Beth says: Kevin and I met in college where we had some of the best times of our lives. Most of it involved just sitting around and creating our own fun, which is really the best kind. So my first piece of advice-- make a really great friend. I don't just mean one who you can talk to and is your soulmate blah blah...I mean someone who just by virtue of being in the same room with you can make the moment unforgettable. The fact is, I've made lots of friends who I can talk to; far fewer people have made me laugh until I pee my pants. I remember after a late-night trip to Mr. Donut, Kevin put the bag on his hand and used it for a puppet, putting Mr. Donut at all of the major American historical events. I'm still laughing about that 25 years later.
Two, no matter what you think, you are skinnier and firmer than you will ever be for the rest of your life--I say, take off your clothes and go streaking! It is the most outrageous, hilarious, empowering, thing you could possibly do and you will laugh about it for the rest of your life. Totally worth it. People are still talking about our streaking adventures (and yes, there were many). Just make sure you wear good shoes, lest you get a nasty cut or turn your ankle!
Three, find a professor who really challenges you and can become a mentor. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of these in college and I was much better academically for it. One of them was my advisor--he helped me with everything from picking classes to giving me great advice when I lost out on the last minute at a job just before graduation. You need someone looking out for you who is not a parent.
Four, go on a road trip--be it to another college or to Myrtle Beach, there is nothing like a fun trip with friends. Kevin and I took a trip to Philadelphia where we had all manner of ridiculous adventures, not the least of which involved Kevin finding a pair of glow in the dark boxer shorts that said "Ho, Ho, Burp." I still can't really explain what was so funny about that, but I know we laughed until it was physically painful.
Five, get involved in something! There is something for everyone at college-- fraternities/sororities and athletics are just a small part. There are special interest groups for everyone. The great part is that while you will immediately have something in common with these people, chances are they will be very different from you in many other ways. It's good to start interacting with people who don't think and act exactly like you do. Invest some of your time and your college experience will be so much more well-rounded. This is the last time in your life that it can be all about you--take advantage of it!
Kevin says: I’m not one for bucket lists. My philosophy is to do what you love to do now --- don’t wait until you’re too old to enjoy doing those things and just want to cross things off a list. So, rather than tell you five experiences you should have during college, I’m going to give you five pieces of advice I wish someone had given me when I was in college:
Take every single writing class you can. This is especially important if you are studying a non-liberal-arts major. Whether it's in text format, or e-mail, or formal proposal, writing is a skill that you will lean into every single day of your working life until you retire. The better you can cogently express yourself, the more in control of your professional destiny you will be. Learn how to write concisely, clearly, and logically. (Get yourself a copy of “Strunk & White’s Elements of Style." Read it, learn it, love it!)
Take at least a handful of business classes and at least one marketing class, even if they're not in your major (especially if they're not in your major!). I was a liberal-arts major in college, and my friends and I made merciless fun of the Business Administration majors (or BUADs as we called them) --- well, many of them *were* tools of the highest caliber. However, life is funny … and ironic. Now, more than 20 years later, I’m in a career that’s way more business-oriented than liberal-arts-oriented, and I now wish I’d taken some of those business and marketing classes that I so disdained back then --- seeing as how I work the kind of job that is almost entirely marketing. And really, so much of life is about marketing, isn’t it? How you dress, Teach yourself how to balance the things you HAVE to do against the things you WANT to do. how you express yourself, how you interact with friends and coworkers … are all different kinds of marketing. Marketing is really just an attempt to get other people to respond and act in a certain way, and that is a skill we could all use.
I don’t say this to make you despair, but you will never be as fit or as physically beautiful as you are right now --- or not, at least, without a lot of extra assistance the older you get. Right now, you can spend the night into the early morning drinking and snogging and get up and go to class and look pretty damn good. In just a few short years, you’ll hit a wall where fried carbs and liquor are no longer your friends. So, learn how to market and flaunt what you’ve got. Sleep with as many pretty people as you can. But, learn to say no and mean it. Monitor your drinking; learn your limits and always have a safety plan in place. Get yourself down to Planned Parenthood and learn about birth control, sexual health, and sexually transmitted infections. Keep condoms in your purse or wallet; use them. Learn how to politely rebuff advances of those you’re not interested in. Learn what you like, what you don't, and how to talk to a partner about those things. Most of all, have fun.
Keep your weight in check. Staying in shape will only get more difficult the older you get. Most colleges’ athletic departments --- for good or ill --- are better endowed than their academic facilities. That means that the pool and workout facilities at your college are far superior to just about any gym you’ll be able to afford after you graduate. Take advantage. Expose yourself to lots of different types of physical activities, and learn which ones you enjoy --- dance, yoga, weight lifting, whatever --- and do them, over and over. Make exercise a habit now.
Teach yourself how to balance the things you HAVE to do against the things you WANT to do. Good grades are important, but they are not the be-all end-all. Sure, you want to have decent grades in your major, but ultimately, employers want to see that you are ethical, smart, hard-working, and balanced. Good grades may get you in the door, but your personality is what will get you your first job. So, relax a little about your grades. Concentrate on building relationships with people, especially people who are different from you. Not that you will be forever friends with people you meet in college (though some of the people you’re hanging out with now will be the ones you invite to your kids’ weddings), but in real life, you will have to work with or socialize with people who have different upbringings than you. Work on developing your empathy muscle --- it will be a skill use for years to come.
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