Endless Bliss | Happy Lifestyle Blog: 10 Things I Would Go Back and Tell My College Self.

10 Things I Would Go Back and Tell My College Self.

things i would tell my college self
College was a whirlwind of highs and lows, awesome and awful, tears of joy and tears of sorrow. I learned so much during my time at Louisiana Tech, both inside and outside of the classroom. Even though I wouldn't trade a bad moment for a good, looking back, these are a few things I would go back and tell my college self (particularly my underclassman self). 

You don't have to post every picture you take. 
I've always been the picture taker among my friends. I wanted group shots, smaller group shots, shots with me and each person individually. I wanted smiling faces, silly faces, selfies, everything. I was that girl. I've toned down since, but in college, I wanted to remember and document everything, which is all fine and good to a certain point.

I'm not saying I shouldn't have taken all of the pictures that I did. Of course, I wanted all of those pictures, and I'm glad I have most of them (sadly, a huge chunk of my pictures were forever lost when my other laptop crashed), but I'm not happy about all of the pictures I posted for the world to see. Seriously, I even posted pictures that were blurry or horrible quality. I posted ones that I looked absolutely horrible in and some that I wouldn't want my co-workers to ever see. Ever

These are a few gems I found on my Facebook page:

things i would tell my college self


If I could go back and do it all over again, I definitely would just choose a handful of the pictures I wanted to upload instead of uploading every single picture I ever took. Trust me. Some things are best left on the SD card.

Don't skip classes.
Just because you have an allotted number of absences, doesn't mean you should waste them on sleeping in. I'm a big fan of sleep, and I used to take advantage of those allowed absences. Also, if a teacher didn't take roll, I didn't always go. I know. I'm a horrible person. When I look back at the classes I missed, I'm so disappointed in myself. I was paying for my education (correction: I'm paying for my education now. Student loans=death), and I let that go to waste by skipping classes.

Granted, I wasn't a horrible student. I didn't skip classes all the time. I actually went to class most of the time, and some classes, I never missed a day. My point is, looking back at it now, I shouldn't have missed any classes unless I had a dire reason (like that stomach flu of 2010. Yikes!). 

Getting involved on campus will turn your college experience from good to great.
Don't get me wrong. I had a blast my freshman year, but I feel like my college career didn't really start until my sophomore year when I joined Union Board. Union Board is the organization that brings awesome events for the student body to campus. I got to work backstage at concerts, organize a talent show, and experience so many amazing things that I may not have had the opportunity to do otherwise. 
things i would tell my college self

During the middle of my sophomore year, I tried out to be an Orientation Student Leader and was honestly shocked that I was selected. At that point in my life, I was so timid, shy and unsure about myself. I had no confidence to speak of. Being an OSL really brought me out of my shell. I had the best summer of my college career as a 2010 OSL. 
things i would tell my college self

I'm so glad that I took the plunge to get involved in college. I don't think I would have enjoyed my college career as much as I did if I hadn't. 

Live on campus for as long as you can.
There was a time in my college career when I did tons of research to look for housing off campus. I even drove around to look at houses for rent. I just thought that I was becoming a grown-up, and for some reason, I thought that meant that I needed to move off campus. I'm so glad that I never actually took the leap to do it. I stayed in the dorms for my freshman and sophomore years of college, and during junior year, I moved into an on-campus apartment with some friends, and we stayed there for senior year as well. 
If I would have moved off campus, I would have been so broke. I didn't even work my senior year of college because I didn't have a car (thanks to someone who decided to run a red light. Still a little bitter), so I don't know why I thought living off campus would have even been an option for me. I'm sad that I wasted so much time determined to find a place to live when living in an on-campus apartment was pretty much the best thing ever. 

You know that list of things you want to do before you graduate? Go do them!
Netflix and movie marathons are all good and fun, but it's nothing compared to a walk in the rare Louisiana snow (or slush, really) or a spontaneous late night drive to IHOP or your first road trip without any parents or coordinating outfits for a party or buying a drink at the drive-thru daiquiri place at midnight on your 21st birthday or grabbing every single game in your apartment and having a random game night. 
I actually did make a list of things I wanted to do before I graduated, and guess what? I didn't do them all! How disappointing. I think that's why I'm so attached to my 30 before 30 and bucket lists now; because I didn't finish this list (even though it was much simpler, and everything was in relatively close proximity). 
things i would tell my college self

8 am classes every day is not, and will never be, a good idea.
I had one quarter where I had 8 am classes Monday through Friday. It was probably the worst quarter of my life. I'm not a morning person, so I'm really not sure how or why I did that to myself. Even though school started at 7:30 am when I was in high school, for some reason, when I got to college, 8 am classes just seemed like a punishment. My brain couldn't function properly at 8 am, and if I could barely make it to class on time, you know I wasn't eating breakfast, so that definitely didn't help things. 

