College isn’t all about how good your GPA is or being the top student in your major. There are other important things that students can get out of going to college. Not only do you need an education for your future, but you also need life skills. A professor will not teach you everything you need to know, but the experience of being in college can.
One of the most obvious skills learned in college, is time management. With a new schedule filled with classes, homework, sports, and a social life, it is easy to find yourself overwhelmed. As your time goes by in school, students get a feel for how to balance their life and get things done on time.
What would college be without the new freedom of independence? When you were in high school, there was a good chance that all you were focused on was homework and the football game on Friday night. There was no little reminder in the back of your head that said, “you live alone, have laundry to do, and need to get food for your dorm.” Everything that you do now is on you. You can not yell to your parent that you can’t find your favorite sweater. Also, there is no one there to take care of you when you’re sick. This new realm of independence will teach students how to provide for themselves.
A huge skill that everyone should learn in college, is social networking. All that time spent procrastinating on Facebook or Twitter, could actually help you someday. Going into college, you knew that you would be meeting a new group of people and making more friends. It’s a time where you discover yourself, and find the people you want to surround yourself with. When your social circle expands, so do your opportunities. Many jobs, relationships, and business opportunities have been created through social networking. It is not always what you know that will get you that job, it’s who you know.
Even with your new freedom, one thing you can’t choose for yourself is living space. Going into college, you knew that you would have to share a dorm. They are not a luxurious suite. Even though a dorm is often a crowded and messy place, students still have to go about their daily activities. Eventually, you learn to adapt to these situations and that can be a desirable skill for the future. Unlike people that have never had to work in close quarters with someone, you will be comfortable taking a job at a startup company with small cubicles.
What high school and college classes forgot to teach students, was a class for your financial future. When you decided to go to college, you moved past trying to save up for the new iPhone and got thrown into a thing called loans. Although college debt isn’t exactly a fun subject, it teaches students to work while taking classes and managing a budget. Students learn what is really a necessity and what is a want. Being in debt in college, gives you the experience to be on your own with finances and step out of the safety umbrella of your parents. Not everything you need to know, can be learned in a classroom.
