Last Night, I finished my last undergraduate class I'll ever take and realized that as fast as I came is as fast as I'm leaving. I never realized the extent of everything I'd see these past four years and the significance of all my experiences. There have been up's and down's; though far mores up's then down's. FAR MORE. I wish I could say it wasn't over but it is. There's a time for everything and I'm moving on to the next chapter in my life. I can say though, there are things I wish I either knew well in advance of college, or things I did in college.
1. ENGAGE PROFESSORS : None of us are perfect in EVERY part of our curriculum and I wish I really understood the amount of help and insight professors and teaching assistants could provide. I wasn't at first fond of the idea of attending meetings I wasn't required to go to but after a number of difficult classes, I've realized that the best answers sometimes can't be found in a textbook. Some answers and material just needs to be explained by an actual person who can sit down and talk it through with you.
2. SCHOLARSHIPS : Unless you're on a free to college (not most of us), we could never have too many money from scholarships. Although a substantial amount of money was given to me in grants and scholarships, I never realized the extent of how much free money for school there was out in the world until I was already in college. Also, I was one of the many people who went through college with the idea that after high school, there weren't many more new scholarships that could be attained. WRONG. Big mistake on my part and unfortunately, I'll be paying for it (No pun intended)...
Moving Right along..
3. NETWORKING: I was lucky enough to appreciate the value of networking way before college yet was not anticipating the extent it would have on not only my academic life, but my career. I will say I've done a substantial amount of networking in college, yet wish I did even more considering just how competitive it is out there "in the real world" (a phrase I DETEST, by the way). Bottom line is the timeless saying remains more true than ever in today's world: "It's not about WHAT you know; It's about WHO you know."
For anyone graduating, these things might be a tad too late for you as they are for me. But for anyone who can still take advantage of more college years to come, do so. Remember how fast your first year of college was?
... It doesn't get any slower.
Time Flies and just when you feel like you're catching up, it gets faster.
To The Years,
- David.
