“I’m not young enough to know everything.” – Oscar Wilde
There’s always wisdom in wit, and that’s why I love Oscar Wilde. In case you can’t decipher Wilde’s meaning, he’s pointing out the phenomenon of how most people overestimate their knowledge when they’re young. With age comes experience… and usually a bit of humility.
As a 30-year-old undergrad, I’ve found that it’s much easier this time. Mainly, I attribute my belated success on what I’ve learned since I’ve been away. Trust me, most of what I know comes from trial-and-error. If I can save you some of the pain, the tears, and the humiliation, allow me to pass along some lessons I wish I’d known the first time around.
1. There is a hidden curriculum
Don’t worry, it’s not as nefarious as it sounds. No, no need to start making tinfoil hats; the hidden curriculum is actually something designed for your benefit. Colleges and universities are not only trying to educate you with textbooks and tests, they’re also trying to get you to get along better with your peers, find solutions to societal problems, and develop skills in leadership, scholarship, life-long learning, and ideation.
Don’t fight it. Take part in all elements of your education. Join clubs, start organizations, write papers and even books…. The more you participate, the more you’ll get from the college experience.
2. There are millions of dollars worth of resources available to you
There’s many cool, useful, productive activities on campus for you to take part in, and I’m not just talking about keggers. College is a time of great change for most of us and our institutions know that, which is why they have developed resources to help young people deal with new and strange obstacles. For instance, many mental health issues begin to present themselves most prominently during the age ranges of traditional college students. This is why colleges and universities have mental health professionals on staff that often offer free counseling, advising, diagnostic testing, and even medical attention.
3. Employers don’t want another follower, they want a leader
While it’s great—and I certainly encourage you to become involved in student organizations in any capacity—employers aren’t usually just looking for lemmings in pinstriped suits. Being an officer in an established organization is a bit better than just being one of the flock, but what employers really want is someone that creates something from nothing. They need someone that can take charge and do something productive—which is why so many young people are getting ahead in the business world because of their blogging efforts.
4. Your professors are people, too
Sometimes your professors are going to teach opinions as facts—it’s just human nature. Take it in stride. You might agree with the professor, or you might want to slug him for the mere suggestion. The point is that sometimes in life we must submit to whims of someone in a position of authority. Whatever you do, don’t let one jerk of a professor ruin your college experience. It sounds stupid, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard something along the lines of, what a stupid twit of teacher; I’ll show him, I’ll drop out! That only hurts you; trust me, they won’t care.
5. Enjoy the ride!
Just like any experience, your time in college will have it’s ups and downs. Just remember when going through a particularly difficult period that the sun is just on the other side of that tunnel. Although more and more people are going to college these days, there are still many that won’t have the opportunity. Savor the stimulating conversations, the laughs with friends during late night cram sessions, and the feeling of success when you see that ‘A’ on your transcript.
College isn’t just an education, it’s an experience. Make yours a good one. Find your interests and pursue them.
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Rebecca
There is so much money and services available that it's to your advantage to scope it out right away. There can be money for books, laptops, conferences, as well as services like tutoring, psychiatrists, resume help, etc. all for free!
SBBryan
Yes, there are many opportunities for services that students can take advantage of on college and university campuses. I would like to say, to avoid any guilty feelings that a student might have about taking advantage of "free" services like the ones you mention, is that these serves aren't exactly "free"; it's more like they are pre-paid, as every student pays a small fee every semester along with their tuition to cover the expenses of these services. So, there's no reason to feel guilty about using them–you've already paid for them!
cornerstone universi
College is a time of growing up, builiding character and exploration of new ideas.I agree with Bryan that students need not fight and just go with the flow of such changes. There will always be good and bad professors. You just have to adapt to those things. Best of all enjoy your being a student. Be the best of who you are.
florida nursing scho
Most of these lessons we only learn when we are already graduates. I hope I got to read this when I was younger. Work and play at the same time by joining organizations and other activities. You get to network, put more activities in your resume and enjoy the company of others and doing what you like best all at the same time.
degree university ch
Thank you for the advice. I definitely agree that schools are training ground for future leaders and companies are just waiting for the graduates to take the lead. Knowing this will help the student study and become professional in the future.
Karl Sakas
Good advice, 10 years after my freshman year. I agree it's important to get leadership experience.
The one catch is that some less-enlightened companies don't want their entry-level employees leading when they're on the job (my earliest employer didn't like that initiative). During your interviews for post-college jobs, I recommend asking managers for examples of how the company encourages new employees to take initiative.
SBBryan
Thanks for the feedback, Karl.
Yes, I agree that some companies don't want their entry-level employees taking leadership intiatives. However, speaking as someone that has worked for a number of start-ups and owns a small business, even the concept of entry-level positions is slowly being phased-out in a lot of businesses.
While start-ups may not be financially stable, more and more graduates are headed to employment in the start-up industry. In a start-up, there are no entry-level jobs–everyone has to be able to do a little of everything. It's stressful sometimes and chaotic, but there is a lot of room for advancement and they LOVE someone that can take charge and move the company forward, which means they need people with leadership skills.
And, of course, you have to have initiative and leadership skills to start your own business. I know many bloggers that have gotten job and internship offers just for the mere fact that they can operate a successful and popular blogging business.
I will also agree that it's best to ask a hiring manager about leadership opportunities in the prospective company. Then again, that probably should have always been on the list of questions to ask that almost no job-seeker actually asks of prospective employers. I suggest asking many similar questions in any potential employment situation.
ChrisR
Hey SBBryan, the hidden curriculum is a great concept–thanks. The best part of a hidden curriculum in my opinion is you get to design the syllabus. As you imply, it should be taken advantage of–it's (practically) safe to say the potential for personal development in college cannot be matched. There's so much out there, the only question is where to start?
- Chris
SBBryan
Exactly! As one professor said to me about the college environment: "colleges and universities serve as an idea marketplace for the rest of the world." It's true, college is like a microcosm of society where we might better enact changes we'd like to see in the world at large. Higher education has always been meant to train the leaders of the future, so you might as well get started on that in college.
ChrisR
Keeping the mind sharp is a good point (thanks Dan) but more specifically it helps you hone in on your ability to establish a voice. Blogging reminds me to always keep the audience in mind.
I agree with student notes, it's best to do on your own if you know what you're doing. WP is good, as is Joomla. I'm not a fan of blogger.
In your post you mentioned ThemeForest… They're not bad, but WooThemes is much better in my opinion. Costs a little more but worth it!
Stefan | StudySucces
The beauty of your freshman year is that there are opportunities everywhere, already. As a freshman (last year) I joined an organization of a worldwide congress and this year (as only a sophomore), I am in the executive board of that organization. Pretty awesome.
Besides that (and passing my year) I have done tons of other stuff, including my blog and my business offline. You just need to take action and take nothing for granted. Work hard and enjoy!
Tracey T
Great tips! Here are some other ways to survive your freshmen year of college: http://blog.studentadvisor.com/StudentAdvisor-Blo…