Our Last Day

It's officially our last day of class! For this last post, I just want to add some final thoughts since many of you just survived your first college class and a few of you are back in the game after a long or short absence.

So here it is: "Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me When I Was in College."

1. "Don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

If it doesn't fit in that backpack you lug around, it's excess baggage and it's weighing you down. I mean that in a literal and a figurative sense. It's so easy to get distracted from your goals by anything that comes along...people, tragedies, beer, love, work, whatever...Also, lugging around a heavy backpack really does give you chronic back pain. Try to limit your load in both respects.

2. "You're not alone."

There are 20,000 other people who are in the same place you are, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every time you feel like it's getting to be too much, speak up. When we withdraw from whatever we're afraid of or whatever is wearing us down, we lose the ability to control it. When you need help, ask!

It doesn't matter if it's just "help with a project" or "I don't understand this assignment" or "How am I going to pay for this" or "Oh, crap, what did I do last night?" If you need help, find someone to help you...to just listen to you, someone to show you the right resources, someone who has been in that same situation. I can tell you from experience that OSU has the friendliest students (and staff) ever. If you need a friend, you've got 20,000 of them. Talk to them.

3. "Only party 3 nights a week."

For those of you who are new to the college scene, here's what I learned the hard way. If you're going to party, only party on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Sunday really should be a "day of rest." That day of rest should include some greasy food, some Advil, and a whole lot of Gatorade. Sunday night is the best time to get back in the swing of school. Get back to studying by 10pm on Sundays. It will save your academic life.

As for the partying, Thursday nights are a big party night in this town. Some of you already know that. Make sure you don't schedule a class that meets on Friday morning at 8:30. Not a good idea.

By only partying 3 days a week, you can still feel that you are attending to your social life and your academic life without alienating one over the other. If you feel the need to socialize on your other nights, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, get a study group together. Go somewhere like a coffee shop or the OSU library. (There's a coffee shop in the library. Two birds. One stone.) At least then you will be with other people but still be "taking care of biz."

4. "When your social life means more than your academic life, reassess your goals."

If you find that you are partying too much, you're trying to tell yourself something. You're uneasy about something. Spend some time and figure out what's going on in your head. Maybe your major is not right for you (this is coming from a former Marketing major). Maybe you're sick of being broke all the time. Maybe it's something else entirely.

Whatever it is, figure it out quick. If you're not making it to class on a regular basis and your grades are suffering, it may be time to take a break. You may want to drop a class or two to lighten your load or withdraw completely for the semester so you don't fail your classes. It's better to save yourself with "W" grades than try to work off a semester full of "F" and "D" grades for years.

5. "You never know who's watching..."

Some of you have younger friends, younger brothers and sisters, or younger cousins who look up to you. Some of you have children, parents, grandparents, and siblings who look up to you. You may not even know that they do, but there's a good chance that there is someone out there who admires you and is watching you succeed.

Whenever you feel you're losing interest in school or just don't care to try in a particular class, remind yourself who's out there looking up to you. What you do today may be the one little piece of inspiration they need to achieve their own goals someday.

Some of you may be the first person in your family to go to college. What do you want to show someone who has no idea what college is about? What do you want your "college student" image to be to them?

Some of you may come from a long line of college graduates. You're just next in line. How can you make your experience special to them? How can you succeed in ways that they didn't?

When you signed on to be a college student, you may have unknowingly taken on the responsibility to be someone's hero. Some days, you may be here for them more than yourself.

6. "Just because you are from a small town doesn't mean you can't succeed."

Not just that, though. Expand this to encompass any area where you secretly feel weak. For me, I've had to overcome the small town AND a family with no desire for success. Just because they wouldn't strive for success (or didn't have the means) doesn't mean I can't. Just because I'm from a small town doesn't mean I have to be "small-town." Just because nobody in my town ever does anything with their lives doesn't mean I have to follow in their footsteps. In your essays that you wrote yesterday, many of you already know what you want and how much work it's going to take to get it. Don't give up because of some excuse like, "I'm just a kid from Afton, OK. What can I do? I'm just a Sharp. Sharps never amount to anything." This mentality is poison! You are somebody, you have goals, and you can achieve them!

Nobody knows you better than yourself. You know you can be successful, so don't worry about that other stuff. Don't let it keep you down.

7. "No guts, no glory."

If I could go back and do it again, I'd "care" more about my college career. Apathy is the enemy. Never be afraid of something new in academics. Thinking you're not "good enough" will ensure that you fail at the task before you even get started on it. Every time you walk into a classroom, remind yourself that you're intelligent and capable and that you're there to kick ass and take names.

Also, it's a bad idea to always "compare yourself" to your classmates. Sometimes you'll meet students in class who intimidate you...with their knowledge, their confidence, their lifestyle. Don't let that get in the way of your own path to success. To quote The Godfather, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." When you meet someone who intimidates you because they know more about a subject than you or they've had experiences (like study abroad) that you haven't had, don't shun them because you're jealous. Befriend them! Find out how they got their knowledge. Find out how they attained those experiences. Steal their mojo! Learn what you can from them. Believe it or not, you have knowledge and experiences that they haven't had. Learn from them and let them learn from you. That's why you're here - to broaden your horizons.

Last but not least, have no fear. If you want something, go get it. College is the one place where you are free to experience almost anything you want. If you don't try to get what you want, if you don't try to reach your goals while you're here, you're just screwing yourself. No guts...no glory.

If you want it, go get it.

For today's assignment, let's just share something with each other. Post a comment and recommend something to us, whether it's "hey, this is a good song," or "this was a good movie," or "good luck in the Fall." Whatever it is...post your last words for this class.

Good luck to everyone. I hope you enjoyed the class and I hope it will serve you well in your future classes. Thanks for all of your hard work!

- A. Sharp