Tips from an Alumna Who Works with College Students Every Day

A viewpoint overlooking the city of Jerusalem in Israel during a Birthright trip as a pre-junior at Drexel

As a college student, everyone that I met was constantly trying to give me advice about how to thrive and survive in college. Some of it was a little dated, but looking back on my time at Drexel, I wish I had listened more closely. Now that I work with college students every day, I’m still reminded of advice that I should have taken but didn’t … and some advice that I thankfully did. Here are a few tips that I learned along the way:

Tip #1: Take Advantage … OF EVERYTHING!
One of the best parts of being a college student is that there are so many opportunities to get involved on campus, whether that is through joining a fraternity or sorority, a sports team, an academic honor society, or simply finding all of the fun and free events going on. Do yourself a favor and figure out what you enjoy doing, and go do it! Join as many organizations as you want, participate in community service, or attend free events both on campus and off campus. Being in Philadelphia provides so many opportunities to experience new things at low cost.

Taking in the Sights in Sydney, Australia at the End of My Sophomore Year at Drexel
*This was part of the International Scholar Laureate Program offered to members of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (I was inducted at Drexel).

Tip #2: Sleep ... but also don’t sleep.
As I talk with the students I work with now, I’m reminded of how I often had so much going on that I felt like I rarely slept. Looking back, I clearly got enough sleep to pay attention in class and earn my degree, but I also wasn’t as afraid to say no to hanging out with friends or going on random adventures. Now that I work full-time, it is harder to balance the things I want to do, yet those things are far fewer than what I did in college. I don’t know how college students somehow seem to cram 36 hours worth of stuff into a 24-hour day and still sleep, but it seems to be something that you can only successfully do while you are in college. Of course, make sure to get some sleep and make it to class in the morning, but don’t be afraid to say yes to that late night froyo run with a group of friends!

With Fellow Drexel Alumna Erika Foster (Class of 2016) Outside of Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Israel

Tip #3: Find a way to travel on school breaks!
One thing I never fully seemed to comprehend until I was no longer a student was that as a student you have the benefit of built-in vacations. TAKE THEM!! Once you graduate and start working, you have to plan out when you want to take a vacation and use your own vacation time to take that. But as a college student, you get a week or so off after each quarter. Take advantage of this!! Make sure to go and spend some time with your family back home, but also find fun places to travel to. There are some great ways to find places to visit that aren’t far from Philadelphia, or you can embrace the wanderlust and leave the United States on a cruise or backpacking trip.

Petting a Koala at the Sydney Zoo in Australia

Once you graduate and join the "real world"; it hits you fast and it hits you hard. At first you're excited and eager to start your new job and begin the next big journey in your life. But a part of you will always think of something that you wish you did while you were still in college and had time. Make a bucket list of things that you want to accomplish while you're still a student, and see how much you can cross off!

Aimee Wardle is a New England native now living in Atlanta, GA. She currently serves as a Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Kennesaw State University. In her free time, she loves reading, watching Netflix, baking challah bread, and spending time with family and friends.

Aimee Wardle