- It’s okay to gain weight. It happens and is inevitable. Even though I hate to admit it, I gained weight in college and so did all of my friends at one point. The first couple of months you go to the Aztec Recreation Center to keep your healthy lifestyle, but as time goes by you prioritize other things like partying, sleeping or Netflix. Eventually you get too lazy to go to the gym.
- Don’t take a class earlier than 10 a.m.
- Also, don’t take classes on Fridays. You will not make it. If you’re a journalism major like me, you will have to take early classes no matter what and they will all be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (so accept your fate now or change your major). For everyone else, waking up and going to class early will suck. You will probably wake up 10 or 20 minutes before class on multiple occasions and rush to get to class. Rushing to get to a Friday class is the worst, because the weekend at San Diego State starts on Thursday. Everyone goes out Thursday night and if you have a class on Friday you’re going to have major FOMO or will end up showing up to class hungover.
- Don’t go to the ARC between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. You will show up, see how crowded it gets, contemplate waiting for a machine and then end up leaving without doing anything.
- All-nighters happen every day and not because of studying. You have no idea the incredible number of nights I have stayed up late watching Game of Thrones. But how many times have I spent staying up all night studying? Maybe 10 times in my two years of college.
- Unless your parents pay for everything in college, you will be broke. At first it is a little intimidating and scary not having any money in your bank account but eventually you get used to seeing your bank statement with $10 in it every week, if that. Not having money is something that can be beneficial to you because you learn how to value money, you learn to prioritize your money and you learn that the two for $1 deal at Jack in the Box is amazing. The point is, don’t let being broke freak you out because you’ll find that a lot of people are in the same boat and you don’t need money to have fun.
- You can party and still have good grades. College is the perfect time to learn how to balance your time. You will learn the importance of how to balance school and a social life because if you don’t your grades will go down quick. Luckily, many people are able to go to class and do their homework Monday through Thursday so they can have a good weekend.
- You might change your major, but don’t let it set you back. Half the people you meet in college will change their majors at least once and that’s okay. Sometimes changing your major has little effect on all the classes you took prior, or other times changing majors can cause you to graduate a semester or two late, but it is okay! If changing majors is what you want to do, then do it! Don’t let the fear of staying in college longer or having to retake some classes cause you to be miserable for the rest of college, or end up in a field you don’t like.
- Bad roommates suck, but there is a silver lining (kind of). Even though having a good roommate can make college easier and more fun, if you have a bad roommate it isn’t going to make or break your college experience. There are many more people that you will meet and can hang out with during the year.
- Everyone has a bad semester, and it is okay! Most people have one bad semester in college, whether it’s because of your grades or your personal life, but it is only one semester and things will get better. Sure doing bad in some classes may cause you to take them again and can delay you a little, but it’s not the end of the world. No one is perfect and most people will go through this.
10 things I’ve learned in college
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About the Contributor
Emely Navarro, News Editor
Emely Navarro is journalism major with a minor in Spanish. She has been with The Daily Aztec since fall 2014 and is the News Editor. She occasionally writes for Mundo Azteca and acts as a broadcast anchor, video editor and producer. After graduation she hopes to be a television news producer.