Basically, 8 am classes = no. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. 

Take advantage of office hours.
You know that paper you're struggling with or that econ formula you just can't seem to right? Go ask your professors about it! Seriously. I didn't start visiting my teachers during their office hours until late my junior year, but even then, I didn't really take advantage of it. I mean, think about it: You could get your English teacher to read your paper and critique it. They'll give you pointers on what to fix, and as long as you fix it, you're gold. 

Econ and finance were my enemies in college. They were my hardest classes (besides political science and a geology class that I ended up dropping). Instead of complaining to my friends about how hard the classes were, I should have gone to my professors and asked for help and further explanations. At least then they would see I was making the effort and possibly take pity on me. Maybe my grades wouldn't have been quite so terrible in those classes if I would have gathered all my pride and just asked for help.
Friends will come and go, but true friends will stick around.
The thing about friendship is that it doesn't always last forever. People you may call your BFF may betray you or your hectic schedules could cause you drift apart. It's not the end of the world. The important thing to remember is if someone wants to be in your life, they'll be there, and if you want someone in your life, then put in some effort. Schedule lunches or coffee dates. Meet up at a party or plan a trip together. Don't always expect other people to put in the effort. Friendships is 50/50.
In college, your schedule changes so frequently. It changed even more frequently for me because my school was on the quarter system. The thing about college is there is a plethora of people to meet. College is essentially a melting pot of several different kinds of people, and your future friends are waiting for you to find them. The people you're best friends with freshman year may not be the same people you're best friends with senior year, but that's okay. The friends who are meant to be in your life will be there. 

things i would tell my college self


Travel.
I'm so mad at myself for not taking advantage of the endless opportunities for travel in college. We had so many breaks, including a three month long summer, and for most of those, I sat around the house or worked or did nothing. I should have been traveling. 

Now when I want to go somewhere, I have to take short weekend trips or plan it around my allotted vacation time at work. Granted, I get a good amount of paid vacation time, but I still have to come back to a lot of unfinished and/or new business. I'm lucky to have a job that I literally barely even think about on the weekends or when I'm on vacation, but it's a sad wake-up call when I get back in the office. It was so hard for me to get back in the groove after my two-week long vacation in Europe!

Looking back, I wish I would have taken advantage of my time off to see the world, or even just take some epic road trips around the US. I could have even studied abroad or worked as an au pair for a few months overseas. Now, I'm a big girl, and opportunities like that aren't plentiful. I did take a lot of awesome road trips in college and also celebrated graduation with a senior cruise, but there's so much more world to see!
things i would tell my college self
This was before the whole getting stuck at sea disaster. 

Never miss an opportunity to learn.
College isn't just about learning, but, obviously, learning is a huge part. College is supposed to prepare you for whatever life holds for you after graduation, and while life can be pretty unpredictable, there are so many ways for you to learn and grow and cram as much knowledge into your brain as possible. I wish I would have taken advantage of the Career Center at my school and "free" counseling sessions, and the Writing Center. I was also in a sea of professors with so much knowledge, and I just let all of those potential mentors fall through the cracks.

Something I definitely wish I would have had back in college is ProSky. Even though I grew up in the social media age, I feel like social media and online marketing is always adapting. There's always room to grow and always more to learn. If I would have known that a year after graduating college, I would be blogging and a huge part of my full-time would be social media-related, I would have taken advantage of awesome things that ProSky has to offer. 
prosky

Basically, ProSky offers online 9-12 week courses in Social Media Marketing, Business Intelligence, Sales, Digital Marketing, Brand Strategy Design, SEO, Financial and HR Software Systems, and so much more. All of the classes are designed and taught by professionals from Facebook, Twitter, Marc Ecko, Sony, and more. You gain knowledge and insight in the course of your choice and work on real-life projects that you can add to your resume. Plus, you can collaborate with other students and mentors from other universities and professional industries worldwide (including LinkedIn, Zappos, Benessere Foundation, Stance Socks and more!). 

What's great about ProSky is that you can learn at your own pace, which means you can work around your hectic schedule, unlike traditional internships. ProSky not only allows you to learn skills through your chosen course, but you also get to do hands-on work by leading projects and also networking with industry professionals as well as students around the world. Think about it this way: If you did two ProSky series every year, starting your freshman year, you would have done eight projects for eight different companies, all of which can go on your resume. That's basically getting your foot in the door of eight different companies all from the comfort of your dorm room.

There are so many opportunities for you to learn and grow during your time in college. Take advantage of all of them!

What things would you go back and tell your college self?

Thank you to ProSky and HerCampus for sponsoring today's post. 

