Life is like a roller coaster, and some of the biggest loops most defi nitely happen during

the ti me spent at college. Nobody said college would be easy, but knowing what to expect
during your fi rst semester of classes will give you an edge over the students going
in without a clue.

The fi rst four weeks of my stay in UPLB was like the craziest but the most entertaining
ride in a park. It was thrilling and interesti ng at the same ti me. I have no idea what is
happening most of the ti me and I don’t know exactly where I am headed. But everything
turned out great.

And here are the

Five Greatest Lessons I’ve Learned aft er Going to College

Lesson #5 I should think about my future much sooner.

I realized that I am an adult now; just because I don’t have to go to work for plenty of
hours a day doesn’t mean I shouldn’t act like it.  This is the ti me to take responsibility for
my acti ons. I should be professional from now on. I should think about my future much
sooner because for years, future seemed so far off that it was something I could always
“get around to.” I didn’t realize that it was something I was currently living, or working
towards. This doesn't mean that I need to make a hasty decision about a career or a
major, I just learned that college is the ti me for me to discover who I really am, what I
enjoy doing, what I’m good at, and who I want to be.

Lesson #4 I should be responsible and must learn to cope with homesickness.

I learned that in college, no one is going to make me go to class anymore. This was the
ti me when I realized that my parents did more for me than I thought.

Waking me up every morning, doing my laundry, paying bills, buying groceries, yes, my
parents did more than I think, and now that they’re no longer there, it all falls on me. So,
again I should be responsible. I need to do my duti es and responsibiliti es. I must learn to
cope with homesickness.

It's only natural that there will be ti mes when I miss my family, we are a clingy type of
family so being 10 hours away from home is really hard. But I must fi nd a way to deal
with those feelings, such as making a phone call or sending some email home. I need to
tell my parents how grateful I am for them and I need to be strong for them.

Being an adult means taking responsibility for everything that happens to me. I must
avoid procrasti nati on and work on prioriti zing my life. It may have been easy in high
school to wait unti l the last minute to complete an assignment or fi nish a task and sti ll
get a good grade, but that kind of stuff will not work for me in college. I must give myself
deadlines -- and sti ck to them.

Lesson #3 I need to work on my confi dence, get out of my comfort zone, and try new
things.
I realize that I should stop being at my dorm room for the whole weekend. I should get
out and explore the campus. I need to work on my confi dence, get out of my comfort
zone, and try new things. That college is the greatest opportunity I’ll ever have for
personal development. Combinati on of homesickness and a feeling of not quite belonging
was my problem. So, I considered joining a student organizati on and sports teams.
Because of this, I made new friends, acquired new skills, and feel more connected to my
school. But I seek a balance. College life is a mixture of social and academic happenings.
Don't ti p the balance too far in either directi on.

Lesson # 2 I need to build myself a supporti ve environment .

In college, I knew I will meet almost all kinds of people. So, I learned that I should build
myself a supporti ve environment. I need to organize my environment in a way that
supports my aspirati ons, and I need to surround myself with people who believe in me
and know how to moti vate me when thoughts of giving up pops up in my head. I need to
make sure I’m surrounded by people who want to achieve the same thing or who have
already achieved it.

I realized that I what I need in college is a supporti ve system that pushes me back on the
right track.

Lesson #1 I realized that I need to stay healthy and eat right.

By studying at a school that’s 10 hours away from home, I realized that I should avoid any
illness. Getti ng sick can keep me away from classes for an extended period of ti me and
there is no one to take care of me. In college, I learned that I need prioriti ze my health,
that academics and extra-curriculars should only follow. I learned that I need to get
enough sleep, take my vitamins, and eat right. Without parents here to serve me a
balanced meal, I may be tempted to go for those cup noodles and canned goods but I
must myself that I should stay healthy and sti ck to a balanced diet.

Overall, I realized that in college, I will surely face a lot of challenges — but that’s all part
of the process.

Soon enough, I will be sharing a lot more experiences and lessons with soon-to-be college
students.