College: The experience

Dear Caroline,

I fully expect that you will attend college of some kind one day. When I was in college as an undergrad it was a really fun time but also confusing because I was the first in my family to go to college. I’ve been re-watching my favorite collegiate show Greek. Here are some of my observations and advice for your college experience.

The Greek System

            I was in a sorority in college. Shocker, I know. My original thinking was that I was going to a new place without knowing many people. I really wanted to find my place and be surrounded by an instant group of friends. And it worked. I found a group of people to get me through my first year of college. I had a group of six girls that I went everywhere with. They provided me with my best friends freshman year and a social calendar. There were a lot of positives and a lot of negatives. Overall, I had a falling out because of my priorities and left the group. My advice: be true to yourself. Don’t let a group, any group, define you.

Letter have been removed to protect the guilty.

The Dorm Situation

            On television and movies, dorm rooms look so huge. It is to fit in cameras and lights and to sell the idea of college. It is a lie. My first dorm room was about the same size as my childhood bedroom and it fit two beds, two desks, a fridge, a sink, two closets, and two people. It was a tense situation as two strangers naturally have issues living that close together. We will consider getting you an apartment. My advice: Stay open to all of the possibilities.

Classes

            Take a variety of classes. Become well rounded. I obviously majored in Early Childhood Education. But I also took Spanish classes, religion courses, and anthropology classes. I was an anthro major for a while. My advice: Take lots of classes and enjoy the experience.

The Partner Situation:

            I love your dad. I really do, but as an objective observer I freely admit that we are the exception and not the rule. My advice without being weird: Play the field a little bit and don’t settle.

The Overall Experience:

            I didn’t enjoy college because I was too focused on “my career” even as a freshman. I don’t think my focus was misguided senior year, but I could have loosened up freshman year. My advice: enjoy college. It doesn’t last forever.

Wish #79: I wish for you to have a great college experience with a fulfilling career on the other side. Enjoy your youth!

Love always