How to Make the Most Out of University
A few of my reflections after six long years.
In the United States and Canada (albeit to a lesser degree in Canada) university is an investment and each year the cost to attend university continues to increase. Every year a number of students graduate from a four-year undergraduate program with a significant amount of debt which inevitably leaves a sour taste in their mouths as they prepare to make the real jump into adulthood. They’re often left questioning if their decision to attend university was really worth their time, and more importantly, their money. While everyone’s degree and individual circumstances pre-, during, and post-university vary greatly, making the most of one’s university experience (the “during”) falls in large part on the individual rather than on external factors.
I did my undergrad in Canada and subsequently moved to the United States for grad school (with a few stints in Europe). I had the ability to experience university in an interesting yet holistic North American context. When I look back on my six years of university, I can’t help but smile. There were a countless amount of ups and downs (and some real downs), but overall it was an incredible experience for me. When university comes up as a topic of conversation with others, however, I’ve often received mixed or even negative feedback. I’m always interested in learning about someone else’s university experience, especially when they describe it as negative.
Having engaged in many conversations with different people on the subject, coupled with my own university experience, I wanted to shed light on three factors to look at when it comes to making the most of your university experience (about which I could write all day, but I’ll save you the time); the first is academics, the second is campus life, and the third is cultural exposure. They’re quite broad topics, however each could be refined to a few specific ideas.
1. Academics
I mean, the true end goal of university is to obtain a degree in the academic field of your choice, no?
If that is your true end goal, I would suggest revising it. The academics of university are not necessarily about the particular field of study that you choose or even the actual content that you learn but rather the particular skills that you gain from the field. These include: writing skills, communication skills, critical-thinking skills, public speaking skills, organization/time management skills, among many others.
How many times have you heard someone say (possibly even yourself) that they “barely remember what [course content] they learned in university”? We all learn a lot of things throughout each level of schooling that we can’t or don’t remember, but again, university is not about what you learn (in terms of content) but rather how you learn, not how much you can remember and then spit out on a page but the way in which you develop your thinking, the thought process, and how you then explain your ideas. These are the skills that most employers look for when you graduate and are looking for a job. When people say that your degree is not limited to your field of study, this is what they’re implying. Soft skills are just as important (sometimes more) than the hard skills that you possess.
Plus, aside from pre-requisites (believe me, I had to take some that were pretty boring), the electives from which you can choose in university, for the most part, are pretty cool.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Many universities and professors/instructors have become incredibly politicized and don’t legitimately promote these values, and instead of promoting your individual ideas and self-expression which is truly the fundamental ideas upon which university was founded, they suppress any viewpoint that’s contrary to what they believe and simply try to mold you into a miniature version of themselves.
Throughout my experience as both an undergrad and grad student, I had many professors across multiple disciplines who fit that description, but at the same time I had many others who had a profound impact on my life. Like anything else, you can’t paint one thing across the board with the same brush.
What’s important, in fact, more than ever nowadays, is to know your own individual values that you can appropriately/effectively defend (by appropriately/effectively, I mean respectful and productive dialogue and not yelling in someone’s face) and not be easily swayed by someone else simply because they’re in a position of authority. My favourite high school teacher once said to me “Never believe everything that you read [or hear] in one book, always consult other sources”. You might think that’s common-sense, but I’m sure you know that common-sense isn’t so common. He taught history, however the meaning of his words is so relevant, and not just to “one book” but also for “one person”: this proved to be incredibly helpful as I navigated my way through the academics of university.
2. Campus life
Of course campus life varies depending on the location, physical size of the campus, number of students, mainly commuter or campus based student body, etc. Specifications aside, no matter how big or small the university, there’s always a campus life. There are always opportunities in which you can involve yourself, like student life initiatives or internship opportunities with professors: again, the actual number of opportunities does not really matter that much, what matters is your willingness to take part in the existing campus life.
Nothing that peaks your interest? You could start some initiative that is dear to you. You would definitely not be the first person to try and every university has guidelines for those wishing to do so. Student clubs, organizations and governing bodies didn’t just appear out of thin air one day. A student or a group of students had particular ideas and worked to put them into play. You could be at a major city school with 50,000 students or a small college with a little over 1,000 students and you’ll still inevitably find someone else who will support and help you in your campus life initiative. The opportunities are endless.
