College tips, tricks, and what I wish I would've known going in.

After five long years in college, I’m finally going to graduate in May with a B.A. and I couldn’t be more thrilled that this chapter in my life is coming to an end.

However, this has been a journey I’ve mostly had to embark on alone, so here are some things I wish I would’ve known five years ago. I’ll also throw in some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. Hopefully this will be helpful to some college freshmen or high school seniors!

1. This is one I knew, but it may be helpful for other people: If you’re really stressing over taking the SATs, don’t! You do not have to take them. Well, you do, but only if you want to attend a four-year university straight out of high school. If you don’t, good news! Most schools will accept 24 credits (give or take) from a community/two-year college in lieu of SAT scores. This is the route I took because, while I scored a 1650/1800 on my PSATs, I couldn’t be fussed with the real test.

2. There is nothing wrong with community college! I spent two and a half years at community college and let me tell you, the classes I took there were 100x more difficult than the ones I’m taking at my four-year university. All the friends I’ve made in college, I made there. Everything I’ve learned that I can recall at a moment’s notice, I learned there. I know community college gets a bad rap, but there’s nothing shameful about going there. It’s a nice transition between high school and a large university too.

3. Since I started college, I’ve loaded all my classes on two days. I’ve held a part-time job since I was 16, so it was always a struggle for me to juggle school and work, but loading all my classes on two days has been my saving grace. Going to school 8a-3p may seem like a drag when the alternative is 12-2 or something, but when I have five days a week to study or finish assignments, the seven hour schooldays are worth it.

4. Don’t get caught up on big-name schools. Almost every school I applied and got accepted to were well-known schools: Drexel, Columbia, the University of Southern California, the University of Central Florida. USC was and still is my dream school, and I stayed up all night crying when I got accepted because I was so happy. I couldn’t wait to commit and move to Los Angeles. But I didn’t go because deep down I knew I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t afford any of those schools. Thinking about the future is important, and I couldn’t imagine graduating $200,000 in debt (for reference, USC is $52,000 per semester). If you can afford a big-name school, go for it! But don’t think a big name = a better education.

5. Take time for yourself. I may be a little too guilty of this because I’m the world’s biggest procrastinator and I’m notorious for never studying, but I see so many of my friends burnt out a few weeks into the semester and it seriously bums me out. Yes, studying and doing well in your classes is important, but it’s not worth pulling all-nighters and having a mental breakdown. Your sanity and mental health is just as important! Please remember that.

6. It’s okay to not have your life figured out right away! You know how many times I’ve changed my major? Like, twelve. No joke. And if I wasn’t two months away from graduating, I’d change it again. Being expected to know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re not even allowed to legally drink is pretty absurd anyway. Take some time to think about it. You’ve got all the time in the world.

7. On that note, don’t feel obligated to finish in the standard four years. I’m a year behind everyone I graduated high school with and I’m fine with that. I only take 12 credits a semester because I refuse to feel overwhelmed and resort to what I talked about in point five. My family jokes that I’m trying to be a professional student but not overloading myself, I’ve been able to maintain a very impressive GPA and throw myself into school 100%, so a few jokes seems like a fair trade.

8. Take advantage of internships! This is so, so important for certain majors. Nowadays, employers don’t really give a shit what you did in school. They don’t care if you got a C in Macroeconomics or if you graduated with a perfect GPA — they care about experience. Internships are perfect when it comes to this conundrum. You’re able to get real-world experience and college credit for it, and it’s an excellent way to network. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM IF THEY’RE AVAILABLE IN YOUR MAJOR.

9. One of my professors this semester said something that will stick with me forever: College students are the worst consumers on the planet. Seriously, we are. We pay some ridiculous amount for tuition and don’t take advantage of everything we’re paying for. Your tuition pays your professors, so take advantage of them. Go to their office hours. E-mail them in the middle of the night if you’re having trouble with something. Bother the fuck out of them because that’s what they’re paid for. They may say that’s not true, but that’s a lie. Get your money’s worth!

10. Last but not least, HAVE FUN.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I know high school teachers try to talk up college like it’s some huge deal, but I promise it’s not that bad.