By Debarghya Mukherjee
2nd Year, B.Tech (IT)

If you ask a school student the difference between school life and college life, their response will inevitably be “Freedom!!”. But my dear friend, have patience. There is an entire unexplored universe waiting for you once you enter college! While you are in high school, you have your parents to look after you, to ensure that you complete your homework, eat well, and get ample sleep, you are their first and only priority but once you enter college life, you are on your own. Solely responsible for yourself, you become your own priority. Your triumphs and massacres fall squarely on your shoulders. You probably feel like a deer in headlights now, but worry not, this might seem scary for the first time, but college teaches you life skills that are required for building a proficient life and surviving as a grown individual.

Want to know about them? Here are some skills that one procures after entering college.

Adjustment

Nowadays, most of us belong to nuclear families, with the conclusion of the joint family culture; one of the fundamental skills that are missing in today’s youth knows how to adjust with people. We are born and brought up with a lot of care and pampering from our parents, wherein we receive the utmost attention a person can give. We live in our own comfort zones; our family members alter their schedules around our own. The privileges are endless but once we move into college, we naturally learn how to adjust with people. There are a lot of things like desks, wardrobes, washrooms, household items that we need to share. We cannot stubbornly follow our own timetable but have to adjust with the people in our rooms. And believe me, if you don’t know how to adjust, life is going to be exceptionally troublesome once you enter professional life. College is the perfect place that makes you more flexible in adjusting to different kinds of people taking you out of your comfort zone.

Empathy

One of the skills that you generally don’t have in your school days and develop while you are in college is the ability to understand and share feelings. While in college, you live with a wide assortment of people who come from distinctive places, have diverse backgrounds, and additionally have different issues in life. One of the finest things that college is going to give you is companions who will continuously be by your side whenever you are in trouble. And subsequently, you develop the ability to understand the feelings of others and you also learn to share your problems.

Budget management

For some, college is the first time we’re able to spend money without any sort of supervision. I admit, this newfound freedom is tempting, but it brings a major responsibility along. Don’t let this get out of hand, especially if you have tight purse strings. Create a budget or make a spreadsheet on a computer that tracks your spending habits. This will serve you well in the long run as budget management is a skill every adult needs to master.

Time Management

Remember the days when your mom made sure you get up early on time for all your commitments as if it is her responsibility? Well, once you enter college, you are all on your own. One might face difficulties in the initial stages but after a while, you know when to wake up for classes, when to have food, when to study and when to go to bed! You become self-reliant. You learn how to oversee your time so that you just don’t have to surge at the last moment. Also, you become organized. You know how to take care of your things and how to live on your own.

Independence

Once you move into college, all your life decisions are yours. Your actions might have a repercussion on something else. Once you get a chance of making independent decisions, your faults and imprudence do not exclusively influence you, but might have an impact on someone else. You need to stay with people who have different opinions from all over the world and live collaboratively while keeping your own ideals intact.

Conflict Resolving

Remember the time when you used to fight with your classmate over petty things? There are instances where a little strife in school creates ill will among individuals. Conflicts aren’t avoidable. But resolving them is possible! In college, you learn to live with diverse people whose mindset won’t coordinate with yours. In college, we learn how to take criticism. There are a lot of people with different opinions, and we have to accept their opinions. We learn how to accept any criticism and become a better version of ourselves. There are circumstances when people indulge in conflicts but unlike school days, most of the time you come to a settlement. You learn how to respond to situations and not react! And that’s the primary step towards maturity!

But the most important thing you’ll find in college is your true self. The things that motivate you, the tribe that you belong in, from recognizing your irks to learning what works for you, you will discover every little thing about yourself. College life is the first step towards independence, and with independence comes opportunities. It is completely on us how we use them. So all in all, if you are a fresher in college, you are beginning the best days of your life. The memories you will make will be just as precious and important as the skills you will learn, and you will find yourself to be a mature, understanding, and self-dependent individual!