As I finish out my time at BU with the Los Angeles Program, I’ve taken some time to look back on my experience and the ups and downs of the last three and a half years. I’ve obviously learned a lot and grown as a person, but the main thing I believe to be true is that it’s all been worth it.
College can be a scary place. It’s daunting before you get here, and it’s pretty intimidating even after spending a little time here. The mindset I adopted right away was to push through my insecurities with all of it and try to expose myself to as much as possible. The least I could do with my last blog post is offer some advice on my way out.
1. Sign up for everything. I’ve written more about this in another post, but I’ll sum it up by saying this: Try everything. Give out your email to every club that sounds remotely interesting. Remember you can always unsubscribe from their email lists. It’s pretty easy.
2. Meet people. Everybody is in the same or a similar place friend and network-wise in college. Even if you’re a couple years in, the people around you tend to be on the same level. It’s important to be open to not necessarily making friends but meeting people. You never know who you might end up spending a lot of time with.
3. Use your resources. Go to Undergraduate Affairs and schedule an appointment. Go to the Writing Center and have someone look over your paper. Go to FPS and use the equipment (for FREE (seriously I’ve been without this for under a month, and I’m already feeling it)). Just go make things or do things with what you have. It’ll help you in the long run – even if you’re no good at it right now.
4. This one is split into two for two (vague) types of people. Ask your friends if you’re not sure which one you are.
a. If you’re the person that spends a lot of time partying and not worrying about school at all, maybe take a break. Partying can be as exhausting as doing actual work, and it’s important to balance your energy with both of them. It’s too easy to procrastinate and brush off due dates (and even some assignments), but you have to remember that it’s important not to waste your education. Also go to class. Only skip if it’s REALLY worth it.
b. If you’re the person that spends a lot of time on homework and at internships, make sure you have fun. College is obviously for learning in a higher education environment, but you’re not supposed to feel like you have a full time job (unless you also happen to have a full time job). Work gets stressful. You’ll have the rest of your life to worry about that. There will likely not be another time after graduation when you live so close to so many of your friends, so please take advantage of that.
Anyway, this is the gist of what I can offer in my old age. Enjoy college, and find your place.
Love, Ethan
