🎓
It can be such a hassle sometimes but the people can really make it worth it
Related Recs
🎓
College (and especially first year) is one of the rare times in your life where it is so easy to meet all sorts of different types of people. Everyone is young and outgoing and you all have this shared “thing” that you got accepted to this institution and most importantly you’re all geographically concentrated in this one place (the campus) in multiple settings and environments (class, library, dorms, activities, parties, etc). You also haven’t been hardened by life (everyone gets busier, a little more risk averse, a little more guarded as they age - the game is just protecting as much of your youthful self as possible while still maturing and growing in all the best ways as you age but that’s for another post).
Studying is important (especially if you want to at least **keep the door open** on going to some form of grad school because NO ONE PLANS ON GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL IN FIRST YEAR) but do not forget to make the most of EVERYTHING campus life has to offer - it’s like a buffet try the lobster tail and if you don’t like you don’t have to finish it get another plate. Life and memories happen in the most mundane moments: the stuff I remember and get misty eyed is such a random collection of experiences you couldn’t design it if you tried it’s just the cumulus of doing a whole bunch of random stuff - some of it is sort of crazy stuff and some of it is as simple as getting a coffee with someone or throwing a charity car wash or polar bear dip or staying up late and ordering pizza studying for a midterm with friends.
Lastly be generous and be a honest, good person. The campus is a surprisingly small place, and reputations are quickly made or unmade (if you’re on here you’re probably a very awesome person but it’s always worth saying). Kindness goes a long way and you have no idea which of your acquaintances will go on to become lifelong friends. The people I stayed in touch with 15 years later are NOT who I expected!!
Feb 8, 2024
🪤
I wasted a lot of time overfour years in college because I wasn’t there for any particular reason. So step one in preparing for college is to want to go to college.
Another thing is to know “you’ll find your people” isnt quite right. You can find your people but you have to look for them! Try lots of things and meet lots of people.
Balancing your people and your studies comes down to discipline. I don’t think there’sa universal answer to that. If you’re in a nerdy major at a nerdy school, it’ll be easier than if you’re taking sociology at Arizona State or whatever a big party school is nowadays.
I think failing is a valuable part of college. Whether that’s literally getting an F or just not getting the grade you want or the person you want, etc. Just like it’s a great place to meet people, it’s a pretty safe place to make mistakes as you figure things out. Especially because you’re surrounded by other people doing the sane thing! No one knows how they’ll do at college, you just figure it out.
I recommend watching the Psychology ofWell Being before you go. It’s free on Coursera and is a popular course from Yale that teaches important things about what does and doesn’t make us happy, and how our minds trick us into emphasizing the wrong things. It’s really good!
Jan 11, 2025
🎒
I hated college when I was there but I miss it so much everyday. I miss smiling at people in the hallway and doing homework. I think it’s good to reflect and appreciate things, even if you didn’t appreciate it in the moment. Having something to yearn about will push you to greater places.
Jan 8, 2025
Top Recs from @Jai
Mar 13, 2025
🦾
I’m watching it be fleshed out in real time, seeing every kind of mishap or glitch. I love it, it’s changing with me.
Mar 31, 2025
One of the best influences a friend had on me is to make a Pinterest board of my own photos. Unlike apps like Instagram, a personal board allows you to fully fill it with yourself unabashedly. Mine works as a digital diary of everywhere I’ve been or seen. But, you could fill it with recipes, outfits, photography, anything. In time you will have created a collage reflective of yourself.
Feb 18, 2025