The Student’s DilemmaSchool is really expensive. But if you decide to go to college, like I did, there are some decisions that you must make — sooner rather…
School is really expensive. But if you decide to go to college, like I did, there are some decisions that you must make — sooner rather than later. People rarely ask these questions to incoming students.
unpslashed
What are your expectations?
Why are you coming to college? What do you want to get out of it?
College is a time to “find yourself.” But people do that in soooo many different ways…How do you want to go about it is one thing? More importantly, what do you expect you will get once you get there?
Some people hope to get a degree (hopefully everyone). But most people expect more than that.
When I began college — I knew I wanted to:
- Gain a network: Meet as many people as I could
- Have fun: You are only in college once.
But everyone has a different reason. So step 1 — find your overarching goal, your “purpose…”
How will you get to your goal?
Of course, this will change. But, it is valuable to be on a mission. To be working towards an over-arching theme helps you keep perspective in check. It makes the purpose clear and gives you a reason for everything you do. I recommend keeping both daily and long-term goals. Often times, its beneficial to make sure those daily goals are making some progress towards the long-term vision.
You’d be surprised — a lot of the opportunities available in college actually distract you from growth. With a goal in mind, you will have to say no to a lot of opportunities.
Steering away from your goal is not a completely bad thing. Doing things that you would not normally do — outside of your comfort zone — can help you change your direction and keep moving forward.
What else could you be doing with your time?
It is important to think about the opportunity cost of college. Four years of your life that could be spent ________ (insert any action phrase). It is crucial to make the most out of them, because before you know it, they will be gone.
Explore questions that no-one has ever asked you before. That way you can climb mountains that no-one has ever climbed before.
By jordangonen on April 6, 2016.
Exported from Medium on February 17, 2018.