Invest Your Heart: Advice for our Graduates 2015

So here it is...this year's collection of Advice for High School graduates.  Some of it is contradictory; however it was important to me to keep the full chorus of voices.  There is a whole lot of advice from friends mature and young.  What would you add?  Do so in the comments.

• Although the ‘bar’ in life is constantly raising within society, keep your own bar and always work to improve yourself for yourself.
• Always back up your files.  On something hard, not just the cloud.
• Always have crackers, tea and applesauce, because college life is quite the germ fest and you never know when you will get sick.
• An active spiritual life is the correlating factor for achievement in high pressure collegiate programs. 
• And don’t forget to sleep; it’s important but often forgotten.   
• Bad things will happen, and it’s okay. It’s okay to be sad, just make sure you don’t let it become all of you.
• Be practical about what you are doing.  If you’re not sure about a degree, it’s ok to stay home or go to CC.  If you want the big school, 4-year experience, make sure you are structuring your life to have a good balance of school and social life.  
• Be yourself. If you don’t know who you are then work on finding who you are. Not everyone is going to like you, but that’s okay because you’re not going to like everybody. Just remember to treat them with respect and kindness.
• Become an expert about course requirements and due dates.
• Believe in yourself and what you're doing. Whatever it is.  Kinda trite, but seriously. Respect yourself.

• Bring an iron and know how to use it.
• Bring shower shoes.  Otherwise you might get every foot disease ever.
• Bring your SSN card.  You will need it to get a job, even student aid work.
• Call your parents, do not just text them.  
• Cereal is a great midnight snack, but you should definitely make eating healthy a priority.
• Check your email.  Respond to emails from the school in a reasonable amount of time and in a mature and professional manner.
• Choose a speech class, even if you don’t have to. Communication skills are among the more important things recruiters look for 
• College is absolutely crazy. It’s fun, and stressful, and just insane.
• Develop a Rule of Life.  Include scheduled time for prayer, exercise, study, service, solitude, relationships, and fun.  They can be the same thing.  Write it down.  Use a large font.  Post it where you will see it.  Put it in your calendar.  Make it flexible, but never deviate.  It will teach you how to say, "No."  Change it every semester as your life changes.  It will be your foundation when all is chaos and your impetus when the world is stagnant. 

• DO NOT USE YIK YAK. Actually do your reading all semester. You will be way less stressed at exam time or when you need to write papers.
• Don’t be a coward; actually report noisy dorm mates. 
• Don't be afraid to get involved within your community where ever that may be. Whether that be joining a sport team, book club, some type of club, volunteering, religious organization, or what have you there is always a place for you. 
• Don't drink in excess. It isn't cool. It never has been cool. If someone ever pressures you to drink/smoke/other rec drugs because everyone else is doing it, find different friends. They aren't worth your time. 
• Don't let people, especially upperclassmen, intimidate you.
• Don't plan your future based off of your significant other. Maybe your parents did that and it was a successful story, but you are not your parents and should always strive to what is best for you. 
• Eat green things and proteins!
• Education comes in many different forms, travel can be one of the most beneficial way to learn more about the world and yourself.
• Everyone is probably telling you right now that these will be the happiest four years of your life. What they probably aren’t telling you is that these will also be some of the worst years of your life. In college you will feel on top of the world and utterly defeated (sometimes in the same day). So just try to remember that you’re not doing anything wrong if you’re having a hard time. And before you jump to any conclusions about how much happier everyone else is, and how much more fun they’re having than you, go sit down and talk to a friend. You’d be surprised by how many people feel lost and directionless at least some point in their college careers.
• Find and engage in the Campus Ministry of your faith tradition of origin. There you will find a chaplain and a group of people whose ministry are specifically focused on the life experiences, crisis, joys, and rhythms in which you are enmeshed as a student.
• Find your passion and live it out!
• Focus on a major and elective courses that will help you find a job and a career.
• Free t-shirts for credit card applications are not worth it! 
• Get noise canceling headphones; they help with sleep.
• Give yourself grace and space to grow. Where ever your life takes you next, remember that making mistakes is okay; learn from them. Remember that you don't have to be perfect and that you are always growing and developing in your skills.
• Go to church occasionally.  You need to maintain your connections and have a place to go for quiet and reflection.
• Go to the gym (or yoga…). Your energy will be better.
  
