General Advice for College Students (aka 5 important lessons I learned this week)

College isn't easy.
Life isn't easy.
But neither are as hard as you think.

1. Do not overload your schedule. Learn your limits and respect them. A classmate named Anna was considering taking 19 credits next semester in an attempt to keep her graduation within four years. I could not emphasize enough how poor of a decision this is, and how if I could make sure no one has to learn this lesson the hard way, I would. Here is my small and meager attempt at making this possible, because trust me... you don't want to learn this lesson based on experience.

2. Proofread, proofread, proofread! Again, this point is hard to over-emphasize. Especially in the context of constructing a professional document, whether it be your résumé, an e-mail to your professor, or a document intended for a potential employer... DO NOT FORGET TO PROOFREAD! Do it a million times, and then another ten. Read slowly; read it out loud; double check your information. You don't want to look like a fool to your superiors, or even to your peers.

3. Take things in stride. Being open to new experiences is great, but you also need to be open to the fact that any situation could come at you, and sometimes you just need to flow with it. Maybe it's not going your way, but that doesn't mean it's going the wrong way. Your ever-so-thought-out-and-concrete-plans are not truly a measure of your success. So you failed an exam? Relax, things will get better. So you don't know where you're going with your life? Breathe, things tend to work out. Unexpected does not mean you're unprepared.

4. Never take anything too seriously. Especially yourself. Look, circumstances will arise and you will freak out. It happens. My first advice is to let yourself freak out, because you need this. The second step is to let it go. I know it feels like every decision you make is a huge weight which is slowly (or quickly) affecting and building your future. Nothing is that set in stone. Stop worrying so much. Learn to laugh at a situation, and learn to laugh at yourself.

5. Being happy is the most important aspect of your life. So be happy! In some cases, you'll need to make changes in order to be happy. In other cases, you'll need to change your perspective in order to be happy. Whatever it takes, do it. You can't keep wallowing in self-pity, because there comes a point when the only person who feels sorry for you is you. And feeling sorry for yourself is pathetic. It had to be said, so there.


This week's Weekly Distraction (because Maroon 5 sounds like summer, and this song is Miami)