5 Important Lessons I Learned from College

I recently graduated from college. There were many lessons and lectures I attended. Most of which I couldn’t tell you what I learned in them. But I could tell you about what I learned on the macro-level for most of the courses.

Much of college went by like a blur. From the hours upon hours of studying and practicing. To the idle moments where I felt bored out of my mind. Time flew by.

But college was still an excellent learning experience for me.

As I reflected on my college experience this past week, I discovered that 5 lessons stuck out the most to me.

While these lessons are about college, you can apply them to many other areas of life.

Let’s examine these lessons together!

Lesson 1: You can learn more on your own than in lectures

Lectures typically involve professors spewing information at you for most of the class period.

As you’re frantically trying to jot down notes, you’re simultaneously bored and apathetic about the course material.

Each class just feels like more work.

The information is presented in a dry manner. And the homework sucks the joy out of the learning process.

Not fun, right?

Plus, lectures are often an inefficient way for you to learn.

You have your own learning style. Lectures present the information in one way only.

So, if the way that information was presented doesn’t click with you, you’re screwed. You’ve got to figure out how to learn the lecture information on your own. And that’s often on top of homework and studying for the course.

The point here is that learning through lectures cripples the learning process.

When you learn on your own, you can learn MUCH more than in any lecture.

Why?

Because you get to choose how and what to learn. You get to learn at your own pace.

And you can learn in the way that’s easiest for you.

This makes the learning process adapted to your needs.

And it is fun, too!

You get to explore what you want to know about.

You can dive deep into obscure rabbit holes. Or you can breeze through a broad range of topics.

It’s up to you where you go.

You discover ideas, concepts, and facts.

Naturally, you’ll put more effort into learning this way. And you won’t even realize it!

Lesson 2: Pick your friends and roommates carefully

The saying, “You are most like the 5 people you surround yourself with,” is true.

The people you surround yourself with have MASSIVE impacts on you.

They’ll influence you directly, such as nagging you to go to a party when you should be studying. Or they’ll influence you in subtle ways. Their mannerisms, values, etc. seep into your consciousness.

It’s common to begin to mirror the people you surround yourself with.

But, this isn’t a good thing.

We have a deep psychological need to feel secure. Not “fitting in” used to have fatal consequences on our ancestors. They’d be shunned and cast out into the wild to fend for themselves if they didn’t fit in with the tribe.

We haven’t changed much psychologically from our ancestors.

Don’t surround yourself with people whose values do not align with yours. You will be in for a rough time.

Save yourself the potential arguments and headaches by being careful with who you surround yourself with.

You want people who will build you up. Not people who will tear you down intentionally or unintentionally.

Lesson 3: Take advantage of resources

There are countless resources available for you to succeed at college.

From TA sessions to tutoring services, there’s a resource that can help you learn your course material.

Perhaps the most effective resource available to you is office hours.

Professors are typically required to hold office hours for their students.

Go to them. Even if you don’t need any help.

Why?

Because most people never go to office hours. This makes professors feel lonely.

They want to help their students. So, when you go to office hours, you’re making them feel appreciated. They get to do their job.

If you don’t need help with anything, chat with them. Befriend them. This can come in handy later on.

Professors will be more accommodating to you when you actually need help. They’ll work with you if something in your life happens that impairs your ability to focus or do your coursework.

And professors may be more lenient when grading assignments that are subjective. These are assignments such as essays or presentations.

This lesson is a great lesson in psychology…

Lesson 4: Choose your opportunities carefully

When you’re in college, there are countless things for you to do.

From taking extra classes to playing an intramural sport.

You can easily over-extend yourself if you aren’t careful.

You only have 24 hours in a day.

You cannot fit one thousand different activities in each day.

You need to prioritize your time.

Strategically pick and choose what you’re going to do each day.

Interesting activities will tug and pull you in many directions. Resist the urge to do them all.

Do the things that will move you closer to your goals. These are the things that are most important to you. So, you should prioritize them.

Keep some time free each day. It may come in handy when you have difficult homework assignments. Or if you need to run an errand.

Do not skip meals to give yourself more time. This is a tempting scheduling option, but it often leads to burnout.

Your body needs food to fuel you throughout the day.

And your meals give your brain some time to relax and process the information you’ve learned.

In essence, meals are a time for your body and mind to recharge.

Lesson 5: Prioritize your sleep

Sleep is essential to your survival.

You need it so your body can recover each day.

Sleep is where all of the information you’ve learned and everything you’ve experienced during the day is processed. Your brain stores all of this into your long-term memory or discards it while you’re sleeping.

Most people neglect their sleep. Especially college students.

While it’s tempting to stay up all night studying or partying, this has negative health effects.

It increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and much more. This won’t affect you while you’re a college student. But it will catch up with you eventually.

Not getting enough sleep also impairs your brain function.

This makes it harder for you to retain the information you’ve learned from your classes.

And impaired sleep can decrease your alertness and ability to concentrate. It’s no wonder you feel like falling asleep during your 8 A.M. classes!

Wrapping up

I learned a lot more outside of the classroom than I did inside of it.

College is a time when you are off on your own for the first time as an adult.

It’s a great opportunity for you to discover new things. And it’s a great time to figure out what direction you want your life to go in.

Use college as a learning experience. You’ll learn valuable life lessons that you could use for the rest of your life.