words of advice from a senior in college:
- good grades are important, but so is experience. your 4.0 is exceptional, but your resume is an entire page and that incredible gpa takes up very little space. so take full advantage of internships, clubs, research opportunities, volunteer work, anything you can that pertains to your major. you’ll thank yourself when you start applying for jobs.
- if you are passionate about a club or organization that has nothing to do with your future career path, that is perfectly okay! stick with it every year, hold leadership positions, do the best you can in it. the passion, leadership, and loyalty speaks volumes.
- get to know the professors in your major classes and let them get to know you too. go talk to them, even if you don’t have any questions about the class. one day you’re going to need references and letters of recommendations and their words carry weight.
- learn how to study. it’s different for everyone. if studying with other people is unproductive for you, then don’t feel bad about not going to the study group that your classmates organized. studying hard is good, but studying smart is better.
- sometimes you have to stay in and study for your huge exam while your friends go out to dinner. but sometimes you just have to say screw it and go with them anyway. you’re in college to learn, but the spontaneous late night runs to taco bell is something you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
- if your college has some sort of career center, take advantage of it. they can help you with your resume, your interview skills, your cover letter, everything. they can point you in the direction of internships and companies that are hiring. career centers are incredible resources that your tuition paid for, so you might as well use it.
- always keep an umbrella, a water bottle, and some snacks in your backpack. you’ll thank yourself.
- in every class, make at least one friend and get their number. it’s helpful to have someone in your classes that can send you notes if you overslept or can clarify assignments. these people are absolutely crucial – they will save your butt more times than once.
- if you come really close to making that grade that you really needed on a certain exam, don’t give up on it. follow through. don’t email your professor – go talk to them about it. see where you went wrong, understand the mistakes that you made and explain to them why the question tricked you. tell them that the question you missed will keep you from making a certain grade in the class. don’t beg them for mercy, don’t ask them to boost your grade. groveling isn’t as appealing as a student who is genuinely interested to see where they went wrong. teachers appreciate students who care enough to follow up. and they just might end up changing your grade because of it. it’s happened to me before. and if they don’t end up changing it, then you did all that you could. the world will go on. i promise.
- before an interview, go into a bathroom stall and assume a superhero pose. legs apart, hands on your hips, head held high. hold it for a couple minutes. this boosts your testosterone and lowers your cortisol, which increases your confidence and decreases anxiety. after the pose, do a little dance with your limbs out long. i don’t know if this does anything for you physiologically, but it helps with the jitters. take a few deep breaths and tell yourself you got this one in the bag. it may sound silly but it really works, i swear by it.
- make the most of these 4 years. i know you’ve heard people say it goes by fast, but you don’t realize how fast it’s gone until you’re two months away from your graduation and your mind is completely blown. so milk it for all it’s worth and don’t waste any time – start the first day of your freshman year. put yourself out there, try something new, make mistakes, meet as many people as you can, go to the football games and the basketball games and the equestrian meets, stay up all night and climb the buildings on campus and watch the sunrise, go to the library during finals week even though it’s crowded - there’s this odd comfort and unity that comes from being among all the other stressed out students, study hard, play hard, don’t wish away your week and look forward to the weekend – use every single day as an opportunity to do something you’ll remember, something you’ll thank yourself for, something new.
- the moral of the story is that you have four years to do everything you possibly can so that when graduation is right around the corner, you can look back and have zero regrets – or maybe a couple drunken ones, but no need to dwell on those. you did it and you did it well. that’s the feeling you want.
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