I keep finding myself thinking about my college experience. Maybe it’s because Jay goes to one everyday. Maybe it’s because, now that both universities have resumed, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a college student.
So here’s a question:
If you could travel back in time and talk to youself as you were entering college, what advice would you give? If you had a chance to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Of course I won’t ask without also answering. If I could talk to Mary Beth the college freshman I think I would tell her not to major in music. For some reason I had this crazy idea that I already had to know what I wanted to be when I grew up before I even stepped on campus. I was good at music, so I figured I should major in it. But in doing so, I missed out on the true liberal arts experience since the music curriculum was pretty straightforward and left little opportunity to take classes in other areas. So if I were to do it again, I think I would have majored in religion or history, or maybe Russian studies (That was my minor. Now it’s offered as a major). But a lot of my good friendships were made within the school of music, so that’s a hard call.
So anyway, what advice would you give if you could travel back in time and talk to your freshman self? What would you do differently, if anything?
Comments
1) Major in anthropology because you love it. Don’t major in Journalism because you’re good at it and everyone assumes that’s what you will do.
2) Do not transfer to that lunatic Bible college. Stay at Miami.
3) Do not go home with every boy who gives you the time of day.
4) Eat something.
1. Listen to your math teacher and go take a look at the all male technical school in Indiana that is opening it's doors to females. Listen to her when she says you have the grades for it and that you could actually get some scholorships. (Yeah it was Rose, yeah I was dumb)
2. Don't listen to your guidance counselor who keeps telling you you'd make a great elementary teacher and that technical schools are for men.
3. Stop looking at only Christian Colleges. They aren't offering anything you'd actually be interested in, especially at that time in my life.
There's alot more I'd tell myself but I wont get into it here.
As for when I was actually a freshman in college I'd tell myself to actually do the homework at school instead of napping and then trying to do it at home with a 4 year old. Oh and I'd tell myself to stop being self conscience and pull out the paper bag lunches the dorm kids were throwing away and walk them over to the homeless kids on 6th street one block away. I always had the thought but never did it.
1. Have fun
2. Don't take yourself so seriously
3. Don't do pre-med b/c you think that's what "smart" people do
4. Travel
5. Take fun summer jobs that do not involve children
#2, Freshman Jenny, is no, THAT is not the Rose guy you ought to be going out with. Neither is THAT. (You're going to have to wait another year.)
#3 shut up, relax, you're doing fine.
I loved college. I really loved it. There were times, not so much, but it was a glorious experience. And Andrea and I managed to repair things the next year. I wouldn't want to go back, but I do like to remember and bask in the "glory days" sometimes...
Freshman Mary Beth should have socialized more. While it was good that she was adamantly opposed to getting completely wasted on whatever cheap alcohol freshmen could get hold of, it probably wouldn't have been the end of the world for her to be in the same room with it.
TLS--I have the high school corollary to that: Don't take Latin in high school because it'll help when you go to med school, which is what you will do because that's what the "smart" people do.
Ritz--I have similar thoughts about choosing a school. But if it hadn't been for my choice I wouldn't have found Jay and there woudl be no Joshua. And your cringe-inducing statement to your bio professor sounds like something I would've said! I didn't know you had it in you! :)
either do more self-promotion soccer wise, or plan to play club soccer from the outset
find Christian friends first (oops)
figure out how to study before Junior year
find out that engineering is not my friend (if I had started out as a German major, I probably would have gotten the chance to study abroad, and besides, then I could have used some of my electives on courses I actually might have elected to take)
just because I can get into a fraternity party is no reason why I should do so
don't take college relationships so seriously.