk. Because of that I had to learn very quickly that it was okay to talk, but that also my voice was a valuable addition to lecture. So start out slowly if you need to. Challenge yourself to speak at least once or twice every class, and then before you know it, it won’t even faze you

2. You don’t have to have a defined schedule every day.

When you are in high school, no matter how big or small the school; you have a very set schedule. You know what time the bells ring to dismiss you to classes, your schedule with only a few minutes to change classes. Not to mention you don’t have much say in what classes you are taking or when. However, in college, that is not the case. You make your own schedule, from what classes you are taking to when and with what professor you will have them with. That’s a huge change I never realized until I lived it. Suddenly I didn’t have my entire day scheduled for me. I chose when and what day my classes are, when I have my meals, when I do my homework, and when I socialize. While all of those things are great, it’s a big adjustment. Just make sure you leave a lunch period and homework time for yourself. Otherwise enjoy college and your open schedule.

3. Your fastest work isn’t your best.

I have always had a problem with procrastinating. I would either forget about assignments or just put them off until the last moment. No matter what though I always got them done and felt that my best work was done under pressure. While that may have worked for me in high school, I found that was definitely not the case in college. No one can write a decent research paper in one night. It just can’t happen. So because of that I had to nip that habit in the bud as soon as I could. It is something that I am still working on. But it only took me one bad grade to realize a paper written in one night was not going to yield me the grades I wanted.

4. Asking professor’s help doesn’t mean you’re dumb.

I was that student in high school who never asked for help and never felt comfortable doing so. I felt somehow that it was demeaning and that I was much too smart to ask for help. That was my own personal obstacle that I know many people share as well. It’s an obstacle that is one you just have to mentally overcome. However, after that hurdle, the results are so worth it. If you are confused in class, you are able to ask for clarification either during or after class. Or even if you miss a question on a test, you are comfortable asking the professor why that’s wrong and why the correct answer is correct. By doing things like this, you not only create rapport with your professor, but also won’t miss that answer again.

5. How to keep a planner.

I was never one to keep a planner. Even though I always had an agenda in high school, I never kept up with it. I used it once or twice a year, but beyond that I pushed my memory to the limits. I tried to remember everything—homework, quizzes, tests, projects, everything. In college, after my first semester, I realized there was no way I could just remember everything I had to do and had going on. I was going to have to keep a planner. It was a hard adjustment. However, by just attempting to keep up with one, you pick up more planning skills than you think. Eventually you will use your planner for everything, from lunch dates to homework.