This post is purely experience-based. I’m not saying y’all should do it because it applies to everyone of us, no. Okay, moving on…

Hello guys! I know I’ve been AWOL since last April because I seriously couldn’t find the time to inject blogging on my new schedule, sorry! I’ve been away because of the huge amount of requirements and responsibilities I needed to fulfill: from reporting to documentary shooting which lasted for more than a month to sponsoring and organizing a seminar to designing the promotional poster and certificates to editing our documentary to finishing the paper and so on.. God, thinking about it makes me feel thankful they’re finally over. And since all my class requirements are almost over and my grades are out, I can finally say that I’m graduating this June!!!! Yaaaaaaaaay.

College is probably the most fun and adventure filled phase of our lives. It is where we break free from our shells (and from our parents, lol hello to semi-independency). It is where we make life-altering decisions (from choosing our courses/majors to pursuing our dreams). Aside from it being most fun, college is also the time where we will experience failures and later on learn from them. College is fun. College is hard. Enjoy it while it lasts.

And since I am graduating in less than a month, I figured why not share tips and hacks I learned basically from the misadventures I had in my college life? I’ve decided to blog this survival guide to hopefully help you breathe easier while you’re in college (or about to attend college in the next years) since I, myself, went to college with zero knowledge of what I was going to face. So, let’s cut this thing short and move on to the tips I have for you:

• Know your schedule by heart. This is important. Lol. I remember on the first day of my uni life, I woke up so early feeling so excited and went to school at 7 am. When I finally arrived at the uni, I checked for my classroom on the sched and saw that my first class is supposed to be at 10-freaking-am.  Epic fail
• Choose your circle and choose carefully. They say “wag kang mamili ng kinakaibigan mo” but for me, that’s wrong.  Maybe, yes, you can be friends with everyone but your inner circle should always be the people you have carefully chosen for yourself, people you trust most. Carefully choosing your friends is not a selfish act. It’s a wise move. The people in your circle are the ones who will encourage you, lift you up and make an impact in your life. Again, choose carefully. Quality over quantity.
• Explore carinderias and other food options outside campus. I kid you not, the first month in college, I only ate McDonald’s for lunch. Purgang purga ako, besh. I wasn’t familiar with the area at that time so I’ve stuck myself with fast food.
• Get involved. Join an org or a publication. Unleash your talent and skills! When I was in my first year, a junior asked me if I wanted to run for a certain position in the college student council. It was a hard decision for me because I didn’t know anyone and I was just a freshman then but I accepted the offer. That’s one of the greatest decisions I’ve made in college and I’ll be forever grateful because I have learned a lot and I’ve gained friends that are for keeps.
• Be mature. Leave your high school drama in high school. You must realize that you’re in college now and you need a fresh start. Pretty harsh pero tatawanan ka nila if you don’t quit being childish.
• Find good places to study. College is full of exams, quizzes, and recitations. Chances are, the library’s full packed with students who want to catch up with sleep. Find good places where you can really study or make the papers you need to make for a subject. If you’re studying in TSU like me here are some of the places you can go:
  1. Infinitea – if you need a place to make those research papers, this one is for you. Very cozy plus they have outlets for your laptops.
  2. Urban Brew – Cozy place to have meetings.
  3. Dunkin’ Donut – FREE WIFI PPL. End of story, jk. If you need to a net connection for research, DD is here for youuu. Warning: no outlet. Make sure your laptop’s batt is full.
• Reviewers/Notes are a must. Isn’t it so high school? Loljk. I find it easier to review when I have a reviewer or notes. Instead of reading Chapters 1-6 of a certain book, I write the important details on a yellow pad and review it. It’s much easier, I swear.
• Time management is important. Make sure you can balance yourself and your time. Don’t get too overwhelmed by one subject/activity and forget your other responsibilities.
• Sleep. This is one of the things you will surely miss when you’re in college. Haha. You need to sleep because you need the energy required for the next day. College’s hard so you need to really take care of yourself so start with getting the sleep you need. And lastly..
• Get rid of them jeje email adds. I mean seriously, replace your email address. I remember my email address when I entered college was bethjoy_1995@yahoo.com.ph lol. Some of my classmates then even have email addresses like emogurl_**@yahoo.com or prettyinpink030405@yahoo.com etc etc. Lmao. Since college is like a preparation for your future career, you need to make a formal email address that you can use and others can use to contact you.

These are just some of the basic tips I have for you. If I put all of the things I’ve learned here, the space would probably be not enough. Probably a part two soon? We’ll see. I’m honestly still adjusting because I’ve been away for quite some time and I still don’t know what to blog or what you guys want to read. I hope you learned a thing or two from my misadventures. Lol. If you are already a graduate or if you’re still studying, can you share some tips you’ve learned in college?