<p>After a short break, I'm going back to school in the fall. Any tips on how to make the most of it? Anything you wish you had done / had not done ?</p>
<p>Get more involved in campus life?
Study more?
Study less?
Study abroad?
Take a particular class?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I was heavily involved on campus and studied abroad…I still sometimes feel guilty that I didn’t study harder but it hasn’t “hurt me” in life. I graduated with honor but I could have done better, I know this. I think I could have done everything I did…and still studied harder .</p>
<p>I wish I had:
done a junior year abroad
not double majored
taken the intro literature class (one of those survey courses where you have to read all these classics)
taken an intro Government course and psych course </p>
<p>The choice to double major didn’t leave much room for anything that wasn’t Art History or Economics…</p>
<p>I graduated many moons ago, but I wish I could do it ALL over again. I did not even try - thought it was a four year vacation. A big four year mistake. However, that was my mistake and fortunately learned fromt it. Now I always empower my kids with knowledge and education. DS1 is a thriving junior in college now and DS2 is about to start in the fall. Both have learned not to take this opportunity for granted and I don’t think they do.</p>
<p>Study abroad - my DS is in Paris for the semester, and as thrilled as I am for him, I’m also green with envy!!</p>
<p>Studied abroad, without a doubt!</p>
<p>Ditto to the study abroad. I studied abroad as a child when my family and I lived in Asia. It truly influenced my world view. I wish I had been able to study abroad in college independently.</p>
<p>Gotten involved in research as an undergraduate. I would have discovered then that I hated it – something I didn’t find out until I was in a master’s degree program – and I probably would have made better decisions about post-bachelor’s degree education and career plans.</p>
<p>I also wish I had taken a personal finance course.</p>
<h1>1: Realized that my college boyfriend was not the right husband for me.</h1>
<p>In the academic realm, I wish I had gotten to know professors better. I would not have wanted to leave campus for a year (we could not do semesters then), but I wish I had been able to travel on my own for a month or so after graduation. But that’s it. I got an excellent, well-rounded education and made lifelong friends.</p>
<p>Spent more time without a boyfriend. Earned my teaching credentials for public school.</p>
<p>Study abroad…but when I was in college…this was VERY rare.</p>
<p>I also wish I had gotten involved in research instead of a pretty meaningless part time job I had during college. I had a nice social life, but if I were to do it over, I would study a little less and have a bit more social life. And although I love the school I attended I would consider schools farther away from home than 3 1/2 hours.</p>
<p>Taken statistics.</p>
<p>Ditched my high school boyfriend before he dumped me.</p>
<p>Kept all my notes from my engineering classes, because I could have used them later.</p>
<p>Talked to my professors more. Some of them were internationally recognized engineers, but I didn’t realize it at the time.</p>
<p>Finished getting my pilot’s licenses.</p>
<ul>
<li>studied more (first 3 semesters)</li>
<li>studied less (last 5 semesters)</li>
<li>proactively developed relationships with professors I really liked and was interested in their research</li>
<li>moved out of my safe zone academically much sooner </li>
<li>moved out of my safe zone socially much sooner</li>
<li>tried many-many new things sooner</li>
</ul>
<p>Hmm … that looks pretty bad … this list would move my experience from an A- to an even higher grade.</p>
<p>If anything, I’d take more courses outside of my major. I went straight through college and didn’t take many general ed electives because I had so many fulfilled by exams. I really never explored any options rather than my chosen path. I’ve enjoyed my career so don’t regret it but sometimes I wish I’d had the time to explore a bit more.
There are a lot of things you can do later on in life. Joining clubs, travel, take classes in things that interest you, but college is probably the best opportunity to do all those things and discover what you really love.</p>
<p>Definitely wish I’d broken up with my BF when I went. He was unhappy at his college and called me every night to tell me how much he hated it. He dropped out after 6 weeks then started hanging out with me at mine. My bad, I let him do all that, but I regret it. It kept me from fully engaging in my college social life.</p>
<p>Maine Longhorn–I didn’t finish getting my pilot’s license either! But I don’t regret it a bit. Better safe (on the ground!) than sorry became my motto. A great experience and very happy I pursued something a bit out of the ordinary even though I didn’t achieve the end goal.</p>
<p>I would go farther away to school, be a bit more serious about my studies, and would study abroad for at least a semester.</p>
<p>Partied more. Oh, wait, that isn’t possible.</p>
<p>Studied more just so that I would have learned more. I definitely got by in UG school. I also would have worried less about having a boyfriend.</p>
<p>Studied more/harder. </p>
<p>But, then again, my 5-year, 9-semester plan is what landed me in my first internship. Which turned into a great first job. Then a successful career. </p>
<p>I often wonder “what if” I had gotten better grades and been on the traditional 4-year path. Would things really have been better? A part of me doubts it. </p>
<p>:)</p>