Originally Posted: Mar 2, 2018
Last Updated: May 18, 2020
While college prepares us for our degrees, it doesn’t teach us everything there is to know about life—especially about what it’s like outside the classroom. There are no classes for character, self-respect, and learning how to value others. Those things can only be learned with experience and trial and error.
The following are five lessons that can only be learned outside the classroom.
Looking insecurities in the face
Being self-aware is a skill you develop throughout the course of your life and could always use some practice. However, it’s necessary for personal growth. Life will always be full of adversity, but you determine whether or not to overcome it and strengthen your emotional resilience.
Taking action breeds success
Time is precious, and a moment wasted is one you’ll never get back. Waiting for life to give you a sign to start living or hoping that one day everything will be perfect are failures in themselves. With that kind of mindset, you can never move forward and will become self-entitled to success. The only way your goals will be accomplished is if you take action to accomplish them. You either find a way or make an excuse.
Sustaining friendships is not easy
Friendships were effortless to sustain in elementary and high school because you were able to see those friends every day. When college and adulthood come into the picture, people begin to focus on achieving their goals, taking responsibility for themselves, and prioritizing their success and happiness. It’s common for friendships in adulthood to fade because it’s easy to neglect important actions such as catching up in person for an hour, telling them how much you appreciate them, or simply calling to ask how they’re doing. This neglect is especially common when friends move to a different city. Don’t assume your friends will always be by your side. You need to make the effort to keep them there.
Open-mindedness is crucial to developing empathy
As you get older, you begin to realize that your life is not the only one that matters. Every single person around you has a story worth telling, wants to be respected and understood, and wants to be treated like a human being. They have also experienced pain, love, disappointment, and heartbreak—just like you. Getting to know a person and listening to their stories will enrich your life with a brand-new perspective and prevent you from automatically making assumptions about other people in the future.
Setting unrealistic expectations will disappoint you
No one knows what the future holds, nor can anyone predict every action of another person. Looking at the people and things in your life and accepting them for what they are is crucial for your well-being. Having realistic expectations helps you be honest with yourself and others, as well as healthily cope with life and people when they disappoint.
Related: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Went to College
College will be an incredible time in your life if you try to make it one. Yes, there will be difficult classes and stressful moments, but there are also wonderful people to meet, fun parties to attend, and moments of rewarding self-discovery. Through these experiences, you eventually come to understand that meeting tight deadlines is a necessary life skill, the dearest friends are individuals who appeared out of the blue, and you always need to give yourself more credit.
Ultimately, life is the teacher outside the classroom. It’s up to us to be a willing student.
What are some life lessons you’ve learned outside the classroom? Let us know in the comments or tweet them @CollegeXpress.
