In a blink of an eye, I went from being a wide-eyed freshman who thought college was going to change my life (well it pretty much did) to a weathered senior ready to grow up and face the real world. Well, several months after graduation, here I am with both of those statements ringing true. While I was still in college, it felt like time moved slowly but surely. One hour classes felt like a lifetime and spring/winter breaks couldn't come fast enough. There were constantly midterms, finals, projects, clubs, and personal relationships to think about that it was hard to enjoy the moment (like "holy shit I'm in college, I have so much freedom, this may never happen again" moments).
Every year of college, hell even every semester, was always a slew of new experiences and entertaining memories. Even if some semesters were incredibly tough academically and mentally, it never felt like that semester was wasted. When happy things happened, it created great memories, and when there were negative things it allowed me to learn from my mistakes to prevent it from happening again in the future. I was learning something new about myself, people, or the world around me every single day. I learned so much about life and responsibility in college that honestly it even overshadowed many of the concepts I learned in class.
If I could write myself a letter back in time summarizing some of the lessons I learned in college it would go something like this:
Dear 18 year old Charles,
Be yourself - Ok I know this one sounds super cliched, but it's something that a lot of people don't really seem to follow and something I definitely did not at varying points in college. If you try to mold yourself into something you're not, you're just going to feel empty and hollow later on. It's much more enjoyable when people appreciate you for yourself.
Don't give a shit about what others think (to a degree) - Again, this similar to above, but a bit more harsh. Honestly who cares about what some people think. What's the point of jumping through a ton of hoops to please someone when you know that deep down that really isn't you and you don't really care. Don't waste your time on what those people think.
You are responsible for yourself - Ain't nobody gonna be holding your hand once you've graduated. Even better, make sure nobody is holding your hand in college (ok bad example). You know what I mean. If you want something (ace that midterm, get that internship, get that job, get the girl) then you are solely responsible. Don't blame anyone else for your failures.
Have a support group - You aren't in this alone. I know I said you should be responsible for yourself, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a support group of friends that'll cheer and motivate you on during your darkest times. Many times through college I've relied on my supports to push me through and tell me everything is going to be OK. They are your personal cheerleaders.
Meet new people - College was designed so that you could meet a ton of new people through class and clubs. Every new semester can be a fresh slate as you take on new classes and clubs. Meet new people! Do it! Don't be shy. If it makes any sense, they're just afraid of you as you are of them! Who knows where you might meet your next best friend. Don't waste your time atrophying in your room trying to "study" (when you're honestly just on social media, lazing around, or playing games).
Don't forget your roots - Just because everyone has gone down different paths after high school doesn't mean that you should ignore your past. Make sure to keep in touch with them.
Go for it - Just do it! Failure is a learning experience. Don't waste your time stressing out about things, as stressing out is literally a complete waste of time. The more failure you have, the more experience and preparation you'll have the next time that opportunity comes around. Trust me. Failure has become an extremely close friend of mine.
It's ok to be scared - Everyone has something their scared of, be it spiders, applying to internships, CS 168 midterms, etc. It's ok to be scared, as long as you know how to deal with it rationally. Rely on your support group, practice your interviewing skills, avoid taking useless CS classes, just do something besides worrying and stressing out. Take action.
Leave negative influences out of your life - It's hard to detect them at first with an "I know everything" mindset, but negative influences are out there and could be a lot closer than you think. It could be time sinks, drugs, people, etc; these are people or things that are adversely affecting your daily life. Find them and flush them out. Long term wise, you'll be much happier.
Love,
You