When I asked a friend why he had not finished college, he told me that in college, you either sleep, study or party, you can’t do all. College is a place where you find yourself, for others it is where they slowly get lost. To those looking to join college, here are five tips to help you hack college.
1.Be yourself
Ask yourself, who am I? Then when you get the answer, stick to it. Most people in college become who others want or expect them to be. They miss an opportunity to be themselves. Do not be afraid what people think of you. Be yourself, no matter how weird or eccentric. Live as your true self.
2.Stay away from cliques
You will not get much done, I promise. Depending on what kind of group you are in, you are likely to take on their habits. College is a place to explore yourself- so try to be an individual. This does not mean you should not have friends, but do not let not your actions be based on others expectations of you or the need to ‘fit in’ in a certain clique. Don’t restrict yourself, you are your own person.
3.Stay off drugs
Now the thing about drugs is that they control you and not the other way round. At some point, drugs will start taking charge of you, no matter how much you think you got it together. They will tell you that it is a weekend yet it is the fourth day of the week, they will convince you that you can ace the exam without studying and that class is not as important, for now. There are many dangers associated with drugs, be careful to avoid them.
4.Prioritize
There are a lot of things that go on in college and in your life. And because you can’t be in everything at the same time, you need to prioritize. If you can’t prioritize, then you can’t hack college. Take for instance, it is a Thursday night and there is a party round the block and you have a term paper due Friday morning- what would you rather do? What you choose determines if you will hack college. College is a place for intellectuals, where knowledge is generated and shared, it is not a chill zone.
5.Have hobbies
Find something you like and do it. And no, partying and chilling are not hobbies. College is meant to help you discover and reinforce what you like. Try out new things, and experiment. Join school clubs, take a weekend off with friends, travel, learn a new skill, take a course that is interesting or play a sport. Do not your life revolve around the library alone. Go outside your comfort zone and learn new things, and do what you love.
This article was written by Capital Campus Correspondent Carolyne Mutisya.
