Being studious doesn’t mean you have to keep your nose buried in books all the time. Sure, educational achievements count for a lot on your report card. However, if you can’t socialise or make new friends, you’d be missing out on the classic college life experience. For all you know, you could’ve been forming lifelong friendships, but the only bonding you had time for was chemical bonding!
Perhaps your lifelong dream was to study in a college, so you prefer studying over making friends. However, you need to understand college experiences essentially prepares you to deal with practical life in the future. So, even though you can stay withdrawn and spend your entire college life in solitude, you’ll regret not experiencing what a college life truly has to offer other than academics.
Are you still unsure which experiences make college a once-upon-a-life opportunity? Here is a detailed post to help you out.
5 Must-Have College Life Experiences
Check out this list of non-academic college life activities to look out for to enjoy this interesting period of your life.
1. Making Friends
As a freshman, you’ll probably be living with a roommate in a dorm, and chances are the different dorms will be connected through hallways. If you’re an extrovert, you’ll be in for a treat as you’ll get to meet so many new people and befriend them. However, if you’re an introvert, you’ll have a harder time even accepting and getting along with your roommate.
Whether you are an ambivert, extrovert or introvert, apartment dorms can be isolating and depressing, especially for newcomers. Instead of moping around and being homesick, it’d do you some good to venture out and get some fresh air. You’re bound to bump into someone who’s in the same predicament. In fact, you could end up becoming fast friends with such a person in no time.
A fulfilling college experience is a possibility when you focus on the people you meet rather than solely on the program and what it offers. You only need to build a strong bond with one or two close friends, and the rest will be history. Also, if you end up meeting a faculty member whom you find inspiring, you may like to stay in touch with them in the long run.
2. Find a Mentor
Speaking of professors, finding mentors among your teachers is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Especially if you’re in a time and place where you don’t feel confident about your abilities, a good teacher can change your entire train of thought. For instance, if you’re unsure about your major and require assurance, they can guide you the best.
By talking and getting to know your teachers, you’ll appreciate their way of thinking and learn from them. In addition, thanks to their vast experience, your teachers can provide you with a meaningful perspective. As a result, you can eliminate many dilemmas and confusion regarding your academic profile.
Furthermore, advisors can help you land a job or refer you to one when you graduate. You can learn how to build connections, thanks to your advisors. In fact, even when you have to go abroad for further studies or a job, they can write you a letter of recommendation. Finally, they can become your confidant.
3. Socialise
During your college life, you’ll get to meet hundreds of people. Some will end up leaving long-lasting memories, whereas some will be just passing through your life. Whether they impact your personality or not is something you can’t simply guess. So, for this experience, you have to take a chance by experimenting and reinventing yourself, especially if you’re an introvert.
One great way to encounter new people and bond with them is through societies and events. Every week you’ll find a society or even your campus throwing a beach party. Socialising and drinking at a party goes hand-in-hand. When people are chirpy and open, they’re likely to be friendlier. Hence, you won’t have to learn how to break the ice.
You can even request your campus coordinators to hold a BBQ, movie night, or costume party. The choices are unlimited, as long as no campus rules are broken, of course.
Apart from campus events, you can join various clubs. For example, there could be theatre, math or chess clubs. Based on your interest, we’re sure you’ll find a way to occupy yourself and socialise simultaneously.
4. Attend college matches
Among many college events, perhaps, the most memorable ones will be sports events. You can sense the palpable excitement from weeks prior because everyone looks forward to them. If your college conducts different matches such as basketball and hockey, you should attend them even if you are mildly interested in sports.
With emotions going through the roof, you can’t help but cheer for your team along with everyone else. You get to represent the college by wearing its colours or painting your face. Not only that, you have this huge responsibility weighing on you to will your team to win the game.
Whether your college team wins or loses, the night is always full of celebrations. Because at the end of the day, you get to celebrate teamwork and camaraderie at its finest. Hence, sporting events allow people to unwind and take a breather. So, do something different instead of cramming for a test or completing an assignment last minute.
So, this weekend, attend that baseball match dressed in your college gear and make memories of a lifetime.
5. Explore and learn new things
When you’re a student in college, you’re in your prime. You have a healthy body (if you don’t live on junk food, that is) and mind, you have the opportunity to try new things. So if you’ve got nothing better to do other than studying, why not volunteer at an animal care shelter? Every term, try something new.
For instance, if you’ve always been interested in teaching, you can volunteer to be a TA for the summer. If not, then give a go to organising society or campus-oriented events.
Apart from that, you can also take up internships for testing the waters and see where it leads you. Explore and learn more about things you like. Who knows? You could end up finding a career path to follow in the future in this way.
So, don’t be afraid of exploring new things. It’s a given; you’ll probably not ace every single thing you attempt. However, with each experience, you’ll get to learn a thing or two from your college life.
Beware! Don’t stray away from studies
Sure, you can knock yourself out while making the most of your college life. However, don’t let your studies take a backseat. Your primary goal should not deviate. These are a few aspects of making the most of your college. But your studies are equally important. Hence, don’t skip classes for these fun college activities.
Because there’ll be several opportunities like this (trust us), so it’s not worth the risk to put your studies in a pickle. Although, if you feel like your grades are slipping, you should enlist the help of an assignment writing service. You’ll find the best essay help in UK quite easily. All you need to do is run a few searches, and you’ll meet your fairy godmother in no time.
You don’t want to mar your college experience by flunking a course. So, if your outings are affecting your grades, dedicate additional time to your studies. Have a look at these tips to help you graduate at the top of your class:
- Plan and organise your studying schedule
- Establish your goals before starting the term
- Attend every class, don’t miss a single one.
- Take notes in every class regardless of how useless they may seem
- Form a group study with other classmates
All in all, go ahead and have fun but don’t let go of your priorities or common sense. Otherwise, you could put your studies in jeopardy, and as a freshman, you need to be more sensible than that. Treasure the experience of college life but also learn from it.