College: The best years of your life?

I have heard many say that the time you spend in college will be the best 4, 5, or 6 years of your life. But are they really?

For many, college is the first time when they are finally on their own. This is a huge adjustment. I had a rough time in the transition, I am close with my family and living away, took some getting used to.

I was very naïve when I started college. I have come to the realization that I was quite sheltered growing up.

Most of the stuff you learn in college is not necessarily from a class. You will learn what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be. You will learn about other people who grew up very different from you. You will learn about the world, and what kind of place it really is. You will also learn to communicate with peers but also faculty.

One of the great things about college is that you can immerse yourself in many things. You can try new things and explore options that you may have never considered otherwise. You will have so many decisions to make about what kind of people to hang out with, what extracurriculars to pursue, what program to pursue, etc. The decisions you make in college can positively or negatively impact your future.  

Fifteen things I have learned (in no particular order):

1.      Just about every history class you have taken up to college lies to an extent (especially when talking about Native Americans)!

2.      You will become deprived from sleep at some point (especially if you have orgo).

3.      It is okay to change your mind (I changed my major and I will be here 5 years, both things I was determined would not happen), that is purpose of college.

4.      Find a student group! This will really help in finding a place where you belong.

5.      You have to be able to survive on cheap food (you can find ways to make ramen and mac & cheese more gourmet, just give it a try).

6.      Working two-three jobs in addition to school is hard, and I would not recommend it, but I need food and a place to stay)

7.      You have to work hard and put in the effort to succeed (hard work does pay off. Use all the resources at your disposal).

8.      At some point you will have a professor that you hate, but you have to work extra hard in that class to get the grade.

9.      Find an outlet, for me it is working out. You need to plan this into you weekly schedule.

10.  You need to get a planner or an online calendar to keep everything straight (believe me, I always would just remember things, but there comes a point when there is just too much going on).

11.  Find something you are passionate about, and pursue it.

12.  Be open-minded and open to change (it is going to happen)

13.  You’ve got to get used to tight quarters (the residence halls are very tiny and crowded, but you can make the most of it)

14. Set up a budget (trust me, living in a college town is pricey).

15. College is a fresh start, make the most of it, Be yourself!

            With all of this added responsibility, how are these the best years of your life? You have all this added stress and pressure to find out what you want to do and where you want to go. For those who plan on pursuing more education, you work your ass off to get where you are, and there is always the chance that it may be for nothing. Something has got to give; whether it be sleep, social life, grades or family.  I will be honest I am not the greatest student, I don’t have the best grades, and I will most likely not have the best test scores, but what I do have is perseverance, determination, and passion.

                        College is like a chemical reaction, it may take some time and experimentation, but once you find the right concentrations you will have the perfect balance.

Poor choices have consequences

I am to the point where some of the decisions people make do not surprise me. But the results of their decision can have life altering consequences.

Last Saturday I received a phone call from my stepdad in the middle of the night. I was half asleep and still groggy, but this was a huge red flag; I can remember thinking that something bad must have happened. Sure enough it did. My younger brother was in a car accident. Mind you, he is twelve but about the size of a nine year old. Miraculously, he and his friend were both okay. His friend suffered a foot injury, which isn't great considering that fact he is the senior kicker for the high school football team. As for my brother he walked away with abrasions and bruising to the abdomen and face.

The story of the accident is that the driver in the other vehicle was under the influence of either drugs and/or alcohol. He then proceeded to steal his brother's vehicle and take it for a joy ride. Well the joy part did not last long; he crossed the median and caused a head-on collision. The most shocking part is that he just walked away from the accident and left two teenage boys to fend for themselves. Luckily the police caught him a few hours later.

Even though the EMTs did not think anything was wrong, they still took the boys to the hospital to be certain. My brother had to stay on the backboard until the doctor determined there was no head or neck injury. While he was waiting, my brother told my parents, “this is gunna cost you a lot of money,” knowing that he did not have insurance. Which normally, my brother would not even think of that. Since the accident he has been very cautious and “lovable.” And not to mention he has not slept well. Although it was a bad thing that happened, I think it will really open his eyes and make him see the consequences of someone’s poor choices.

My brother was right about one thing, it will cost my parents, a lot. Even if they did have health insurance the ambulance and ER visit would not have been covered, because it was a car accident. The car insurance would have to cover it, even though it was not one of my parent’s vehicles. For the car insurance to cover it, there is a $500 deductible or fee, plus all the cars under the insurance would be hiked. There is the great state of Michigan for you, no fault insurance will bite you in the ass. Either way, it is costly.

People, if you bring one thing home from this, do not let people drive under the influence of anything and do not let them be distracted while driving; it can devastating consequences.