Sarah
Another month has come and gone, and with it, I finished my undergraduate degree in college. Officially being a college graduate is a bit terrifying. What does the future hold? Will I get a job? All very good questions. But for now, I’m going to offer some tips I’ve learned throughout my college career.
Don’t take stuff too seriously.
Now this doesn’t mean totally goofing off and doing absolutely nothing. But, if you’re super stressed about a paper that is only 10% of your grade, try not to freak out. It will be okay. Sometimes you can work on something for far too long and stress yourself out to a ridiculous degree. When that happens, you just need to submit your assignment and know that you did the best you could. One botched assignment (probably) isn’t going to tank your grade. And even if it does…
It’s okay to fail classes and have to re-take them.
So many people I know have had to re-take classes. It’s okay. Some classes are really hard. Some classes you end up having a really terrible professor who just really doesn’t like you. Whatever the case may be, it is not uncommon for people to have to do stuff over again.
Imposter syndrome is real. Don’t listen to it.
I graduated with a degree in journalism and women’s studies, so I can’t speak to imposter syndrome in STEM fields, but I would assume it’s similar. Every article I wrote I was pretty sure was the worst thing anyone has ever written. My professor thought they were all very good to excellent. That just goes to show you that sometimes your brain likes to pick on you. It says you’re not as good as everyone else and that you suck, but you shouldn’t listen to it. Know that you are capable and that you worked hard to get to the place that you are in.
Go do stuff.
Seriously. Go do stuff. Universities have so many events happening – movies, concerts, workshops, lectures…I can go on and on. Whatever you’re interested in, I’m sure you can find something related. Don’t be afraid to go to events that intrigue you. Sometimes they can turn into great networking opportunities, and the worst is that you go to a boring event.
What advice do you have for college students? Let us know over on Twitter @Fuzzable!
