<p>This advice is inspired by my experience, but not specific to it or to the University of Chicago.</p>
<ol>
<li> Embrace change.</li>
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<p>If the most dramatic change that happens to you in college is that you wake up one morning and realize there’s no way you want to be a doctor anymore, consider yourself lucky. Most of my friends underwent pretty dramatic personal shifts from high school to college. So one of my biggest pieces of advice is to understand that change might happen, to you and to others, and to appreciate it the best you can.</p>
<ol>
<li> Be your parent (sometimes).</li>
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<p>It took freedom from my parents to realize how much I depended on them even for simple things. I have found my highs in college to be higher and my lows lower. When I’m in a low, sometimes all I have to do is imagine my parent on my shoulder and think, “What would they tell me to do right now?” I know what I can do to make me feel better, but it’s a matter of making sure I do it. My cure-all involves Ratner Gym and/or hulu.</p>
<ol>
<li> Don’t expect to be a straight-A honors student. And if you expect yourself to be a straight-A honors student, at least realize that’s your own expectation.</li>
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<p>We all knew you were one in high school-- that’s how you got in in the first place. I don’t think enough students realize that A grades and honors don’t mean the same thing in college as they did in high school, and, outside of a few professions and graduate schools that will examine your grades closely, the world at large does not care. In high school, I was made to believe I could do anything, and when I arrived on campus I realized there were a lot of things I could not do easily, and if I could do them, I would not do them happily. (For example, maybe I could get a 3.9 GPA, do exceptionally on my LSATs, and go to Harvard Law School, but I can confidently say that I would not enjoy the stress of high grade expectations, the stress of law school, and the stress of being a lawyer). </p>
<p>If you are the kind of person who enjoys this kind of stress, at least be cognizant that you are choosing to place such demands on yourself in exchange for what will be for you a reward.</p>
<ol>
<li> Make sure you balance yourself.</li>
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<p>Don’t pull all-nighters. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t drink too much. Get out and do things. </p>
<ol>
<li> Careful with alcohol.</li>
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<p>Watch yourself and your friends for alcohol dependency. Know your limits, and know when your judgement is impaired. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Tequila shots can be very, very, very vicious. (But tasty!)</p>
<ol>
<li> Careful with your health.</li>
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<p>You know how this one goes. Don’t start smoking just because the grad students think it’s cool.</p>
<ol>
<li> Don’t do anything unforgivably stupid.</li>
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<p>Don’t sell drugs. Don’t harass somebody. Don’t commit fraud. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat. If you’re failing all your classes, let your advisor know (that’s not unforgivably stupid-- they’re there to help you!) I know these things sound like common sense, but I do know people who have done all of them and have gotten into trouble with their college and with the law for it. On a job interview, nobody is going to care about the D you got in chemistry because you were out partying the day before the final. People are going to care, though, if you got in trouble with the law. My friend with the D’s on his transcript is gainfully employed (and his employers love him) while my friends who did get in trouble with the law are having a hard time explaining themselves.</p>
<p>Think about it this way: dumb decisions come in degrees of magnitude. </p>
<ol>
<li> Don’t put yourself in credit card debt.</li>
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<p>Don’t. DON’T. DON’T. I recently rescued myself from a slip-up; a slip-up I could have easily ignored and could have caused me a lifetime of slavery to debt at an exorbitant interest rate. I’m only 21. I would like my freedom, please.</p>
<ol>
<li> With regards to #7, try to put everything in perspective.</li>
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<p>Basically, as long as you don’t get arrested, and show up for class sometimes hand in assignments, and pay your bills, college is your time to discover and nobody is going to bother you. When you worry, make sure you’re worrying about the right things: not the difference between a B and a B+, but whether you have the cash flow to actually pay for questionably high liquor expenses. You should worry less about honors gen chem and more about whether you’re going to have time to relax if you pair honors gen chem with honors physics, honors calculus, and Ancient Greek. </p>
<p>If you’re worried about jobs, start looking up job listings now in a variety of fields and see what I mean. Many job listings call for a “bachelor’s degree,” “relevant experience,” and do not specify any further. They probably won’t care about your honors this and honors that; they’ll care that you can do the job that they want you to do.</p>