Millions and millions of students across the country and globe have gone back to college and university the past couple of weeks. College is one of the most exciting times 0f life. One of my missions in life is to help students get the most out of it. There are some pitfalls that I’ve seen ruin lives over these last 20+ years of working with young people. Here are 5 of the most common mistakes made by college students.
1. NEGLECTING SELF-CARE.
It is a challenge to pay attention to how you are doing physically, emotionally, and physically. The pace is so fast and everything is so fun that often students can ignore self-care. This is one of those “quadrant 2” important but not urgent arenas. You can eat in a terribly unhealthy way for a while before it has dramatic effects. Your energy, performance, cognitive ability might take a little hit when you choose a donut over a smoothie but it takes a while to see the serious effect.
a. Your nutrition, exercise, and rest (see #2) are vitally important. Especially when you are starting college. It is such a challenge to not overeat. Most dining halls are all you can eat for every meal of the day.
b. One key thing is to pay attention to dessert. You probably didn’t have dessert for every lunch and dinner during the summer while you were on break. So many don’t have it for every meal now that you’re back at school. BEWARE: I gained 25+ pounds during my junior year of college.
2. NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH. You think you are missing out on things by sleeping but we are actually missing out on things by not sleeping. Sleep is one of the most productive things we can do. Sleep is your friend. Prioritize it. I’m not talking about sleeping in till 1pm every Saturday and Sunday. I’m talking about a good routine of sleep. I didn’t learn this till later in life. During my senior year I really had to set my alarm to make it to a 2:30pm class! Which happened to be my first one that day. This is because one time I actually slept through it! From the night before. Not a nap.
3. GETTING INTO DEBT–Credit card debt or student loan debt.
The average 2017 student loan debt was $39,400! This will cripple you for your twenties. DON’T DO IT! DON’T DO IT! AVOID DEBT LIKE THE PLAGUE. There are two perspectives when it comes to money—abundance and scarcity. Much of how you see it began in your family’s environment. What was the dominant feeling around money as you grew up?
a. Money can’t buy happiness. But mis-management and bad stewardship of it can cause a lot of pain and heartache and complicate our lives.
b. Big doors swing on little hinges. You have to let the power of time work for you. Start saving and investing now.
c. NO CREDIT CARDS BALANCES MONTH TO MONTH. Want to be safe–use only your debit card.
d. Student loans. Be careful. Try to take as little student loans as possible. Don’t just kick the can down the road.
4. SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME PLAYING VIDEO GAMES. A little bit is not bad but you won’t have anything to show for it after. So do it to let off some steam but in moderation.
5. NOT GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF. Explore. Invent. Try all kinds of different stuff. Don’t let other people determine your identity. How well do you know yourself? How do you know your calling? Do you know you? What motivates you? College is also a great time to explore spirituality. Does God exist and if He does what’s He like? You’re away from all your other influences and also a great stage of life to make your faith, whatever it is, your own.
You will make some mistakes, and that’s a big part of college. But I hope that you can avoid these costly ones. Next week–5 more common mistakes college students make.
What a great season of life you are in! I hope you soak it up and love it and have a grand adventure.