Hey, all! This blog is actually a bit late because my laptop took an unannounced sabbatical, that’s life for you I guess!
The word of the day (week?) is integrity, academic integrity, folks. I really think the entire concept of academic integrity is pretty vague, though. We could talk about cheating and plagiarism, but that’s a speech you have heard and will continue to hear 10,000 times over until you graduate- so I’ll leave that to your professors. I could tell you all of the top rated study techniques and habits of the A+ students, but either you already are, or just haven’t decided it’s worth your effort yet. I could tell you how to prioritize time, write a perfect paper, or even how to make your Ramen gourmet when you’re sick of the chicken flavor because you’ve eaten nothing else for a week- but that really is unrelated.
I’m just going to tell you about life here. It’s really easy to make it through college unnoticed if you want to. It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone, hang out in your room, sleep most of the day, do the bare minimum to pass classes, and really just give minimal effort. You can do that here if you really want to- no one is going to stop you. But don’t. College, especially in the Residential halls is an amazing opportunity to connect to people with similar interests or at least similar majors most likely. There are always more programs than you could ever conceivably go to- but go to them. STARS had programs on everything from beer goggle Mario Kart (a lesson on why you shouldn’t drink and drive), to learning your personality type and love language, to highlighter parties, open mic nights, and just plain coloring for no good reason. Programs exist to give you a reason to get out of your room and interact. They give you a chance to do something fun and possibly ridiculous and to do something you wouldn’t normally just do. Be a part of the community.
If I can tell you anything about college, you owe it to yourself to make the best of it and to get the most you can out of it. (We all know how much you or someone else is paying for you to be here.) If I think academic integrity means anything, at the core I think it means knowing behind closed doors that you’re getting all you can out of life or college or class. I was diagnosed with depression my first semester of college because I did what I needed to survive. I had straight A’s but I was miserable and determined to drop out because I didn’t know anyone or make an effort to. Class is important. You should go, and take notes, and pay attention, and learn all you can and more. But at the end of the day, college is about the entire experience. Don’t neglect friends 24/7 because of class but don’t do the opposite either. Learn balance, learn how to make it.
You owe it to yourself to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be. (Excuse the massive amounts of cheese there, but I’m being serious. Don’t waste your time here. You never know what you could be missing.) All of the pictures are things I would have missed out on if I hadn’t gone to programs and met my friends and got involved. I found an awesome support group of crazy fun people that made studying more entertaining and life more enjoyable. Get out there!
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