Maybe you had the freedom to choose the exact university you wished to attend, or maybe you were limited based on external circumstances. Either way, if you’re looking to make the most of your university experience, it’s important to have a true vested interest in your university and the university community. I mean, you’ve already committed to having an invested interested, so in addition to the money you’ve spent, why not invest your own time?
The experience aspect of your university career, getting involved, contributing to and fostering a sense of community and identity on campus falls on you. I’ve lost count of the number of times in which someone (many people) has told me about how they feel they were cheated of their investment in university because they lacked the true experience. Almost always, again, the onus fell back on them.
One of the best things about campus life is that each university is home to students that come from all walks of life, which provides you with an opportunity (possibly for the first time in your life, I know that this was the case for me) to meet diverse groups of people with personal histories that are entirely different from your own, some of which will go on to become life-long friends. In other words, it’s a prime opportunity to finally break out of that community/high school/adolescent bubble that’s held you back.
3. Cultural exposure
I had to include a part about cultural exposure as it was absolutely integral to my own university career, and in many ways intertwines with the latter half of the previous paragraph. I had stated that each university is home to students that come from all walks of life; this does not only refer to domestic students from differing areas/regions and economic classes, but also to cultural differences, such as students who are first or second generation immigrant [grand]children, students who are immigrants themselves, as well as international students as a whole who made the decision to uproot their lives and attend university abroad. The cultural exposure present on any given university campus should not be undermined.
The world in which we live today has become increasing global and interconnected and will inevitably continue to do so, and as a result, a university campus is a great place for cultural exposure, as all of these students, while looking to learn from the particular university culture itself, at the same time wish to share their own ideas, stories and cultural elements with others. Take advantage of such an opportunity.
Hey, maybe you’ll be able to visit every country in the world one day, who knows. Given the difficulty of that task, however, you could still get a taste of different cultures and gain further knowledge about countries/people through simply engaging in conversation and getting to know those who have different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Not only will this enhance your cross-cultural competencies, but it’ll also teach you a lot about yourself and your own culture/ideals, possibly even challenge them. It’ll allow you to unwind prejudice, debunk stereotypes and develop a more holistic worldview based on real experiences and not what you hear from others or see online.
Gaining further cultural exposure at your own campus is just one side of the argument. The other side is exploiting the various international opportunities offered by or through your university or specific program, whether that’s by studying abroad, an international research program or international internship opportunity.
Now, it’s an additional investment to the already large investment you’ve made by attending university (although scholarships and grants are plenty), and international opportunities do vary to great degree depending on what your university offers, but if you are someone who has the ability to take part in an international opportunity through your university or through another academic organization, DO IT. Aside from the benefits that such an experience will provide you in your post-graduation career path, there’s no better time period in your life to pick up and get an authentic individual living experience for a prolonged period of time somewhere else in the world than while you’re a university student.
Unless you become a digital nomad or you work a job that requires you to uproot frequently, at what other time period can you simply move your day-to-day life to another part of the world for x number of months? Most people never get another opportunity remotely close to being able to immerse themselves in an authentic cultural experience and expand their horizons, making friends with locals and crossing paths with a number of other internationals for an extended period of time than while in university. Don’t live to regret passing off such a wonderful and life-changing opportunity that will have opened so many doors for you.
I make it all sound so easy, right? It’s not. It’s not easy at all. It wasn’t easy for me or for other people that I know, and it won’t be easy for you. Life throws tons of curveballs (professors do too sometimes). Things change and nudge you off track. Order can switch to chaos in a split second. But you can only blame the external for so much, and for so long.
The focal point always remains the same: your experience is your own. It’s what you make of it. University is a unique experience of personal growth in which you’re surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds of any given generation. If you choose to attend university (and for however long you do) then make the most of your time there.
I started this piece by talking about the major financial commitment of attending university. It absolutely is. For yourself and for millions of others. But not every one harbours negative energy about their decision to attend university. The choice is yours.
Know your values. Get involved. Meet new people. Expand your cultural horizons. Make the most of your university experience.
