College is the biggest Ponzi Scheme there is. Four years of debt to only escape by the skin of your teeth and a piece of paper that says wow you made it through four years of mental gymnastics, and anxiety that will have you wake up before the sun. 

Why is college a Ponzi scheme? Well, the first two years you have your Gen Eds, hopefully, but if they like you, you’ll make it to three years of Gen Ed’s. You have to not only pay for tuition and books, but then pay an arm and a leg when you want to live here. 

Let’s not even get started with the professors. I have a bone to pick with every professor, (except for Michael Perrota of course. He’s the best professor of all time.) I am not only taking your class. I have other classes I attend. Stop giving me work like my college semester only revolves around you.

I really feel like professors are just bored, so they assign all this work. Your professors were definitely bored while making the syllabus for your classes. Do they even pay you that much to be doing all of that? I guess that’s none of my business. 

Enough bad-mouthing college, let’s talk about the good that the professors have to provide. You can really make your professors your best friend or your worst enemy. I’ve had both. Getting on your professor’s good side is one of the most important things you will probably do in college. Not only does it allow leniency when it comes to work, but it also will create future opportunities down the line when it comes time to look for a job. Getting on their bad side will do the complete opposite. 

Life at college can also be a great time as well. Well of course, that was before COVID-19 hit. I had the time of my life at college, and I’m a commuter at that. I was able to go up into the dorms and have a great time with my friends. Sharing memories that we would hold onto for a lifetime.

We would stay up to crazy hours into the night playing video games, knowing we had an 8:30 class that same day. We would stuff our faces with pizza and chips until we passed out. Overall, just being able to live a carefree life without having to worry about a global pandemic. 

One thing I’ve learned about college is that you need a support system. You need to surround yourself with like-minded people who share your goals and aspirations to become successful. People who are motivated to work hard so they can earn a degree.

People who don’t make excuses and give up when times get rough. College isn’t easy by any means, but surrounding yourself with people who are on the same boat as you makes it that much easier to get by.

Find a hobby. Pick up a club sport or join a club. Shoot, why not even get your body right at the gym? Do what makes you find joy. 

Stay focused while you are here at college. Everything and anything will try to occupy your time and distract you from your end goal, which should be to graduate. Just remember that things in this world are temporary. We are spending money that is going to end us up with having to pay it back in student loans. At least make the most out of it and get good grades. Never let anyone outwork you and be the best version of you that you can be. 

Try to get as involved as you can on campus. As a commuter, I know I definitely made my time count here. This being my fourth year here at Mercy College, I can definitely say that I have made my time worthwhile here. There are things I missed out on, but that’s because I procrastinated and fell behind on schoolwork, so I missed out on the fun. That’s life.

Having a healthy balance between life, school, work, family, and friends is something I learned is vital to having a successful time at college.