A true learning experience: Valuable lessons I have learned from college so far

College has definitely been a learning experience - more than just academically. In fact, I think I have learned more about life during my three years in college than any other period of my life. I am sure many of you can say the same. As I reflected on all that I have learned thus far, I started to compile a list of all the lessons that college has taught me. While there are many, these are the ones that stood out to me the most: 

You reap what you sow

The amount of effort you put into something is likely the amount you will get out of it. If you want to do well on an assignment or project, you have to put effort into it to get the grade. Or, if you want to make money, you have to put in the hours. The results of life are often dependent on how much you are willing to put into it. 

It never hurts to ask

Over the past three years, I have learned the value of simply asking, whether it be for help, an accommodation or extension or anything really. The worst that can happen is that they say no. So, why not ask? There is always the chance that the answer will be a yes!

Every choice matters

Throughout your day, the choices you make either push you closer toward your goals or deter you from them. It can be as big as not studying and failing a class or as small as going to bed at 3:00 a.m. and being tired the next day. Either way, our seemingly small, everyday choices are powerful and can have a bigger impact on our lives than we realize. 

Priorities

College teaches you what your priorities are. We make time for the things that are important to us, whether it be grades, Netflix, friends, sports, family or gaming. College has a way of bringing to light the things that we deem as priorities in our lives, whether we recognize them or not. It is up to us to reflect on what we are prioritizing and decide whether or not it is something we want to focus our attention on. 

College is a true learning experience in all senses of the word. Sometimes, the lessons life teaches us are a lot harder than those in the classroom. However, they are no less important or impactful on our future. I hope that you continue to learn not only from college itself but from what you can take away from the experience as a whole. 

By Hannah Olin