46 comments :

  1. hehehe, I would actually probably have told myself to do whatever I could to get out of living in dorms during my first year! It was super, super expensive, and my entire building was antisocial, so anyone I met from my floor/building, I actually met because of the activities I was involved in. I lived with the same roommate for all 4 years, so not having to live in dorms would've meant learning to cook + being healthier a whole year earlier. :O

    I definitely would've told myself to go to office hours more often!

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  2. This is great! Yea, 8 am classes are the devil. I like the go out and do things and experience life tips :)

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  3. I loved this post, Tiffany! I am looking back on my college years right now, and it's so easy to stay in and keep to yourself during college, but really getting involved and hanging out with friends is so important! I also agree with your travel one! I am so grateful that I was able to travel in college and I think it's something everyone should do! And what an awesome post to include ProSky! I am just loving their strategy with online courses and all of the classes look like so much fun!

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  4. Tiffany,
    These are some great tips. I enjoyed my college years but look and realize there were other ways I could have seized the day. I agree that Office Hours should be taken advantage of.

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  5. this is such a good list! I only did a few years of college because, unfortunately, my parents are well off, but never helped me pay for the expenses and I personally couldn't afford it anymore. When I did go, I definitely did some of these haha. I would go back and tell myself to not skip class or put half effort just because. I think I might've been burnt out, if I'm honest. I tried to do everything at once.

    stop by and chat if you like :) http://storybookapothecary.com

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  6. I love this post. It's helpful that I'm still in college and can see things that I'm not doing and that I still have time to fix it!

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  7. Biggest regret of college: Not doing study abroad.

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  8. So true about friend come and go but true friend with stay. I have learn this from all my move's.

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  9. you are so cute!! I would tell myself not to post so many pics hahaha guilty!!

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  10. Already feeling nostalgic and I haven't graduated yet. *Cry Face Emoji.* I would overdo a TON of things during my college career. Unfortunately since I go to a small school, 8ams were a must freshman-sophomore year because that was the only time I could take my mandatory Spanish class. It was the worst. I would wake up at 7:45/50, run to class in a hoodie and fall asleep in class. I perfected the art of going braless those two years. But seriously, who wants to wake up at 8 am and try to speak a completely different language? No Nadie no quiere!

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  11. What?! You HAD to do 8 am classes! No no no thanks. I tried to only do it when the class I had to take was only offered at that time or the other option had a horrible teacher. I'm so jealous of your bralessness. I wish I could have rocked that Carrie Bradshaw style.

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  12. Yea! I'm so much better about pics now because, instead of putting them on Facebook, I post it on my blog, and it's not as annoying haha.

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  13. Exactly! Most of my really good friends don't even live near me, but we still keep up with each other and meet up whenever we can.

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  14. Exactly! I feel like my college experience wasn't real until I started getting involved. You meet so many incredible (and not so incredible) people, and you learn so much about yourself. Not studying abroad is one of my biggest regrets too.

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  15. I'm so glad you found it helpful! Good luck with the rest of your college career! I miss college so much!

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  16. Same here, Emily! I'm still so upset with myself about it. Ugh!

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  17. I had to get student loans to finish college, and it sucks paying it off, but I'm still kind of grateful for it. That sucks that your parents weren't willing to help out :(

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  18. I felt like I spent a lot of time in my apartment or dorm. I had a blast, but I wish I would've gotten out more!

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  19. I'm so glad that I decided to get involved during college. I had so much fun, and I can't imagine what college would have been like without the organizations I was in. That's awesome that you got to travel in college! I wish I would have taken the opportunity to do that. I completely agree with what you said about ProSky! It looks like a great site and a great way to build your resume, make connections, and gain experience.

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  20. 8 am classes were the absolute worst! I was not (and still am not) a morning person.

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  21. Ha the photo thing for sure... I was a selfie ho. I graduated years ago(ugh I feel old), and my college experience wasn't the best. I was actually writing a tips for college students post before I popped over here lol. One BIG thing I would've told myself was not to push myself so hard or get mad at failures. I was honestly in tears when I graduated because I didn't graduate with honors. Yet, I had been on the Deans list, my friends cheated off me(and got honors?) and I once took 21 credits while working full time. I focused too much on trying to excel and didn't enjoy the actual experience. College is in insane time. It goes by so fast and you should enjoy it...while still being a good student.

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  22. I can definitely see your side of that, especially with the experience you described. I actually loved my dorm experience, and I lived on a floor with a lot of awesome girls! My school also isn't that big (only about 10,000 when I was there, but it's grown), and the dorms I stayed in were pretty inexpensive. I definitely lived off of Easy Mac and cafe food though, so being able to cook would definitely have been a benefit!

