College is that period of time when you can have your cake and eat it too. We can get away with pretty much anything while we’re still studying, considering that we’re “young and in a rush”. However, most of us let the sweetest years of our lives pass without making full use of them.
So if you’re about to step into college, or if you’re already there and still haven’t graduated, take a look at these things that you will definitely regret not doing when you had the chance:
1. Get your heart broken
If there’s anytime that we could call a “good time” to get your heart broken, it would be during college. It will hurt like hell, not to mention be overly dramatic, but understanding the beauty and pain of relationships will give you a better understanding of what constitutes as a good relationship and how to learn from your mistakes. Hopefully, you’ll avoid them in the future. Just remember, there’s no wound that time cannot heal.
2. Travel alone
Whether you study abroad for a few months or just take a week to go explore somewhere you’ve never been before, solo travel is a must in your early 20s.
Everyone I know who spent a semester/summer abroad has come back with nothing but good things to say about the experience. The new language, the new people, the different nationalities, the complete independence and more things you simply can’t put a price tag on.
3. Travel with your friends
Traveling in general is very liberating. But you won’t have the liberty or the coordinated schedules to up and leave with your friends to anywhere in the country (or the world) like you do when you’re still in college. You get to know your friends way better and you form memories that are incomparable to anything else.
4. Fail
Don’t use this as an excuse not to study, that’s not what we mean! It’s not the failing that’s important quite as much as learning to pick yourself up and try over and over again to reach your goal. This lesson is best learned during college days because there’s not much at stake.
Understanding that it is OK to fail is the first step to accomplishing your goals.
5. Join a movement
Whether it’s a student activity or it’s a political cause, your college years are the perfect time to struggle for the things you believe in. You’ll gain valuable experience, go through unforgettable moments and meet people who you would truly regret not knowing. Not to mention, you’ll have some sort of purpose and get a break from the routine of the same old schedule.
6. Look for your passion
Whether it’s a hobby or just a general interest, find something you enjoy doing and get started! It’ll help ease your troubles away, bring more happiness while experiencing it and who knows, it might just be the gateway to your future!
7. Be selfish
This is your time to get to know yourself, your preferences and understand what makes you who you are. So stop putting everyone ahead of you and be selfish!
Have fun, travel, do whatever makes you happy, but it is important to put your needs before others. The rest of your life can be reserved to make compromises, you’ll have to anyway. But let this time be YOUR time and just discover yourself.
8. Break rules you haven’t broken before
You know the saying, “Rules were made to be broken”? It’s true! Nobody ever got anywhere by following the rules (just make sure your parents don’t read this).
Every rule you break either helps you understand why the rule was there in the first place, or makes you stand out and grow by realizing your limits and what you can achieve by doing something different. Why be ordinary when you were born to stand out?
9. Experiment
The best thing about college is that once you graduate, you get the chance to turn your life around. So before you do that, let the curiosity get the best of you and experiment with everything! Dye your hair blue, get your nose pierced or join a band, just be impulsive and open to any idea that comes your way!
You’ll find that this is your path to self-discovery along with quite a lot of fun, not to mention stories and memories to last you a lifetime!
10. Widen your circle
It’s comforting and safe to sit with the same group of people all the time. But getting involved with different people and different communities will improve your self-confidence and will make you judge people a lot less. Besides, it will only make your relationship with your close friends healthier and stronger.
Do this with extracurricular activities you never dreamed you’d participate in or join a sports team – it’ll balance all the crap you eat during the all-nighters you pull to study for exams.
11. Go out more often
More often than not, going out beats staying in. Next time you get lazy when your friend calls you up to go out, ask yourself this: “What exciting thing in the world is gonna happen to me while I’m surrounded with four walls and a ceiling?”
12. Take a job on the side
Having jobs while you’re still studying is one of the best ways to build up your personality and give yourself a glimpse of what the real world has in store for you. Don’t be ashamed of any opportunity because no matter how small or insignificant you think the job is, it will make you grow a lot more than doing nothing ever would. Work part-time, do internships and just enjoy them while you’re not facing the pressures and responsibilities of a graduated adult.
13. Volunteer
You won’t have the time, the energy, or the excitement to do selfless good deeds and serve other people like you do while you’re still in college. So give something back to the society you live in, even if you plan to leave it after you graduate.
WE SAID THIS: Check out “10 Lessons Learned 10 Years After ‘Mean Girls’“