Make College Worth It

After four and a half years of college, and being graduated for two years I have had a lot of time to reflect. I'd always convince myself as to why I didn't need to study or why my grades didn't matter in college as much as they did in high school. And now as I matured and am paying off my student loan debt, there are a lot of things I wish I had done differently with the time and money I spent on college. So here are a few things to keep in mind for those to soon be entering college, or are currently enrolled.

Don't Stay Up So Late
When you begin college, you are on your own for possibly the first time. There is a lot of temptation to stay up late because you don't have your parents telling you to go to bed like you perhaps did in High School. Well, it was good advice to live by. There are a couple reasons for this. Not only may you not be as focused on your tests or lectures, but when your alarm clock goes off and you're only on four hours of sleep you may lay there and convince yourself why you may not need to go to that class. Skipping class doesn't seem like such a bad idea when you are exhausted and you know there isn't a test coming up. But every class you miss, no matter the length or content of the class, you really are missing out on more then it may seem. So avoid letting your tired body to convince you to skip. You'll be paying for it later.

From experience I use to stay up until sometimes 4am or 5am, on the internet or playing an online game. Once 10am or even as far as noon classes rolled around, I would check my syllabus and see if it was crucial to go. I would often convince myself I would "be okay" to skip.

Attend Class
Everyone deserves a break from time to time, but if you let this get out of hand your grades will slip. Professors have little to no pity on a student they don't recognize. If they never see you in class and you're struggling on assignments or tests they will Fail you without looking back. However, if you have great attendance and you just can't seem to make the grade, sometimes if you talk to them they'll at least let you pass. Of course you'll want a good grade, but it's better than failing completely! But for those of you who only show up for tests, you are playing with fire.

Some teachers give no penalty to those that miss class. Other teachers knock your grade down for each absence, or give points for when you show up. Whatever the case may be, missing class is more than just missing material out of the book you may be going over. You are missing out on knowing about possible exam date changes, assignment deadline changes, or material only covered during lectures. It really doesn't matter what your syllabus says you're going to be doing. It can easily change.

Do It Because YOU Want T
It's hard to go to class or even be motivated to study if you don't want to be there. Don't go to college just because everyone is talking about it, or you're being pressured into it. If you do, you may end up in debt, with Failed classes on your transcript, and a college drop out.

College can get really tough at times, especially when your friends want to hang out late at night or when you have an annoying roommate. It'll only be more difficult to make it to class on top of everything else, if you just don't even have a motivation to be there.

This isn't for the college students who just don't know what to major in. This is for the people who just absolutely resent college and don't find any reason to have any major.

Get a Part Time Job
Many people have to take out loans just to go to school and live there. Those loans are thousands and thousands of dollars. And how nice would it be to chop these loans down while being in college? I don't think the job should go before your education, but something to help you buy books, pay for rent, or food will help a lot. You may still have to take out a loan, but it'll help a lot more than you may realize.

Some of my friends now are paying for college as they go almost completely just due to a good part time job. This is something I wish I had done. I never worked and as a result I had tons of free time I ended up using not very wisely. Paying for college as you go can also give you a sense of motivation to get good grades. Loan money is money you never earned or "seen" besides numbers on paper and can give you the illusion you're not spending it. But years later when you have to pay for those loans, it'll hit you hard. And it'll make you wish you had more motivation. Paying for school as you go can give you that motivation you need.

Also, having a job while in college will fill that resume gap. Why go four years during your young adulthood, jobless? Employers look for a lot more than just whether or not you got a college degree. They want to see what kind of experience you have. Whether you're working as a server, at the school's library or print shop, stocking shelves at a grocery store, or a clerk at a movie rental store you will have experience of some kind on your resume. You will also make more contacts this way and have people to use as references in the future.

Get Good Grades Even If You Think You Won't Continue Your Education
Ever hear the saying, "Cs get degrees?" Well, they can. You can blow through college with mediocre grades and perhaps get a pretty good job. I figured that once I graduated college and got my Bachelor's degree I would be done. Two years later after graduation and now I am considering my Master's. However, to get accepted into the program it is good to have better grades. There are other factors that will get you into the program, but your grades help.

Some professions even want to know about your college GPA.

You never know what your needs career wise will be, so the safest bet is to just work hard to get a higher GPA. And why go to college, spend all that money, and not get anything out of it anyway?

Get To Know Your Professors
They can help you with contacts and finding jobs. Or, if you are wanting to apply to get into the Master's program, they can write letters of recommendation for you.

While you are in college, you can get a lot of help if you talk to professors more and they get to know you. College should be more than just showing up for class and leaving after class.

This is your time to get your career on track. And following these simple rules can keep you there. They may seem like pretty simple rules to follow, but I wish I would've known all this back when I was in college.