Junesix

To Everyone Entering College This Fall

Tips that I’ve learned:

College is a chance to reinvent yourself. Do things you normally wouldn’t and see how it works out. There’s some parts of yourself you can’t change overnight, but there are clever workarounds. Nobody knows or cares about what you did in high-school, so put the letter jacket into storage for the next few years.

Have an elevator-pitch about yourself; it doesn’t even have to be that cool. I’m the “Philosophy Major Res Hall Dude”. But be aware of how that defines you and consciously subvert it. Don’t turn it into an obnoxious schtick.

Find a diverse bunch of amazing people and hang out with them. Of course, the trick is for them to find you interesting in some way as well so that they’ll agree to do the same. That’s where #1 and #2 come in. Being around incredible people means that some of their awesomeness rubs off on you. That’s a GOOD THING.

Once you’ve made friends, make more friends by introducing them to your friends. People in college are lonelier than you’d think, and they’ll be grateful for being introduced to others. Figure out your friends’ elevator-pitches to make this easier.

Campuses have the wackiest activities. DO THEM. K-State has a parachute club that I joined to skydive a few times my freshman year. It’s crazy fun that I couldn’t have had in high-school, and makes for a great anecdote to share with others later.

You will probably have a crazy roommate sometime over the course of your college experience. Mine that experience for some good crazy roommate stories.

When in doubt on a small-talk topic, default to bitching about the campus newspaper. It’s the “So how about that weather?” of our generation.

Nobody really knows what they’re doing, so don’t be scared when you don’t.

Brilliant advice. I’ll be sending this to my cousin who starts college in fall.

Source: gregbrown