Navigating Your College Career

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a good day. I am going to talk about some tips for doing your very best in navigating your college career. My own university has an online web portal where you can apply for scholarships; that is what I used. The best thing to do when applying for scholarships is to honestly tell your own personal life story. Don’t make things up, and don’t sugarcoat anything. Your family may encourage you to write something bland, drab, and superficial, but that is not what anyone wants to hear. The committees that oversee scholarships view stories like yours hundreds of times over and over. They don’t want to hear that you’re a nice person and a team player who’s good at soccer, so you deserve aid. Those kinds of things don’t really give a view into who you are and what experiences have shaped you. Be genuine and real. Talk about your struggles and the things you have had to overcome to get where you are. If you have struggled with mental health or an unsupportive family, then write about that. Talk about why your field of study is important to you on a deeper level. If you don’t have any passion that you can show in writing, then you were probably forced into a field of study you don’t even care about. If that’s the case, then I’m sorry; I haven’t yet cracked the code for doing what you love despite others, so I can’t give advice on that front. But I digress. Colleges want to hear about you as an individual—they want to see that you’re someone who stands out.

As another tip, of course, stay on top of your academics as best as you can. It is not the end of the world if you get B’s or C’s, you’re alright. Remember that this is not a race. Give yourself room to breathe, and do not listen to people who only put you down or scrutinize you. You’re doing your best—why would you not be? Be your own advocate. This is something I still have to do, but it helps having friends to be able to talk to and confide in. Whether these are friends you can meet in person or ones you talk to online—having a support group is more important than you may think. You can always meet others through your hobbies. Those friendships may start off superficial at first, but they can grow into deep bonds that will never break. Don’t give up on your hobbies for your studies. You need outlets in between the stressful things. You do not need straight A’s to graduate. Cut yourself some slack and allow yourself to be human and enjoy life. Embrace your own idea of enjoyment as well. Do not listen to people who try to push their own ideas of enjoyment on you. People recharge their batteries differently, and trying to please those who can’t see your point of view for social standing, or any other reason will only wear you out on top of your curriculum work. It’s ok not to want to go out and socialize just as it is ok to want to. Respect your own boundaries and the boundaries of others.

If things get overwhelming and you manage to miss an assignment (or even an exam, as I have 2 semesters in a row), talk to your professors. Don’t beg, but don’t act entitled, either. Let them know that somehow you slipped up and missed something. Life can get hectic, and sometimes mental health or neurodivergence gets in the way of performing the way you want to. Take things at your own pace, and don’t let people push their ideas of how you should be on you. If you live your life fawning over those who stray you off course, you may find yourself out of energy for your academics. Best of luck, stay true to yourself, and live your life.

If you have any questions pertaining to the contents of my blog, please leave your comments below. Thank you!