Upon asking, many students will say that their ultimate decision to further their education and enroll in college was to ensure a decent income once they graduate. Isn’t that why any of us go away to college? Maybe. However, we end up getting so much more than what we signed up for. We sit in our classes; we’re quizzed on course study materials and instructed to write an outrageous number of research papers yet in the mist of it all we somehow miss a huge part of what college really teaches us.

 1. How To Live With People Other Than Your Family

If you’ve gone away to school, then college has taught you how to live with others besides your relatives. It isn’t easy. People come from all walks of life and when you’re stuck in a room with a roommate, or in some cases, multiple roommates, you have to adjust, so that the both of you can live comfortably. This is useful even after you graduate as most college students choose to room with other college grads before they can get on their own two feet. Which is another great lesson college has to offer – independence.

2. How To Be Independent

Being in college is a huge step in the path towards independence, after all once your parents unload the car and move you in, its survival of the fittest. Once the first year of college is over nothing is really the same. You don’t get as many phone calls, you don’t get as many care packages and the only zero’s in your bank account is the remaining balance. It’s becoming time to buck up and take things into your own hands.

3. Managing Stress 

If you haven’t already experienced high levels of stress, then get ready. College is all about deadlines, research, midterms, finals and more deadlines – all enough to make you want to pull your hair out. At times, it may feel like nothing will get done, but college will help you adjust to your workload and in the end you will be able to take on stress like never before.

4. Dealing With Realationships 

Friends come and go, so do boyfriends and girlfriends. While in college is it almost certain that your friendship and relationship partners will change. It’s best to get all your kinks out now, so that once you graduate you know what type of friends you want to surround yourself with and what type of person you want to end up with.

Yes College is expensive, but the next time you take a look at your student loans and debate whether or not the debt is worth it, think about the overall person you’ve become because of your college experience. Some things you just can’t put a price on, and a degree in life lessons is one of them.

What Has College Taught You?