Just like that, my college career has ended. I walked the stage and all of the embarrassing, anxiety-inducing and unnecessarily dramatic moments that kept me up at night the last four years suddenly didn’t matter. 

I can’t say my college experience was perfect, but it was definitely filled with an abundance of lessons, both about myself and the world around me. So, as I bring my legacy at The Review to a close, here’s some advice from a new graduate.

First things first, read your syllabi — yes, all of them. This isn’t like high school where you can skim over it, take it home for your parents to sign and never think about it again. In college, the syllabus is basically the bible of the course and if you don’t want assignments, exams and annoying policies sneaking up on you at the worst times, you’d better check that thing like your life depends on it.

Secondly, join something. It could be literally anything. I am lucky to have grown up in a house that put emphasis on making school fun and joining extracurricular activities. This is something that I have carried with me from elementary school to college, but I understand that not everyone is the same.

I won’t say your college experience will be miserable without being in a club or sport, but to be completely transparent, you will probably struggle. One of the things I really appreciate about this school is that there are so many ways to get involved. Attending a larger university gives you many opportunities to meet people, but it can also be very overwhelming. Joining at least one student organization will make making friends so much easier plus more authentic and manageable. 

I got involved in multiple things here and still wish I did more, so take full advantage while you can. Go to the involvement fairs. Try something. Try everything. Just don’t go through college and come out saying you did absolutely nothing.

Speaking of making friends, this is an important one — you will lose friends and that’s okay. Whether it’s high school friendships that you thought would last through college or your freshman year friend group, you will experience the loss of friends at some point. It sucks, but it’s a part of life. 

Many students, including myself, hear stories of college roommates turned into bridesmaids and we put pressure on ourselves to find the friends of a lifetime in college. While this is definitely achievable, not every friend you make is going to stick around — some might not even make it to the end of the semester.

Don’t worry. More friends will come and any connection that was meant to be will last a lifetime. Don’t hold on to a friendship that isn’t serving you just because you think you have to.

Of course, friendships aren’t the only relationships that get complicated in college. Dating is an equally difficult, if not worse, experience to navigate. Similar to friendships, there’s this whole culture surrounding finding your soulmate in college. If you do, I’m impressed and if you don’t, trust me, you’re not alone.

I could make an entirely new article about the dos and don’ts of college dating, but I will give you a brief overview instead: keep your head up, be yourself, don’t compromise your morals and never date someone in your major or an adjacent one — trust me, you will end up having classes with your ex until you graduate.

Aside from building friendships and insane romantic endeavors, you will also come in contact with a variety of people in your day-to-day life. It’s important to remember that not everyone comes from the same background as you. 

Some of these experiences will be fascinating and fulfilling. You will meet people who have different cultural and social backgrounds, swap stories and have meaningful conversations. But, on the other end of things, you will meet people who don’t know how to do their own laundry, have never shared a room and have never seen this much “diversity” before.

Both ends of the spectrum will teach you a lot about yourself, your upbringing and how to interact with individuals who are different from you. Be mindful of these differences, let the positive ones expand your world and work around the negative ones the best you can.

My last piece of advice is arguably the most important — no one dictates your college experience except you.

These four years are what you make of them. Yes, there will be things that are out of your control and in the moment, it will feel like the end of the world. But, in the end, you can always turn it around. A few bad days or weeks don’t have to dictate your entire four-year experience.

To the incoming freshman and current students, I hope these pieces of advice will help you through the next few years. Remember to cherish it as much as you can, because one day you’re moving into your freshman dorm and the next you’re walking across the stage.

Lastly, thank you to The Review for giving me a platform to share my thoughts, feelings and opinions these past two years. I’ve had an absolute blast and will greatly miss being a part of this organization — former Co-Managing Mosaic Editor Aliyah Jackson, signing out.