Every senior about to graduate thinks about the mark they have left on campus, wondering how their experiences will help them in the real world, and if college  was worth the price. 

There are many things I have learned in my four years here at UNI that I would have loved to have known earlier. It took me four years just to find my favorite place to study! Hopefully I can give you some advice to making your remaining time at UNI the best it can be. 

I have always heard that it’s your involvement in college, not your major or GPA, that determines your success once you graduate. Unless you have a very niche major, like actuarial science, your major alone won’t correlate to success once you graduate. 

According to an article from Quartz, graduates feel college was worth it if they did/had these six things: 

1. A professor who made them excited about learning

2. Professors who cared about them as a person

3. A mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams

4. Worked on a long-term project

5. Had a job or internship where they applied what they were learning

6. Were extremely involved in extracurricular activities (Busteed 2015, Quartz)

This is very important; college is not worth it if you just go to college. You must also experience college. You must take part in things other than class in order to feel that those tens of thousands of dollars you spend will be worth it. 

In my four years here, I have been lucky enough to have these six things, but not everyone does. There are many students or graduates who feel like they had none of them. This hurts university retention and makes students feel as though college was a waste. According to the Quartz article, 82 percent of graduates who had these six things felt that “college prepared them for life after school,” while only 5 percent of graduates who did not have these things felt the same way. 

“Eric, what two of these six do you feel is more important?” 

That’s a great question! I’m glad you asked! To me, numbers four and six are the most important. First, if you are working on a long term project, or are heavily involved in an extracurricular activity, chances are you will have an advisor who will work closely with you to help you achieve your goals, thus accomplishing number three. If you are studying something you’re passionate about, hopefully you’ll find a professor who gets you excited about what you’re learning (#1), and then you will grow to know this professor very well (and vice-versa, #2).

Number five is going to take some work on your end to accomplish; a fulfilling job or internship is not going to fall out of the sky. I was lucky enough to find one through the Southwestern Advantage internship. I know many students who go home every summber and work as a lifeguard until their senior year. You’re going to have to do some searching to find a meaningful job/internship, but talk to your department head and they can lead you in the right direction. 

So, in my final words in the Northern Iowan before graduation, I would like to tell you that your college career is up to you to decide. College is a fantastic time to make connections and set yourself on a path towards success. In order to succeed, you need to put in time outside of class. Get your hands dirty, find something that you’re passionate about and work on it. Whenever in doubt, remember these words of wisdom by a great role model: 

“Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock!” – Hannah Montana