10 Things I Wish I Had Known About College

I am about to graduate from college, which is both exciting and terrifying.  What this also means is the first set of FRC students I mentored is also graduating.  In honor of both these events, here are my top 10 things I wish I knew 4 years ago when I started college.

1. Never pull your first all-nighter.  Seriously, just don’t.  Once you pull one all-nighter, the second and third will be easier and easier.  Plan your time accordingly and you won’t need to pull any!
2. Will you stay in FIRST?  I did, and the opportunities it gave me are beyond what I could’ve ever expected.  However, this is not for everyone.  It took a lot of hard work and late nights to pull it off.  Decide what you want, and be honest with everyone at the start.
3. Travel.  Through my university I’ve been able to travel around Australia, the USA, China, and Hong Kong.  Look into exchanges.  Going overseas will wider your experiences and give you a new perspective on the world.
4. Intern.  I’ve interned for three summers during my degree and loved every internship so much.  What I learned made many classes easier because I’d already done what we were learning about!  It also gave me a network, and potential job, for when I finished at college.  Many of my former bosses are now my mentors and having an incredibly positive impact in my life.
5. Professors aren’t scary.  Perhaps this came easily to me because my father is a professor, but professors can be your biggest advocates.  Don’t be scared to go and ask them for help.  They are passionate about what they are teaching, and often love to talk more about their favourite topics.
6. Take at least one class outside your comfort zone.  For me, it was a third-year class on marketing for social issues.  It was something in a faculty I’d never taken a single class in!  It stretched me and gave some breadth to my college resume.
7. Find, and support, male advocates.  I’ve been fortunate to have many men, students and faculty, step up in classes to defend me.  Often we hear about all the sexism on campuses, but there is a lot of good too!  Look for the men who understand that “men of quality don’t fear equality” (Andy Baker) and encourage them!
8. College will be fun.  You’ll make life-long friends.  Stay up far too late. And drink lots of coffee.  Enjoy it, most people only go to college once!  
9. College will be hard.  Really hard.  But the hard is what makes it worthwhile.
10. College is not the end.  In many ways, it is just the beginning!  It is the start of your career.  Decisions you make now will set you up for further success.  So learn, connect and network!

​This blog was written by Sarah Heimlich, and alum and mentor of FRC Team 3132. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the blog schedule.