Learning life lessons in college

PASSING the course you signed up for is one thing, but there are plenty of other life lessons you can learn when you go to college. Here are some tips on how to make the most of these lessons.

Making friends

You spent all those years at school with the same crowd, and now you have the opportunity to expand your social circle. If you’re shy, you may be tempted to stick to the people from your old school or neighbourhood. You may even find yourself gravitating to that person you sit next to on your first day of lectures.

Train yourself to do otherwise. This is the time to reach out and meet people from all over the country and possibly other countries if you go to a school with international students. Join clubs that you are interested in and move about where you sit in class so that you can meet other students.

If you do meet lots of people, you’ll get to improve important soft skills. By the end of college, you’ll find that you can communicate better.

Money management

How far you progress with this depends on whether you live at home during college years or whether you take your own flat and do your own cooking.

It may be sensible during your first year to live in an accommodation where food is provided so that you can concentrate on studying by yourself.

If you can, move to your own place so that you can learn to shop, cook, pay the bills and draw up a budget.

If you have these skills, you will have a better understanding of how management works in general. Also, you will learn to be independent so that by the time you get a job, you will already have all the support skills you need.

living with others

If you study close to home, this won’t be very easy but do try to room at least one semester with other students.

Living with others teaches you tolerance, negotiation, patience and communication. If you’re unlucky and end up with dreadful housemates, look on the bright side – you’ll also learn important conflict survival and resolution skills.

It may not sound pleasant, but learning this at college rather than at your first job when it’s part of your record is a life lesson worth learning.