May 5th 2017
Today I am ending college and moving on to the real world.
It is weird to think that this day would ever come. When you start out in preschool at the age of 3, you are conditioned to believe that a world within a classroom is all you will ever know. Then all of a sudden, you’re 22 years old with a piece of paper in your hand, staring out at the faces of friends and family who have been with you throughout this journey and you wonder what comes next. Obviously, you know that this is the part where you get a job and move away from home at some point and settle down and have a family (or don’t, I’m not the boss of you)…but really though, what comes next? The world is this huge, open place that is yours to do with which you please, what will you do with it?
I’d like to say that I know exactly how I would like to spend the rest of my life. I would like to be able to sit here and type to you, a wild and interesting plan that involves a “get rich quick” scheme or some wild and crazy adventure, but in all honestly, I have chosen not to think that far ahead. The lack of planning is not me being haphazard, but more me being open minded.
The world offers unique opportunities every single day and I don’t want to limit myself. I don’t want to get so attached to the idea of life going any one particular way because it may cause me to miss out on some amazing chances to create something entirely new and beautiful. I have been taught in yoga to never get attached to things or people or places or abilities because we don’t know how temporary something can be until it is on it’s way out.
As the door shuts on my time in college I am choosing to look back, reflect, and just keep marching forward. So, to close out my college experience, I would like to share the top 5 things I learned from college:
- Not everyone is going to like you and that’s okay. You don’t have to be friends with everybody to have a good college experience. Surrounding yourself with a few good people who like you for who you are is good enough. Also, losing people is not the end of the world. ((I’m not ashamed to say that I lost plenty of people and I hope they have a nice life….far away from me))
- It is okay for your experience to not be like what you see in the movies. You don’t need to join a sorority or fraternity, or do 10 clubs, or work so hard you fall asleep in the library. None of these things are requirements to finish college. Make memories that will make you happy, not memories that you think you’re supposed to have. ((I went to Disney world on the first week of my first semester of grad school because I didn’t have class. So seriously, if you have free time use it in ways that make you happy))
- You learn so much more outside the classroom than you do while in it. Explore, try new things, talk to anyone you can, read books, watch films people recommend, make things, take pictures…get every ounce of knowledge you can get from your experience. ((My biggest regret of all of college is that I didn’t take more pictures))
- Talk to your professors. Not only are they super smart and experienced (most of the time), they have also been through this before. They are the best people to go to if you need any sort of help. And remember that they are human just like you, don’t be afraid to treat them as such. They can be good friends when you need them. ((I’m friends with an elderly professor and originally I was embarrassed and felt like people thought I was a teacher’s pet, but really, being friends with this professor has made people like me more because I can convince him to move assignments or exams if he doesn’t give us enough time to prepare))
- Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, watch what you eat, wash your clothes, keep your room clean, stay in some nights, exercise, etc. It is so easy to get caught up in everything that you forget that you are still a person with basic human needs, take care of yourself. ((and if you get sick, don’t mix Robitussin, NyQuil, and Advil. Trust me.))
I have so many other things I have learned that I will probably make a different post about them in the future, but these are the most important ones in my eyes.
Now it’s time for me to explore new horizons because I have a world in front of me waiting to be met.
Jess
JessofEarth 
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