Things Not to Do in College

I've been out of college for over 10 years now and since then I think I have matured significantly in some areas. I can look back on my college years with both an appreciation for the hard work and fun I had in college and a realization of how stupid I was back then. I created a lot of learning opportunities for myself in college (or in other words, I made a lot of mistakes). Perhaps highlighting some of my mistakes will help others to not make them, or at least to not go to the extremes I sometimes went to. I know that people will read this and think it's common sense, yet how many of you will still do these things. Sometimes, there's just no way for someone to learn a lesson in life, until they do it themselves. But, here is my advice anyways.

First, don't think of college as one giant party. When I first went to college, I did the same thing that most other kids do. I partied. And then I partied some more. Generally, we took Monday night off, Tuesday was bar night, Wednesday was a study night, Thursday was college id night, Friday and Saturday were party nights, and Sunday was a recovery day. At the time it was a lot of fun, but in the end it cost me an extra year of college and all the costs that go along with that.

Second, don't let a part time job interfere with your college studies. I am a firm believer that a part time job in college is a good thing. It helps to teach people to juggle multiple responsibilities just like in real life, but remember why you are in college - to study and learn! When I was in college, I got a job at the basketball arena on campus. We set up and tore down almost any event that went on there, including: basketball games, concerts, graduations, etc. While at the time I thought it was a really cool job, it was a lot of work. Sometimes we worked 22 to 26 hour days and sometimes we worked that a couple of times a week. Early in my college career I was willing to skip class in order to work these events (especially the concerts). However, all those hours definitely did not help the GPA and now I wish I would have spent more time in and for class.

Third, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. I had several classes early in my college experience where I struggled to keep up, yet I kept it to myself and I didn't ask for any help. In the end, I ended up repeating one of the classes and barely squeaking past another one. Had I approached the teacher and asked for help, there's a very good possibility that I would have gotten the extra help I needed and done a lot better in the classes. The teachers are there to help you learn and I haven't yet met a teacher that wouldn't give a student who asked and needed it a little extra help.

Finally, don't blow off classes! I learned this the hard way. I spent a lot of time blowing off classes; some because I was bored, some because I just didn't want to be there. I skipped one class frequently because I had done the stuff in high school and was incredibly bored. I missed several pop quizzes and instead of pulling an A in the class, I ended up with a B-. A hit to the GPA, and it didn't make me very popular with the teacher (who I also had for 2 other classes in my major).

There you have it, four things not to do in college. While there are probably hundreds, if not thousands more, these are the top four in my book.