In four years I've spent thousands of dollars on books alone. College has a way of making five pounds of paper worth three tanks of gas, six concert tickets, two weeks of groceries, or 100 double cheesburgers at McDonalds. It's funny that after four years at KU I've begun to value things in big macs and concert tickets.
I believe we've all been mislead to buy the wrong books. I've studied transcendentalism, convergence, and so many other ism's and philosophies than I've ever cared to keep in my tired, little sleep depraved head. I've taken the liberty of putting together a list of the top five books that I could have used, knowing what I know now.
I never drank before college, in fact, I never drank until halfway through my freshman year. I was pressured, I was stressed, I was rebelious and free. I was ill-prepared. Most students don't realize how to handle the toxic cocktail of freedom and booze.
It does no good to attempt 110% when at least thirty percent of you was left in the trashcan your friends left for you next to your bed last night. Had I known this, several of my classes would have gone stronger throught the semester.
I'm broke. So goddamned broke I was actually looking for something along the lines of "Homelessness for Dummies." I now face a debt in the tens of thousands. I'll most likely be paying off these loans by selling various body parts. I'd whore myself out, but my boyfriend wouldn't go for that, and who would pay for this
I'm not sure if this book is necessarily a great preemptive book to avoid this plight, but between the mandatory readings you can study up for your future financial woes. The homework you might take on with this book is locating your nearest soup kitchen, salvation army, and sperm bank.
I wish someone walked up to me during orientation or even on my first day of classes four years ago and told me, "You, prepare to neve sleep again!" and then punched me in the nuts and ran away to really emphasize the point. I always told myself I never slept in high school so I must be prepared for college life circadian rhythm.
On average I sleep 24 hours in a week. That's just over three hours a night. One thing I've taken from my four years of college is the ability to fall asleep anywhere at anytime. I can sleep outside classrooms, in a restaurant booth, at amusement parks, doesn't matter. In college sleep is where you can get it, not when.
I have put off fixing my procrastination problems so many times. Irony is a whore. Something I have taken from college is how to really wrap my mind around a daily schedule. This doesn't just take into account school work.
I work nearly full time at a hotel, I have a tight-knit family, a full time boyfriend, and a desire to have some sort of life outside all of that. I was so unprepared for the grueling schedule of university life. I leave the colleiate life able to juggle better than a circus clown with a gun to his head.
The last book on my list is one I still could stand to buy. I'm a month and a half away from graduation and I am without job prospects and a direction. I think that the majority of students at my point in the race are having the same issue.
I'd like to be able to say that the school has helped me realize my direction in life, but I just don't feel it. I think that the most important thing I've taken from my four years here is an extended therapy session of "finding myself." Everyone who steps foot on campus, drags their ass up the ninety stairs of death or gets food poisoning from the Underground should utilize this time to find yourself and find what makes you happy.
* all photos compliments of BarnesandNoble.com
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