Advice for Students Going to College for the First Time

1. Don’t let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. No one has a perfectly figured out life, go out and figure out stuff on your own.
2. These will be the best 3/4/5 years of your life, no matter what you do, in the end you’ll walk out with some wonderful experiences and memories.
3. Don’t forget what you wanted to do before you came here, no matter how hard it gets, always remember it and one day pursue it.
4. Education can take you only so far, learn from your experiences that is what will determine what kind of person you become. Both professionally and personally.
5. There are good people in this world and there are bad ones, don’t let the actions of a few bad ones weaken your faith in the good ones. They exist, they’ll appear when you least expect them to and they’ll help you when you need it.
6. Karma is a bitch and what goes around, definitely comes around.
7. Seek knowledge, grades are a choice not a good evaluation.
8. If you are shy, open up. Do random stuff, go out, meet people, befriend them.
9. Date someone. [If you are a male engineering aspirant in India who lands up in a hostel, ignore it and thank god for DC (you’ll know what it is soon enough)]
10. Drinking, smoking, etc are all personal choices never judge a person by them. Wanna try a cigarette? Do it, but make sure you never go beyond that 2nd puff.
11. Learn, Debate and do it all over again.
12. Read books, not Chetan Bhagat or some other love soup. Read something that inspires you, something that expands your view point.
13. Your parents worked really hard to get you here, appreciate it. Call them every once in a while to let them know this.
14. Find something you love, do it for your whole life, and let it kill you.
15. Listen to Music, explore different genres, listen to it in groups. Music changes relationships between people, it attaches itself to memories. It gives you a new perspective.
16. Remember your high school friends? You may never talk to them after your 1st year. Don’t crib over it.
17. Remember how they say every person is unique? College, is the time to figure out how. And don’t worry, it will come to you, sooner or later.
18. No matter what others say, be Skeptic. It is only when you question everything, you learn something new.
19. Don’t let anyone judge you by the grades you score or the people you hang out with or just anything.
20. At the same time, don’t judge people by what you hear about them. In most cases, you’ll be ashamed of your viewpoint of them once you get to know them.
21. There will be times in your life here when you hit rock-bottom. Push against the ground, to rise up again. Don’t give up. You’ll fall a lot of times, but how many times you decide on standing up again will make all the difference.
22. Live every single moment, exams, fests, lectures, hanging-out at the local eatery. One day everything will become a memory. And every one of those is important because these things will one day help you in deciding on things when you are stuck.

Lastly, don’t be trapped in dogma. Don’t let noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you want to become. Everything else is secondary.