Ten Things I Learned in College

On my second year, going up to the library. 

I was 18 years old, whether you believe it 

or not. 

Photo Credits: Camille Paralisan

    Hi. I am a fourth year Communication Arts student. Hopefully, I will be graduating in less than 10 months. But before I say goodbye to student life, I would like to share the best things I discovered while I am in college. I am hoping that if ever it will influence your thinking, it will be positive.

          1.       I can actually build up a business

I cannot focus on listening to the lecture without taking down notes. I feel sleepy whenever I don’t so whatever happens my notebook and pen is ready when the teacher starts the lecture. I benefit because my notes served me well during exams. But it is not only I who benefits from it. Almost all my classmates felt the need to borrow my notes a week before the exams. I can say that if ever I will tell them to pay for every hour they would borrow my notebook, they would do it and I would probably be earning a lot since first year. But I didn’t do it anyway because my handwriting is bad.

 2.       Going online while doing your assignments is a must.

Whenever there are assignments, instead of restricting myself from facebook and twitter, I feel two times in need to go online. Not because I need some kind of an escape but because I need to answer questions that would explain the details of every assignment to everyone who will chat and ask me. If I am not online someone will text and remind me that I should be. If ever I am finished, my classmates would ask me to send my assignment because they need an example. I can spend an hour online just chatting and answering questions through facebook or twitter. Question and answer portion will stop at 11PM -12AM which marks the only time where I can start giving my full attention to my own work.


3.       Wait for special announcements.

I do not know if my classmates will admit this but we sort of have an opinion poll before doing a difficult assignment. And the following are the most famous lines:

 “Gagawa ka?”

“Tinatamad nga ako eh. Ikaw?”

“Wag na tayo gumawa.”

“Hirap kaya.”

“Grabe kayo. Lagot tayo kay Miss/Sir”

Few minutes later…

“Sige wag na tayo gumawa.”

“O wala nang magpapasa a.”

And fortunately, the next day the professor will not remember the assignment anymore. Nobody passes the assignment. Nobody reminds the professor. Everybody is happy. So before doing an assignment, you must wait for the “Special” announcement first.

4.       Not all scholars are well behaved.

Not all scholars listen during class lecture,
Some paint their nails.

I am a scholar since high school. But I would say that I am not one of those who are really obedient. To prove that, when I was in high school I got 2 warning slips for being caught eating inside the classroom, I got my parents called to the discipline office because of my misbehavior, I got an almost failing grade in conduct and worst, I got suspended. I thought that it would stop there but now in college, I was called again to the Discipline office for being involved in an offense, I had to spend 10 hours for community service and worst, I got disqualified for being included in the deans’ honors list despite of qualified grades because of the offense record. This was so heartbreaking for me, that’s why I’m telling you, not all scholars are well behaved. 

5.       You can attend classes even when you’re not enrolled yet.

Yes. Just wear complete uniform with a smile and act normal. Every semester, I attend the first two weeks of the class without getting myself enrolled. This is still one of the perks of being a scholar, you wait for signatures and approval, you wait for grades to be completed first, after that then that will be the time that we can enroll. It takes two weeks or three at most. We do not want to be absent because even attendance points matter, so we attend classes and pretend to be a registered student. There is a rewarding feeling when you finally got hold of your enrollment form. I experienced what others are saying about getting things in a harder way, makes you appreciate it more when you get it.

6. You can watch movies in the library.

The library is intended to be a facility for studying peacefully. But most of the time, because of the cold temperature, it is so nice to stay up there after lunch and just watch a movie to relax. Just go to the tables near the plugs where you can charge your laptop. But actually, the greatest function for the library to me aside from a place where you can study is a place where you can sleep. Forget all your cares, go to the library, and rest your head down on the table, then sleep. This is all possible not because it is allowed but because people just don’t care.

                    7.    Great minds work best in the last 30 minutes.

This is all about meeting deadlines. And I am so proud to tell you that I belong to a bunch of people with great minds. They are so great that procrastination is not a sin but rather an opportunity to prove how their minds work well. We call ourselves the 30-Minute Production because we can produce a finished and successful project on time in the last moments before the deadline. This might not be literally 30-minutes but the name suggests how great these minds work. I cannot tell you that you should follow our example but if you do, make sure you can handle the pressure.

Communication Arts Batch 2014-2015 with Miss Mariel Cruz, our Professor (upper left). Taken for our Food Magazine Publications Project "BURP"  during third year. When you meet them in person, you'll definitely feel the greatness of their minds even more that they can influence your thinking.

           8.       It doesn’t matter if the subject is a minor or a major.

In my own perspective, major subjects will teach you the knowledge and skills you need for your chosen field while the minor subjects will basically test your patience and determination to pass the four years in college. It doesn’t really matter if it’s minor or major because both require effort. I hear (and say too sometimes) side comments like “feeling major” pertaining to minor subjects because sometimes I feel that some professors think that they are the only subject the students are taking. They give lots of assignment expecting that students will pass it on a very unreasonable deadline without thinking that students are actually handling 8 to 10 subjects every semester. But right now on my fourth year, I realized that what I’m really learning is not just the topics on my professor’s syllabus but the value of patience and determination to survive college despite of inconsiderate situations. I just want to think that these kinds of circumstances are preparing me for a greater pressure in the future.

          9.       Opportunities’ greatest enemy is fear.

In college, I encountered so many opportunities to learn new things, to experience something I never experienced before or just to meet new people. But because of my fears, I think I wasted 70% of those opportunities. Of course I regret it, that’s the only thing I can do right now because I can’t bring back those times again. Before, I was so afraid to take risks. I was so afraid to do something I never did before because I fear that I am not capable. And then one day, I realized that I’m not making the most out of college life. The famous expression in college is “YOLO” which means “You only live once.” I discovered that it is not just about doing all the things that will make you happy because life is short but most importantly, it tells me that because I only live once, I should take all the opportunity to make my life more productive and more meaningful.

          10.       College is a challenge.

College is definitely not a bed of roses. If you want to survive without wasting money and time, you must accept and go through every obstacle. In this challenge you have few privileges, first, complaining is okay and second, you have the right to be heard. In the challenge, you will be treated not a child anymore but it will be considered that you are not yet an adult. Sometimes you will understand why things are meant to happen and sometimes you can’t. Sweat and tears are part of it so you better have a handkerchief every day. Most importantly, college is not just about good grades, being famous, being a member of the student council or even a part of life where you can find romantic relationships. It is all about developing talents, discovering your passion and learning the values you need to step on to the next level of being a professional.