Tailoring the College Experience to You
The college experience is not a “one size fits all” endeavor. The images of the antics, misadventures and raging parties of college students promoted by mainstream movies and magazines certainly do not embody the type of college experience that suits every college student. Most modern college students don’t fit the stereotypes of either the promiscuous partygoer or the library-dwelling drone. Instead, college students can make the most of the college experience by “custom-fitting,” adapting and tailoring it to their individual personality, lifestyle, goals, course load, obligations, expectations and plans for the future.
Crowds are composed of individuals. To "find" yourself, you have to "be" yourself. Where do you fit in?
Students shouldn’t feel compelled to conform to college stereotypes, particularly if they find the associated activities counterproductive and counteractive to their health, success and attainment of goals. For many students, spending an evening in the library is not nerdy but necessary. Waking up somewhere strange after attending an alcohol-drenched party they can’t remember half of is not exactly some students’ idea of fun.
Further, students should make their own decisions and should not rely on what their parents or others desire. Students should choose their majors, for example, based on what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives, not based on what they think their parents would approve of or want them to do. Or, students may choose not to join a fraternity or sorority their parents, siblings or friends were loyal members of if they don’t have enough time or money. Ultimately, the college experience should be about what each individual student desires. Students are then free to blaze their own paths.
College is a time of development and discovery, of experimentation and exploration. It is a time of opportunities and endless potential yet to be realized. It is a time for students to forge a unique identity and establish a solid foundation for the rest of their lives.
The ideal college experience is not necessarily one that aligns with pop culture portrayals. Rather, it is one that allows the student to try new things, gain real-world experience and career expertise, build confidence, and progress toward achieving their lifelong goals and dreams.
Tags: College, college experience, College Life, college movies, college stereotypes, individuals, non-conformist, Students, Tailor
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