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What are some tips to fully enjoy the college experience

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Thank you comment icon Hi Leif, I am a current college student, and I think the biggest thing I have learned so far is that staying open to new ideas and experiences helps you have the most formative experience. I changed my major multiple times, have tried different clubs and extra-curricular activities, and have "tested out" many ideas about future paths. I guess the main thing I have learned is that you can't plan out your whole life, you need to just take some of it as it comes. IT sounds super idealistic, but pursuing things academically that stimulate, motivate, and challenge you (regardless of outside perception) seems like the best way to go for me. Hope this helps, Lucas Lucas Geremia
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Ken’s Answer

There are several things that would help:

  • Get to know yourself as early as possible to develop a career focus and get to know people who are both fellow students in that career area as well as people who are working in that career field, so that you can start to develop a community and a feel for the career area to make sure that it is most suitable for you.
  • Develop a balance in life so that you can both accomplish your educational goals and have fun at the same time.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Here are some good tips on developing a good balance in college from people who have survived: https://www.unigo.com/in-college/college-experience/creating-a-workschool-balance-a-college-student-perspective ## ## http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/college-life-balance.html ## ## http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/000241/ ##
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Sendil’s Answer

College students have a lot to deal with. Between balancing academics and social life, searching for summer internships and managing stress, “happiness” tends to fall by the wayside. But being happy should still be a major priority in college.
Surround yourself with good friends. You need a confidante to talk to when things get rough, someone to celebrate with when you have good news, and a person to ground you when college life starts to feel overwhelming. It can be hard to find real friends who love you for you, but they're out there. Just give yourself time.
Go out, Cooping yourself up in your dorm room isn't fun for anyone. Pull yourself out of bed, away from your books, and go to that party everyone’s been talking about. If partying isn’t your thing, call a friend and go explore the city or town around campus. It doesn’t matter what you do so long as you get out of the academic mindset and let loose.
Exercise, Stop making excuses. The paper due next week can wait if it means taking an hour break to go to the gym. Go for a run with a friend or try a yoga class at the local studio. You'll feel good for having done so and the endorphins you release are proven to make you happier.
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Simeon’s Answer

Graduate school was different, but for undergrad, focus on the relationship building. Most people I know met their long-term friends in college and it's the most rewarding part of the experience. Colleges these days focus on pumping through the most students they can, so in general the value of classes aren't in preparing for your actual career. There will be a few upper level courses that will be very meaty, but a majority of courses are just listed so the college can have a list of courses that sound like they should be offered. It's mostly reading abstract ideas/theories and reciting memorized names of important people/events with the occasional paper. Do what you can to keep up good grades, but don't sacrifice your social life to make to get the best grades possible. The network of friends you make will be the ones to get you jobs and open doors for you. Plus, having fun and exploring during college will help you understand what you want out of life. I'd say spend a day by yourself at the end of each semester to really reflect on what your favorite and least favorite parts of the semester were and come up with some tangible ways to make the next semester better.
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