4 Mistakes to Avoid in College

College is the time we learn extensively. The most useful things we learn, however, do not earn us any credit hours. Yet they certainly add value to our expertise in life. We learn those things by making mistakes. Here is my doleful list and I bid you not to follow my steps if you can. Just take the ready-made wisdom to heart and forgo the mistakes I (together with generations of students before me) made for you.

Procrastinating until the very last moment

I know you do it. I did it too. You could easily write that damn essay and forget about it, but you never feel like writing it. Maybe tomorrow the inspiration will strike? Or some other week. Or… And here you are, still not feeling like writing and the paper in question is due tomorrow.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon some reviews of PaperHelp.org while I searched frantically who could get me out of this mess. Still, this last-minute panic is not something I would wish upon my worst enemies. Start working on your assignments the moment you receive the handouts. You think that by avoiding unpleasant work you are being easy on yourself. This is quite the reverse! You are doing yourself a huge disservice and the future you won’t thank you for the sleepless night before the deadline.

Saying yes to everything

If you are born and raised to be a people-pleaser unable to say no, they will eat you alive in college. You will be there at every party, every charity event, every match supporting your team – all day long. And at night, you will write group projects all by yourself because they asked you to.

Don’t say yes just because you are afraid to appear rude or unsociable. Learn to decline politely. Practice it in front of a mirror if you must. FYI, “I don’t want to” and “I don’t feel like it” are legit reasons, so do not invent being sick or some equally pathetic excuses. Imagine the embarrassment when they find you out and call you up on this. 

   

Partying like there’s no tomorrow

Some may tut this as a to-do item on the college bucket list but I advise you not to. Tomorrow will come and with it the hangover. Also, if you are a girl on campus and you have no recollection of what you did after that last drink, you’ll be lucky if it’s only the headache and a hairy tongue. And, possibly, some embarrassing videos of your dubious choreography going viral on Twitter.

Losing control may feel liberating and cool, but it’s dangerous. Drinking to the point of passing out and not remembering the night before looks fun only in cheesy comedies. Know your limits and never exceed them.  By the way, if you are under 21 you limit is 0. You are allowed by all means to get socially drunk and sugar high, though.

Choosing the major you actually hate

Unfortunately, that’s not the rarest of cases. Sometimes young people bend their will to please parents, sometimes they conform to the societal expectations, sometimes they are tempted by lucrative career prospects. Then they are stuck with the degree that certifies their competence in the loathsome field and they feel miserable and disappointed.

I am not a dreamer in rose-tinted glasses. I know that we cannot all become entrepreneurs following their passion. Being practical about investment in your education and your future is absolutely fine. However, I want to remind you that it’s your life. You must decide how you want to spend it. Don’t let other people do it for you.