I feel as though I have been pretty open about my college experience. It was unusual, sure, but most importantly it was entirely my own. It didn't go the way I had thought it would when I was eighteen years old headed off to Richmond, but that's okay. Everything I have today is in result of the choices I made and I must say, I'm pretty happy with them. With that being said, there are a few things that if I had to do it over again, I definitely would do somethings a bit different. Whether you're about to embark on the next chapter of your life or your just starting high school with no idea what you want from your future, I hope this post can help you in someway to make sure you're completely satisfied with your choices.
One. Pick The Right School // I really didn't know what I was looking for in college when I started my campus tours. I loved just about everywhere I visited, but I didn't have that sense of belonging like most people say they do. On top of that, I thought I had to attend an in-state school. I'm already paying off student loans, so I might as well have gotten a loan to a place I actually loved. Knowing how much I love New York City and all of the opportunities that could have came with living in the city, I probably would have gone to NYU. Believe it or not, Richmond was just too small for me.
Two. Get Involved // I thought college would be just like high school and activities would just fall into my lap, but that wasn't the case at all. Especially at VCU, a lot of activities that I wanted to get involved with were extremely competitive and only available to upperclassmen. It made fitting in sort of difficult. After finding the perfect school for me I would have tried harder to get involved and not take no for an answer.
Three. My Dream Major // I had originally wanted to go into school for Graphic Design, but at the first college I attended Graphic Design is in the art school and I can't draw to save my life. Again, I took no as an answer and went along with a Communications major as my advisor suggested. Though my major wasn't hard by any means and it's a broad major that leaves a lot of opportunities open for me, it's not something I was passionate about. Nowadays, I see these cool majors that are for exactly what I want to be doing. I would definitely have looked into other majors and maybe have even gone under as undeclared.
Four. Applied To More Schools // I would have applied to more schools for sure. This goes hand in hand with picking the right school for me too, but I literally got one of everything back in high school. Acceptance, rejection, wait-listed, etc. I would have applied to a ton more schools including out of state schools. I wouldn't have been so scared of rejection because I know I would have ended up exactly where I was meant to be.
Five. Tutoring // I would have tried to get better grades. I was a C average student in college, mostly from my lack of motivation. However, if I would have really tried my first few years and used campus tutors or study groups more I know I could have gotten way better grades. When I made the Dean's List my senior year I realized that I could have been doing that this whole time.
These are just some things that I would do differently if I absolutely had to. Like I said though, I love where I ended up in life, because everything happens for a reason.
xoxo, Michele
