My college years have been spread out a lot longer than most people's. I've been working on a four year degree for nine years, and now that I am finally a senior in college and nearing the end of this never-ending road to a higher education, I am starting to realize that graduating college means that I officially have to grow up. There are good things about that. I am ready to be independent and to take control of my own life. But at the same time, my opportunities to be young and crazy are speeding by.
So, if I could do college over (and I would, in a heartbeat), I would do it very differently. Here are the 10 things I would change...
1. I would have lived in the dorms.
I have always been a little bit shy, and I've always been pretty practical when it comes to money. Living in the dorms was expensive, and my parents lived in the town where I was going to college, so we decided that it would be best for me to live at home while I was in school. This is the thing I regret the most about my college experience.
Don't get me wrong - I love my family. I love the fact that we have family dinners together and that I get to spend time with them and see my little brother's baseball games. But I think living in the dorms would have been good for me. I'm already a homebody, and being a commuter made it easy for me to isolate from the other students on campus. I think I would have made friends easier if I had lived on campus.
I also think it is good for college age kids to learn to live on their own. I am fully capable of taking care of things around the house. I can cook. I know how to clean. I can do laundry. I can even iron (although it is not my favorite thing to do). But doing those things when you live at home with your mom is very different from doing them because you are living on your own. There have been times when I have just needed my own space, and I think if my parents were honest with you, they'd tell you that there have been times when they were sick of me.
If I could do college over, I would definitely live in the dorms. Maybe not for my entire college career, but at least for my freshman year.
2. I would have paid more attention when my guidance counselor taught us about applying for pell grants and scholarships.
I was blessed enough to get a pretty decent score on the ACT when I was in high school, so I got a full scholarship to the University of Alabama for my freshman year. I was under the impression that I wouldn't need any extra help paying for college. Therefore, I paid absolutely no attention when my high school guidance counselor told us about applying for pell grants.
When my scholarship ran out at the end of my freshman year, I didn't have enough money to keep going to Alabama and I didn't want to get a student loan, so I transferred to a community college to get the rest of my basics. I wish I had taken advantage of pell grants back then. I might have actually gotten to stay at Alabama if I had. Even if I had ended up transferring, my parents and I wouldn't have had to pay anything out of pocket for my tuition that second year.
When I decided to go back to college to finish my degree a few years ago, I did apply for pell grants and every kind of scholarship I could find. I have gone to school on pell grant and scholarship money for the last two years and thankfully have only had to take out one small student loan to cover summer tuition for one semester. If you can get pell grants, do it. It is free money. And never overlook scholarship opportunities. There are all kinds of scholarship contests out there. I currently have three scholarships - a $500 foundation scholarship that my university awarded me just because I asked my counselor if there were any scholarships available (she recommended me for it and I have gotten it every year since then), a $1500 writing scholarship that I won through a writing contest at my university, and a $2000 alumni scholarship that I got because I kept my GPA up. Thankfully, I will graduate college with minimal debt.
3. I would have spent more time at the Rec Center.
I already told you that I am kind of shy. I'm also kind of chubby and a little awkward and not very athletic. Still, I wish I would have spent more time at the Rec Center during my college years. For one thing, I would be in better shape right now. (I am currently enrolled in an aerobics class at the Rec Center for my physical education requirement for my degree and it makes me realize how out of shape I am two times a week.)
Also, the Rec Center is a great place to meet people and make friends. I was always too concerned about what people would think to go. I didn't want to be the only chubby girl there and I felt like I would be out of place. But guess what? 90% of the people at the Rec Center are just normal people. There are a few super athletic, ripped people who intimidate the heck out of me, but even those people are nice (usually). So don't be afraid to get active and get involved.
4. I would have joined a club of some kind.
This one is kind of simple. I should have done this my freshman year to meet people with the same interests as me and make some friends. I'm not a sorority girl type, but sometimes I really envy them because they get to form such good relationships with their sisters. But you don't have to shell out tons of money to join in. There are all kinds of clubs on campus - religious organizations, intramural sports, academic clubs, music clubs, special interest clubs (there is even an acapella group at my school - just like in the movie Pitch Perfect). So join something. Find something that interests you and get involved. This is your chance to spend time on you and what you like to do. Take advantage of that. Because once you graduate, get a job, get married, and have kids, your interests will have to go to the back burner.
5. I would have worried more about friendships and less about my GPA.
This one is pretty self explanatory, I think. I am a pretty good student, and I have a good GPA. I have never gotten a 4.0 for the entire semester (thanks to Biology and College Algebra), but I usually make As and Bs.
GPA is important, but not nearly as important as the friendships and relationships you make during your college years. I know lots of people who met their wife or husband in college, and even more met their best friend there. I wish I had paid more attention to forming those kinds of relationships.
6. I would have taken more fun classes and explored more options before choosing a major.
I went into college thinking I would major in business. It took one economics class to change my mind. After that, I was lost for a little while and ended up dropping out of school because I couldn't decide what to major in. I wish I had taken that time to explore what my university had to offer. Now that I am close to graduation and trying to cram the last required classes into my schedule, I wish I had taken more fun and interesting classes while I had the chance. I would have loved to take some really in depth political classes, or some fun arts classes, or even some of the special interest classes like photography or culinary classes that were offered. A few semesters ago, my university offered a class on the History of Baseball. My schedule was already crammed, so I passed that class up. I wish I had taken it now. When you get the opportunity to be part of something like that, take it.
7. I would have been a lot more thoughtful about choosing a college to attend.
I went to Alabama for my freshman year because that's where I got the best scholarship. But I overlooked a lot of great schools because I didn't even apply there. The school I currently attend, Mississippi University for Women, is a great university and I didn't even consider it when I was in high school.
Let's be honest - I wanted to go to Alabama because I thought it was cool. They had a great football team, I loved the town of Tuscaloosa, and everyone thought that I should go there. I did enjoy going to Alabama, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had lived in the dorms and taken the time to be more of a part of campus life there. But I wish I had taken the time to go visit different campuses and really see what different schools were like before I made my decision about where to go to school.
8. I would have dated a lot more.
I saw a girl who recently graduated high school talking about starting college on twitter a few days ago. Her biggest concern for college is finding a husband. While I think that is ridiculous (college is for you to get an education and learn about yourself and determine the kind of adult you want to be - NOT solely for you to find a wife or husband), that is an important part of this time of our lives. I will not be graduating college with a husband. I probably won't even be graduating with a boyfriend. And that's okay. But I do wish I had taken advantage of the huge dating pool while it was available. Because, seriously, how many cute guys am I going to meet once I'm working from 8 to 5 every day?
9. I would have gone on at least one Spring Break trip with my friends.
In case you haven't noticed, I've been a pretty dull person for my college years. I wish that I had made more friends and had more fun. And even if you don't go on a wild trip with friends, there are so many opportunities for trips through Habitat for Humanity and other ministries. I wish I had gone on at least one trip like that while I was in college.
10. I never would have taken my student tickets for granted when I was a freshman.
Seriously - my freshman year at the University of Alabama, I had student tickets to ALL the home games and I only went to one. That is probably the biggest fail of my college career. I no longer attend the University of Alabama, so I can't get student tickets anymore. Now, when I am searching all over for tickets and people want at least $100 for one, I look back on that freshman year and shake my head. I didn't even sell mine. I just let them go to waste.
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