Johnny Xu: Making the Most of College
For a lot of students, including me, we all have been told that college is going to be the best years of our lives. “But how so?” I asked myself. In high school, I was never really part of many clubs, only taking sports seriously. This limited the circles of friends I had, and the people I met throughout these years.
With my freshman year of college being cut short due to COVID-19, I knew that I had to make the most of my college experience. For most, that can be daunting- meeting new people, making new friends, excelling in class and outside of school, and acquiring internships (and hopefully a full-time job after graduation) were all subjects I worried about.
To answer the question of how to make the most out of college, the biggest piece of advice I have received came in a simple phrase: balance is key. I believe that although working hard for good grades, spending lots of time in the internship and job search, and joining professional organizations will help your work side of things, doing this solely will not give you a whole and well-rounded college experience. Yes, I’ve spent countless hours practicing for interviews, applying for jobs, and especially studying for accounting. I’ve also had plenty of time to spend time with friends, go on adventures around the bay area, and try out new restaurants.
You’re an undergrad only once in your life, so try to make the most of it. Don’t stress out and compare yourself to others: everyone is on a different path than you, but definitely try to work hard and have fun.
Join that club. Have late-night study sessions with friends in the library. Stay active and eat healthy, but be sure to treat yourself.
College is stressful, and moves pretty fast. It felt like I was just a freshman yesterday. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.