What I Learned In College

I’m feeling purple today. It happens once a year. I walk out to take my daughter to school or jump in the car to run some errands, and I am accosted by a sea of purple. It is graduation time, and Northwestern students don purple gowns and walk through my neighborhood to the stadium to take part in this time honored tradition. I get nostalgic. Every time. Because what I learned in college will never boil down to dollars and cents.

They were some of the best years in my life. I know the battle rages on about whether college is worth it or not. I certainly cannot say. The amount we are expected to fork out seems unsustainable.

But it would be a shame to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Humility

What I learned in college continues to resonate today. I learned humility. Although I was a top student, there were many who learned better and were more agile than me. They studied harder. Caught on faster. And generally did better.

For some, they even did so with less effort. There is nothing more humbling to an achiever than to see others waltz through when you are mired in the mud. Or conversely to find those who are willing to give more than you. They are willing to stay up later, memorize volumes, and push farther.

College put me in my place. By the time I left, my eyes were open to my own abilities and limits.

Self Dependence

What I learned in college was how to be an adult. Although I had taken on many tasks at home throughout high school, there was always a backstop. My parents were often there to back me up if I didn’t know what to do.

This spanned simple household chores like cooking, to much more complex concepts like how to navigate living with a roommate you don’t like. Many life skills only took hold once I was left on my own to struggle and fall on my face.

I might have made many mistakes, but I came out on the other side much more competent and capable of adulting.

Did I need an expensive college experience to learn these skills? possibly not. But it did provide the right environment to teach me how to advocate for myself both personally and academically (professionally).

Confidence

And last and most important of all, what I learned in college was confidence. I learned to walk into an academic or business setting and grab what I needed from it. It was a time to manage both personal and professional needs, and build new skills.

Away from my parents, I was free to sink or swim on my own. The classroom studies pushed me to learn, adapt, and organize. The maze of administrative tasks, learning, and personal care were essential tasks before entering true adulthood.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes. I certainly would. I probably would have found a way to spend less money, and might not have been so stuck on which exact college I went to. But I would hope to gain all the great skills that I have already.

The sea of purple will come and go over the next few days. New graduates will spread their wings and take the first step into true adulthood. Will they have gotten as much out of college as I have?

Only time will tell.