In May of this year, I will graduate from UCA, and in the past few months, I have done more at college than I have in the years prior.

College students should be trying new things and gaining new experiences, not just going to class.

Going to college is obviously about getting a higher education to set you up for a career, but there is also the idea that college is all about experience. 

Finding yourself and trying new things are huge aspects of “the college experience.”

It has taken me being well into my final year of college to take the experience as seriously as the education part.

So far this school year, I have done several things that my freshman-year self would have been shocked by. 

I have been going out on the weekend, attending social events and doing homework the morning it is due rather than the night it was assigned just to name a few.

A big factor that has played into this is the friends I have made in college.

In the first half of my college experience, I did not have any real friends who I could consistently spend time with outside of class or work.

As I have been here longer and met more people, that has changed and I now have a pool of good friends.

I am not easily peer-pressured into doing something against my morals, so this is not the reason for my recent urge to try new things.

I genuinely wanted to embrace this aspect of college.

I have realized just how little time I have left as a college student.

Living within a few miles of some of my closest friends and having access to a campus that is overflowing with opportunity and resources will not be my reality in just a few short months.

I have always considered myself to be an anxious person, which is why I believe I hadn’t started trying so many new things and adventuring out sooner.

I had been afraid of embarrassing myself, not knowing what I was doing or feeling like I wouldn’t fit in. 

Every new experience I have had this year has been positive.

Allowing myself to overcome those anxieties and stray from my comfort zone has allowed me to try many new things.

For example, I’ve gone to my first group exercise class at the HPER, tried every dining option on campus, gone inside buildings I’d never been in before and went to my first tailgate, volleyball game and football game.

I’ve especially enjoyed the sunrise spin classes held Tuesday mornings at 6:15 at the HPER Center. 

As my time at UCA is dwindling, I have decided that college shouldn’t be all work and no play.

We spend several hours in classes and sometimes even more studying and doing homework. 

It’s easy for academics to be the primary focus of college students with how time-consuming it is. 

College life is only as fun and exciting as you make it, and if you’re like me and are too scared to branch out on your own, you’re missing out on all that college truly has to offer. 

College students need to try new things and create meaningful experiences to get the most out of this pivotal time in their lives.

Your 20s are the perfect time to explore who you are through unique experiences, and college campuses have so many to offer. 

Going to class and earning good grades is important, but students should prioritize the entire college experience before crossing the bridge that is the graduation stage into adulthood.