• Have enough chargers.
• If you go to college, don't feel like you have a lot to prove. Just be yourself (!!!) and don't apologize for it.
• Join a club or inter-mural sport.  But not too many.
• Join a club, service group, a church or some kind of organization. Not everything will be for you, but you’ll find a place where you fit in!
• Just be sure you’re getting what you need out of the time because it’s not free, and you should be able to look back and say the money spent was well worth it in terms of experiences, friends, education and career.

• Keep a careful planner/calendar.

• Keep yourself organized the way you feel successful (because everyone does it differently).
• Know how to boil water and cook a potato.
• Learn how to write and address a letter, properly.
• Learn to clean your room. It gets gross fast, you don’t want to live in that environment.
• Learn to do laundry. When you do it take the opportunity to get some studying out of the way. The amount of people not knowing how to do it is ridiculous.
• Learn your limits and respect them. Just because someone can pull an all nighter studying for something, does not mean you need to/have to. It is not required of [college] students. But that also doesn't mean, doing a big project the night before because someone else can. Learn your balance and what you need to do, to do the best work. 
• Make time for the gym; the freshman 15 is real and you will be affected.
• One thing I do regret is not doing more internships while I was in school.
• Open a bank account and learn how to write checks.  They may be fading in popularity, but they are still needed.
• Remember God loves you more than you know!
• Remember how to center yourself when life becomes the worst.

• Respect your body and your heart; ‘college life’ is not an excuse to sleep around. 

• Room decor is nice, but basic tools are critical.
• Save as much money as possible. Have fun, but you don't have to ball out all the time to do it. SAVE YOUR MONEY. 
• Seek professional help when you need it. Most colleges have health and counseling centers. 
• Show up to class everyday, no matter what, unless you are vomiting.
• Some of my favorite college memories are of study groups and field trips.
• Some people end up on the path they thought they were starting as they entered college and they absolutely love it.  My guess is that this is the minority.  Most people change course, so do not be afraid to redirect.
• Sometime it takes time to figure out what your passion is, and that is ok.
• Sometimes you might have to stay up all night studying. It's going to be ok; you can do it.
• Speaking of smelly, shower. Everyday (or at least a few times a week).
• Stay involved in an inter-generational community (like a church, but it could be something else).   Peer-group-think can lead people down wretched pathways.  There is tremendous value in finding a community that has elders to trust and children to be a good model for. 
• Stay open to your possibilities and what's out there and not get too set in your plan.
• Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people.
• Take advantage of the study resources on campus. Just about all colleges have learning labs and tutors available. 

• Take smart notes. Find a note-taking system that works well for you, and focus on learning rather than simply recording the information.

• Talk with professors and teaching assistants.  They are people who probably care about you and want you to succeed in their class.
• Tell people what you think and how you feel. You don't have to be friends with everyone, but be kind to them anyway.
• The financial aspect of school is daunting, and student loans are awful, but you can pay them off as long as you don't go too crazy with them. Finding a part time job, diving in your studies, and scraping by are really what it's about.
• The hardest thing I found was learning to manage my time. You’ll find yourself really busy, especially in those first few months.  Remember to do your homework, or studying first. You really don’t want to be up all night working on a paper or studying for a test the next day.
• The key to life is clear, honest communication. Don't be afraid to explain yourself to someone (especially if you care about them). That also means being honest with yourself.
• This college thing costs a lot of money, even if it isn’t ‘yours’.  Honor the value and do not waste the worth of this opportunity.
• Volunteer work is a way to learn and grow. Not only might you help someone else, but you will receive back so much from the experience.
• When life is full of chaos, find a place to be still." Self-care. Whatever that looks likes that is healthy and best for you. Take time to think about your needs, wishes, and goals. 
• When you hear your parent’s voice in your head, listen to it!
• You might need less sleep than you think you do.