I graduated from college last month and although it is a bit strange to make the transition from student to graduate, it has made me do some reflecting. Now I’m realizing just how many things I learned in college — both in and out of the classroom.

Today I wanted to share my newfound knowledge with any college student who may need it, freshman, senior or anyone in between. Here are the top 10 things I learned in college, outside of the classroom.

Table of Contents

1. You are a person first, student second

My sophomore year I took a position as a resident assistant at my university. All of my friends had become RAs and I thought it’d be a good way to make new friends.

I’ll never forget what a fellow RA told me when I took the position:

You’re a person first, student second, everything else should be taken care of after those two things.

That advice got me through my first year as an RA, although it forced me to make some tough decisions. I had to give up some stuff like theater so I could better do my job, take care of myself, and keep up with my schoolwork.

The next year, I was placed on another floor. This time around, I really struggled to juggle the position with everything else in my life. Because I had learned the importance of taking care of myself and making sure I was okay mentally and physically, I resigned from my position. This wasn’t easy to do, but it was the right choice, and an important lesson for me.