It’s time once again for your spoonful of glowing post-grad wisdom!
While this isn’t meant to sound condescending or “Oh, I’ve been there, done that,” this is meant to help you get the most out of what you have left of your college experience so you don’t make the same mistakes as me and so many others have.
Here’s what I wish I could have told myself four years ago when I was just a wee little freshman at the University of South Carolina:
1. Hangovers Never Get Any Easier
Even though us college students have this mythical idea of this thing called “alcohol tolerance,” it really doesn’t exist. Yes, the more you drink (within reason), the more you’ll be able to tolerate it. But remember, nobody is meant to have 10 tequila shots in half an hour. No matter how much you think you can take, it’s just not going to work out. Stop fooling yourself.
2. Toxic People Aren’t Worth It
You should never be forced to be friends with someone if you don’t want to be. While you might have to be cordial to people you dislike in certain social situations, that doesn’t mean you have to be friends with this person. Figure out if the relationship is worth saving and either try to work on it or throw in the towel. You’ll figure out who your real friends are, and once you do, you won’t give that phony friend another thought.
3. Never Say Never
As phony as I feel quoting Justin Bieber, the dude’s got a point. Don’t limit yourself. Just because you think you “shouldn’t” or “can’t” get that internship or that job, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Just because you don’t have an Ivy League education doesn’t mean you are less of a person or your education is any less valuable. If you have a dream, go for it. If it doesn’t work out, at least you know you gave it your all.
4. School Really Isn’t All That Bad
Yes, you may disagree with me when you have that huge history midterm staring you in the face, but for real, it’s really not that bad compared with what’s out here in the real world. There are some days when I wish I could just curl up and analyze Shakespearean literature instead of dragging my butt out of bed to go to work. Try to think of each lesson and class as a chance to expand your knowledge of the world. There’s nothing more exciting than learning something new every day. Take advantage of this while you can.
5. Remember the Big Picture
Whenever you get upset and enraged about something, try to sit back and put it in perspective. Will you REALLY care in five years that your sorority sister made out with your date at your formal? No. Chances are, you won’t even remember that jerk’s name. Life happens. People are mean, you’ll get bad grades and you’ll mess up. Stand back up and move on. You can’t get the time back.
