It’s graduation season, and all of the fresh-faced high school graduates are eager to start the college experience, but here are a few things to consider before applying:
Apply to the Exact College for You
There are over 4,000 colleges in the United States alone. There are even more all around the world. And each and every one is a little bit different. Once you’ve decided you want to go to college you should consider your many options carefully, because when you’re spending so much money on a thing there’s no such thing as ‘close enough’.
Each level of education you pursue should be more and more specific to what you are ultimately interested in. Not every school has the same engineering programs, English programs or art programs. There are subtle differences between each and every one. Look through the course catalog and see what specific classes each school offers.
Collect a long list of schools and programs, and don’t settle for anything less than perfect. Don’t waste your time at a school that is not going to give you exactly what you want.
Consider Beginning at a Community College
Community colleges have gained an unfair stigma in our culture. We tend to think of them as pretend colleges for people who can’t get into a real school, but there are plenty of great community colleges that will give you the same education as a state school. So why pay $10-20 thousand per semester when you can spend $2 thousand for the same education?
Community colleges also tend to allow their students greater independence and flexibility. For those of you with life obligations other than school—or for those of you who just don’t want to be trapped in the sometimes over-protective college environment —community colleges are a great option.
Think about Taking a Year Off
I’ve always felt gap years should be federally (and financially) encouraged. For many, college is just a continuation of high school—the next thing to do—but college is most useful when you know exactly what you want from it.
It’s easiest to get somewhere when you know where you’re going. Before jumping into higher education, design your college experience so that it fits in with your life plan, or so that it fulfills those goals you hope to accomplish before you enter the job market.
School isn’t the only place to learn, so (if you’ve got the support) take your gap year to jump into an industry you’ve always found fun or interesting. Do some volunteering or find a mentor who doesn’t mind you tagging along on the job.
Take Advantage of Every Resource
You may never know this until you actually start paying for college, but when your first bill comes in there will be one hell of a lot of things you’re paying for other than just ‘tuition’. There will be student fees, materials fees, support fees, gym fees, and probably fee fees. Take advantage of those fees, because you don’t get a discount for not using them.
Go to the Writing Center
Your college definitely has a writing center. It’s services are free. Go to them and ask what sort of services they offer. They will offer tutoring on academic papers in all subjects, but they probably also offer help with resumes, cover letters, personal statements for scholarships or other schools, and on and on. Writing centers are probably the most underused resource at colleges, because people think seeing a tutor makes them dumb. It doesn’t. People who are good at things seek second opinions. See a tutor; its free.
Go to the Library
Your school’s library is more than just a quiet place to make-out surrounded by books. Many college libraries, even at community colleges, are full media centers with access to film archives, obscure computer software, obscure hardware and access to a huge network of stuff.
Is there software you are thinking about buying but can’t afford? It’s probably free at your library. Is there a movie you want to see, but can’t find? You can probably get it free at your library. Is there a tool you’ve always wanted to learn how to use, but you don’t know how to get access to it? ASK YOUR LIBRARIAN!
Go to the Gym
You are paying for it whether you go or not, so you may as well use it. Stay healthy, stay sexy. What else do I need to say?
Go Everywhere
There’s all kinds of stuff just laying around at colleges. Sometimes you need special permission to use it, but sometimes no one cares what you do. Every school in the developed world has a piano that no one is using. Look up some tutorials on YouTube, and learn how to play that piano. It’s dope.
Make Friends with People Who Are Different
The most important resource any college offers its students is other people. Kindergarten can be very stressful for young children, because usually it is the first time these children have ever been left alone with people who don’t love them unconditionally. It can be stressful. But it is also an important lesson on the greater world around them. College is the same thing, just on a larger scale.
Talk to people who think differently than you, who come from different backgrounds than you, who have different interests than you. Don’t get so caught up within your own group of friends or your own major that you never experience the weird collection of folks gathered at your school. Have your assumptions challenged. Check stuff out.
There all kinds of talented people with all kinds of talents at any college, so talk to them. And learn from them! See if you can start some fun independent projects with them. I’m not talking about networking either. Networking is what sociopaths call ‘making friends’. Just go make some friends.
Take It Easy
College stresses people the f*** out. It can be a lot of pressure at a time in your life when that pressure is hard to handle. So take it easy. There are a lot of opportunities available to you while you’re at college, but they don’t necessarily go away when you graduate or if you, unfortunately, fail.
Unless you plan on going to grad school, your GPA probably won’t ever matter again. Try to pass your classes, get your degree, meet talented people and have a good reputation. Those things matter. Whether you made the deans list probably won’t.