Written by Caitlin Hoffman | Contributing Writer
I have been in college for roughly four years or eight semesters or 120 weeks or 600 weekdays (240 weekend days). In this time, I have taken about 65 different courses worth almost 150 credit hours. It is safe to say that in my day, I have learned a thing or two. If this list of numbers and logistics doesn’t depress you too much and you continue to read, I will enlighten you about some of the most important things I have learned in my time at Buena Vista University (BVU).
Words of wisdom… Get your money’s worth; go to class. Network, make good friends, and enjoy them.Be daring; do some crazy, wild things that no one thinks you would do. Be a part of something bigger than you. Learn something new everyday.
The reason people originally decide to attend a college institution is to acquire an education and a degree in something–anything. This being said, I definitely need to mention the vast amount of scholastic knowledge, or what I like to call “book learning”, I have gained. It would be egotistical of me to ignore this part of my education.
I feel, thanks to the requirement to take a variety of different types of classes, I am graduating with a fairly large range of information. This doesn’t mean only my math and education courses, but also in the literary, art, music, and countless other disciplines and other activities in which I have been involved. In every class I’ve taken, I have learned something that I would have never known had I not been required to take that course. Knowledge really is power.
That pretty much covers the academics, but I realized after getting to college that the education does not end when I step out of the classroom each day. In many ways, the education is just beginning. Developing strong relationships with friends and faculty is more important than I could have anticipated. I firmly believe that these strong relationships with professors and coaches helped me to get multiple job offers and ultimately land my first job in my major.
I used to think friends were overrated, but then I discovered that having a few really close friends can make even the most stressful life more fun. My freshman year, I was placed with a roommate from a different state with different ideals and very different hobbies. I think we both wondered how that would work out (especially after day one,) but it did, and four years later we are better friends than I could have ever imagined. Thanks to her, I will always remember making grilled cheese sandwiches in the toaster and our first encounter with the gluten-free aisle in Wal-Mart.
The trick here is to not to get overly bogged down by the stress of classes and work and take the time to enjoy the good things that come with being young.
My general advice here is to use the time you have. When you really think about it, 840 days is not that long, and based on the cost of these 840 days, (about $173.81 per day) I would suggest making the most of every single day. Do something enjoyable everyday, take that joy and knowledge, and use it in your future.
