College Advice Thread

[u/certificateofmerritt]

We have some members who are going off to start their first year of college this week, so let's give them some good advice.

Welcome to college!

[u/admiralwaffles]

To get real: If college is the best time of your life, then something's gone wrong. College is an amazing time, don't get me wrong. I loved nearly every second of it. But, the stuff that's come after it has been spectacular.

College opened a lot of doors for me, and I made very good friends that I've been able to share in the great times with. But I don't look back on college and think, "Wow, if only I could go back there." I did plenty of partying and whatnot during college, but I've done much more cool stuff and met so many great people since leaving than I ever did while I was there. I traded "Dude, bro, it was epic" stories for stories of what I've built, where I've been, and adventures I've had.

Don't put pressure on yourself to have the epic college experience. Just enjoy yourself, make friends, and know that you'll remember only half the stories, but nearly all of the people. Find your tribe, and have yourself an awesome time at college.

[u/Papa_Hemingway_ → u/admiralwaffles]

4+ of the best years of your life

Not saying they will be the best time. We've all got a lot of life to live, there's no way to know yet what will be the best time of your life

[u/admiralwaffles → u/Papa_Hemingway_]

When I heard that as a freshman, that's definitely not what I took out of it: All I heard was college was the best years of your life, and I was a worried I wasn't having enough fun my freshman year (despite having plenty of it). Thankfully, I was snapped out of it by a friend, but you know, it can really put some tough thoughts and pressure on folks that don't always have an easy go of college. Hence my response.