By Keshia Smith
Think about it for a second. Above all the fixtures, food, and furniture… what do you really need upon arrival for college?
1. A strong sense of who you are
Know who you are, because people will try to convince you otherwise. What are your goals and what is important to you? These are the things you should ask yourself before stepping foot on campus. This doesn’t mean that your values can’t change over time; this is just to prevent you from being bullied into changing your mind. For example, I know people who changed their major multiple times because a professor said they were not good at something. Sometimes you have to disregard what others say and stay true to yourself. There will be plenty of people who will try to get you to think one way or do this or that or join this club or that club… having a strong sense of who you are will allow you to sort through everything and figure out what is important to you.
2. An open mind
Having an open mind is key. You will be living in a place you have never lived in, with people you have never met, and you may (no, actually, you will) meet people unlike anyone you have ever met. You may even seem odd to some people or they may seem odd to you. You may feel the need to flock to people who are just like you. Don’t. Get out of your contort zone. Most people you meet are generally nice and not out to get you, if you give them a chance. Getting to know people with differences may give you a great understanding and love for others. I had a roommate who, on paper, seemed like the exact opposite of me. I think we were apprehensive of being roommates at first but after a while we realized we got along great. Always keep an open mind.
3. A good dose of discernment
You will get a lot of information about everything. You will have to have you own discernment to shift through it all to find what is true. I’ll just leave it at that.
4. Balance
You will be busy! More busy than ever before! Even when you are not busy, you will feel busy because you are most likely avoiding something you need to be doing. They say, “sleep, grades, social life… pick two,” but let’s be real. You need all three. You CANNOT get good grades or have a social life without sleep. So you will need to learn to balance.
5. The ability to let things go
Your life is going to change, and in the process of this you will need to learn to let things go. This could involve people, places, and things. Let things go and look for new things.
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