You Got/You’ll Get Into College -- Five Key Tips To Making It Really Worthwhile
Many high school seniors have already heard from colleges; the rest will hear in the coming months. It’s easy to view the milestone of acceptance as a goal unto itself. So much emphasis is placed on working one’s way into one’s “dream school.” (As if there’s only one place it’s possible for one to succeed!) Once on campus, it’s often easy to rest on one’s laurels in the comfy cocoon of college life.
Rather than viewing it as the end game, college is the BEGINNING of a wonderful journey. The relationships you’ll forge and the experiences you have will substantially shape the adult you’ll become and the life you’ll lead. Succeeding academically is important, but it’s merely table stakes for a successful college experience. Of course you’ll want to continue to learn and build a successful academic record, but there’s much more to college than that.
I’d like to share a few choice words of advice upon embarking on college. I write this from the perspective of an early career coach and advisor (DanzgerGroup.com.) I help college students and new grads launch their careers through personalized coaching and advising. I’m also a dad four times over.
Get to know your professors and your peers. Professors regularly hold office hours to meet with students. Take advantage of this! Professors are often involved in research opportunities and/or commercial ventures. Take the time to get to know them. They can be life-long sources of information, contacts, and personal references. Many colleges fund coffees or lunches with your professors. Do it! Your fellow students are also an important part of your growing network. The work you do on group projects helps you bond and serves as the basis of their ability to vouch for you.
College is a time to explore careers. It’s a time to try your hand at starting or help to launch businesses. This is the time in life where stumbling has limited consequences. Should you fail at something, the mere act of doing so fosters a sense of resilience that will come in VERY handy throughout your life. Now is the time to get exposure to a variety of companies -- go to presentations, information sessions, and professional events. If possible, engage in internships during the school year or during summers between semesters. Internships often lead to full time job offers.
Build your brand. What do you want to be? Use social media to build your brand and to telegraph to the world your strengths and interests. This can be done through LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media site posts. At the same time, be careful about the social media footprint you’re establishing. Carefully consider your privacy settings and avoid the “red cup” photos that may not reflect well to the inquiring hiring manager.
Be organized. Now is the time to build and reinforce the organizational skills that will last a lifetime. You will be faced with even more demands for your time (assignments, events, networking opportunities, recreational opportunities, etc.) It’s time to graduate to tools that will help you keep on top of your tasks and obligations. This means an app/web-based to do list, like Todoist, among other tools. I encourage you to read Super-Productive: 120 Strategies to Do More and Stress Less, a shameless plug of the productivity and time management book my wife, Sharon Danzger, wrote.
See the world. While you are in college, take the opportunity to use your time to visit places you otherwise might not get to see. Many students take a semester abroad, the cost of which is not so different from time spent on campus. Should you have the inclination to do so, this is something worth doing to help you see the world and better appreciate other cultures.