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  23. YES YES YES is all I have to say about this post. I graduate in May, and this is spot on. And it's making me kind of sad because I totally haven't taken advantage of my college experience.

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  24. I took so many selfies. It's embarrassing. Now, I barely take any because I feel like I met my selfie quota so long ago haha. That's really good advice - not to get mad at your failures. College is the time for making mistakes, that's for sure. I was the only one of my friends that graduated without chords, which upset me at first, but then I got over it, because I was still proud of myself for graduating. I can definitely understand why you were frustrated because your friends took advantage of you, yet they graduated with honors. Ugh! I miss college so much and there are things I wish I would have done. I didn't fully take advantage of it!

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  25. Luckily, you still have a little time to squeeze some fun in! Do it! I miss college so much, and I feel nostalgic about it more times than I'd like to admit.

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  26. My first semester I signed up for 7:30 classes. I learned not to do that VERY quickly.

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  27. that's tough, but it's good you were able to finish. Yeah, it's kind of a bust, especially since I did really well in school and wanted to go, but that's life. I might go and do it later on. Who knows :)

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  28. I laughed at the 8 am classes are never a good idea. Amen! I swear I always looked like a bum in those class. Rolling right out of bed and stumbling to class. Ughh the worst!

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  29. haha LOVED this post!! I definitely would have told myself to live on campus. I lived off campus, which was great because I didnt need to move my things every semester, but all my friends lived on campus. So the driving back and forth was a pain. Thank you for sharing! :)

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  30. This is a great post...and so true!!! Oh how I miss college:-)

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  31. I always said I would never be one of those people that went to class in PJs, and I'm happy to say that I never did, but I was definitely looked like I was struggling in those 8 am. They were the worst!

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  32. I loved living on campus because everything was within walking distance. It really was just more convenient! I can imagine how driving back and forth could get a bit annoying.

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  33. You definitely should, especially if you did well in school and if you enjoy learning! I want to go back and go to grad school one day.

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  34. The 8 AM classes definitely through me for a loop. My church has early morning seminary for high schoolers high school started (at 6:00AM), so 9th-12th grade, I was used to waking up early. However, my first year of college, I had 8AM classes every day and thought it would be no problem. But, something happened and I just couldn't do it! It's like college changes your physiology!

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  35. This was a great post! I think I would tell myself "Everything's going to be okay," since life is always so different at the beginning of your freshman year. Once I got the groove of everything, I felt good, but it took a while to get adjusted!

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  36. Great post! I currently am in my first year of college so reading this post definitely exposed me to resources I've heard about or seen on campus, but never thought to look into. After reading the post, I think I might just look into seeking guidance from professors who I've come to admire thus far, join a few more clubs and get involved, and try to avoid 8 AM classes (currently taking 8 AM classes 4 days a week...and I commute for a good hour and a half!) Thanks for sharing your insight, Tiffany! This was most definitely helpful!

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  37. I couldn't agree with this list more! I did absolutely nothing to get involved on campus until SENIOR year when I finally joined a sorority, which I had procrastinated doing until then. And "there's literally nothing interesting about this pic" I loled hahaha. I also spent all my breaks being lazy...when I should have been traveling.

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  38. ha! you really dont have to post all the pics you take, i was the same!

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  39. I completely agree! I was used to waking up for school in high school, but when I got to college, it's like my mind and body just refused to function that early. It was definitely a problem!

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  40. That's such great advice, and I completely agree. There were parts of my freshman year were I was just so uncertain about so many thing, but when I think about the journey from then until now, I'm grateful for that uncertainty. If I was too comfortable freshman year, I don't know if I would have seen much personal growth.

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  41. That is so great! You should definitely try to make connections with professors and take advantage of office hours. You should also just take advantage of all of the great sources that your college has to offer, such as the career center, counseling, etc. And a definite yes to getting involved! I hate that I waited until sophomore year to do it. I wish I would have done it freshman year. I can't believe you're taking 8 am classes and commuting an hour and a half! I would NOT have been able to do that at all. I can't even imagine.

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  42. You waited until senior year? Wow! I was complaining about waiting until sophomore year haha. But that's great that you still got involved in your sorority senior year! I never joined a sorority, but I did go through rush and had a blast, and I actually waited to do that my junior year! And yes, I posted so many pointless picture on Facebook. What a waste! Haha. I'm still so sad that I didn't study abroad or do more traveling when I was in college, but oh well. I'll make up for it somehow!

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  43. I'm glad you understand, Laura! It's so obnoxious how many pictures I posted. Seriously. Horrific. Most of them weren't even good.

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  44. I agree about so many of these! Getting involved was the best thing I ever did. I learned and grew more as a person in the activities I was involved in than the other aspects of college. I also wish I could tell myself to study abroad. That was my biggest regret.

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