Advice I wish I was given in college

 Like I mentioned in a previous post, my freshman year in college was filled with bad decisions on my end. I barely studied and performed very poorly in all my classes and my priorities were all over the place. On top of all that, I began to feel like I didn't have my life together which led to feelings of not belonging among my peers. All my friends seemed to have their life plans figured out while I was still struggling to understand what I was doing at Pacific. As a junior in college and about to graduate, here's my advice for upcoming freshman or current freshman in college. 

Don't be afraid to change your goals/aspirations

Similar to high school, most individuals are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. According to the Department of Education, about 1 in 10 students change their major. To put it into perspective, the student body at Pacific is around 3,665 students. According to this ratio, around 367 students will change their major at some point during their time at the university. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with changing your major at all. In fact, I think it's very brave of you to change your aspirations if you're especially unsure about what you want to do with your life. Especially in Asian-American households where maintaining balance and being quiet to conserve harmony not only in your own life but in the lives of your family, stepping out of what you initially thought for yourself is so brave! Firstly, congratulations on making a huge decision for yourself! This is your first concrete step into individuality and your adult lives, aside from attending university. Secondly, don't worry too much about the decision of changing your major. While there are always hiccups to drastic changes, it's almost always for the better. Don't look back to what you were doing in the past; focus and keep your eyes on the future because it's looking bright!

Don't be afraid to have fun, but do it in moderation

Now, it is a well-known truth that many students party in college. For freshman, college is a place where you essentially have a clean slate; no one really knows who you are and you could make a new name for yourself. Your reputation in the past no longer applies. 

However, the reality is different for Asian-American students. I know that for many of you, your parents have guilt-tripped/implicated about how much money that they are spending to put you through university and how you shouldn't put it to waste. This tends to have an interesting effect on 2nd-generation students: you will find that there are people who either: 

A) go really hard and party every weekend 

B) Don't party at all and spend all of their time studying

Obviously, I'm not going to be the person to advocate for you to go out to parties and engage in activities that are against the law. However, I also think it would be a waste to not engage in these activities while you're still in college. A recent survey has shown that the close bonds and friendships that you make in college are some of the only ones that you will carry with you into adulthood. While you don't need to attend parties to make friends, it's a great first icebreaker. Don't be held down by the desires of your parents for you; keep them in mind. Be mindful of your surroundings and know what your boundaries are. The faster that you find your limits and how much fun you can have before your academics begin to suffer will become essential as you progress through college. Have fun, but not TOOO much fun.