In honor of David Letterman’s retirement, I thought that I would present my advice in a Top 10 format. I hope you find these enjoyable and beneficial!
1. Enjoy your college experience to the fullest.
Go to a sports event, attend a lecture given by a notorious speaker, and have late-night study sessions with chocolate chip cookies. These are special opportunities that will provide you with great memories long after college.
2. Embrace the good and the bad.
In college, you will have your share of great times and not-so-great times. Realize that only you have the capability to make any situation better and that we all go through difficult times. It is how you respond after those tough moments that truly test your personal character and reveal the real you.
3. Stay positive all semester.
I found that many classes were the toughest at the beginning of semester. I believe this is due to the fact that I became more familiar about each course’s structure and assignments as the term progressed. Having a positive attitude allowed me to recover whenever I ran into bumps in the road and seek constant improvement in all of my classes.
4. Use college as a platform to learn about life and grow as an individual.
Many of the daily situations and social interactions you find yourself in, whether difficult or rewarding, will prepare you in the future. Use these experiences as a sort of measuring stick to your maturity, marking off where you currently stand and where you would like to stand after graduating college.
5. Attend church once a week with at least one other person.
Believe me, this experience will be much more fulfilling than going by yourself. For me, having others join me for an off-campus worship service became more important than where I attended. This could include going to a campus ministry once a week but I would also strongly encourage you to visit a local church.
6. Find at least one or more “productive places.”
This is somewhere that you are able to completely focus on your work and get your assignments done. There is an art to finding this since people have different “productive places.” Some people prefer studying isolated amidst book shelves on the 4th Floor of the Library while others need to be in an open-spaced Starbucks with Jon McLaughlin music in the background.
7. Keep things simple.
There is such a thing as studying and worrying too much. Know the school/personal life balance that you need to keep to be successful.
8. Be prepared.
Study ahead of time and always think about the exams, assignments, and group projects that lie ahead. I usually started getting ready for those by preparing a week or two in advance. That way, the day before the test would not sneak by me so quickly.
9. Don’t be in a hurry to graduate.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not telling you to stay in college forever. However, I do think the college experience is diminished when all we are concerned about is our date of graduation.
10. Treat yo’ self!
It is good and necessary for every college student to take a break and get away from school every once in a while. I had a tradition where roommates and I would go to Outback Steakhouse for what I called “Outback Night.” Like the restaurant’s motto, there were no rules and it was just right! There was something about getting together with friends over bloomin’ onion and steak that provided me with fun and sanity after a long week of classes.
I wish you the best of luck in all of your college endeavors! If you ever have any questions and/or are in need of advice, feel free to comment on this post or send me an e-mail at thadden91@gmail.com
Your friend,
Tyler Hadden
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