3 Biggest Mistakes I Made in College

College was the best time of my life and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. While the college experience is different for everyone, it’s a given that all students make mistakes throughout their journey.

Whether it’s related to majors, free time, involvement, or studying, understand that there are several types of mistakes to be made.

This post will explain some of the biggest mistakes I made in college, and also what I learned from them.

3 Biggest Mistakes I Made in College

1. Solely Focusing on GPA

No I’m not encouraging that students don’t study or completely dismiss their academics. However, I will say that solely focusing on a high GPA and nothing else can end up becoming a major mistake.

My first two years of college I had tunnel vision of just shooting for that high GPA because in our educational careers we’re taught that academic success equals real world success.

One of my good college friends even pointed this out in a Testimonial he gave for my blog:

“Our society perpetuates the myth that good grades in high school and college will lead to your professional dreams coming true. But those that solely follow this belief soon find themselves with a good GPA and no real prospects in the job market. Beers to Careers gives you an insight on how to take full advantage of every opportunity presented to you to make yourself better, both personally and professionally.”

While academics still play some role in determining real world success, I learned that it’s very minimal compared to other aspects of college such as involvement or networking.

Ultimately, I’d encourage every student to not just go through the motions of college by solely focusing on that high GPA.

2. Wasting too Much Free Time

Yes college was a great time for me and I had a ton of fun, but if you’re investing tens of thousands of dollars for pure entertainment then it becomes a waste.

I’m aware that everyone’s backgrounds, majors, and schedules are different, but I know for a fact that free time still exists for many students.

I found this to be especially true during my earlier years where more of my time was wasted on social media, video games, and partying instead of anything productive. 

While I enjoyed everything about college, if I could go back and make more productive use of free time I would. Now what exactly do I mean by making my free time more productive?

Here are some ways I would spend my free time in college if I could go back tomorrow:

• Learn new skills outside of the classroom: digital marketing, Ecommerce, personal finance, etc.
• Obtain certifications relevant to my career field: Google, Bing, and Facebook for example
• Spend hours working on my professional brand: Resume, LinkedIn, portfolio site, etc.
• Increasing my overall involvement on campus and within student organizations

3. Not Building a Network Early Enough

It wasn’t until my senior year that I truly figured out the importance of building connections in college.

Whether it was other students, professors, or alumni, the network you build up during college may be your most important asset once graduation day hits.

Even though I met a decent amount of people during my earlier years of college, I failed to understand the long term importance of building a personal network. 

So what would I do to build my network early on if I could go back?

• Join more student orgs and increase involvement within them
• Attend campus events, speakers, and other activities they hold
• Check out events in the community and make connections there
• Spend more time on LinkedIn building connections
• Develop relationships with professors/faculty as early as possible

Final Take

Elaborating on mistakes is never easy, and I hope this post helped explain what I learned from these mistakes. Solely focusing on GPA, wasting free time, and not building a network early enough.

These were three big mistakes I made in college, but it was a great opportunity to learn before the real world took over. For more insight on my college experience, I would highly encourage you to check out one of my previous articles on if Going to College is Worth it.

Be sure to reach out if you have any thoughts on this post, or have recommendations for future topics!