4 Things I Learned My Freshman Year of College

Just like that, my first year at college ended,  and now I am working full-time at my college library. I have quite a bit of time to think about things and read books while working the desk (the college is obviously not very busy during the summer months), so I decided to do a post about some things I found important and learned my first year of my college career.

1. Attend all your classes

This past year, the only time I skipped a class was to make it to work on a day the college was following a 2-hour delay schedule. Believe me, I thought about skipping class so many times. Having 8 Am's everyday is extremely hard. To keep myself in the right mindset, I reminded myself of how I was paying to get my college education, which meant I was not using what I bought if I were to skip class. So go to class! Your professor appreciates it, you are making good use of your money, and it will positively impact your participation grade.

2. A perfect match is not always best

While finding people with similar interests is a great way to make friends, don't limit yourself to people who share your exact interests. Sometimes being friends with people who share slightly different mindsets or have different views on things can be an excellent growing experience, and you may form a bond with those kinds of people when you each respect the others opinions. For example, I made a few friends whose theology beliefs at times vastly different from mine. This has helped me to be more open-minded as well as become strong in what I personally believe.

3. There will be drama


When a bunch of people around the same age live together in close quarters, there will be drama. No one in the world agrees on everything, and therefore conflict is due to arise when you spend all your time 24/7 with the same people. Many will tell you that if you make the right friends, you can avoid drama. The truth is, you can't. Instead, learn that it will come at some point, and be sure to be mentally prepared when it does. Keeping an open, gracious mind, is one of the most important things to remember when troublesome situations arise, and it is a skill that I wish that I had improved more upon before starting my college career.

4.  Sleep is more important than studying


I know, crazy concept. But the truth, nonetheless. Many studies have proven that your brain functions much better when your body gets an adequate amount of sleep. Cramming is not the way to go, although the temptation to pull an all-nighter before a big exam may be strong. Instead of cramming late at night, get a good night's sleep. You will do better on your exam for it.

Alright! These are some things that I believe are very important to know in order to succeed at college. I hope that this helps any future college attendees or serves as a good reminder for current students.