Listomania: Top 5 Things I Learned This School Year

There were moments when I didn't think I was going to make it but here I am! Another first year under my belt! It's been an amazing year for personal growth and there's been a lot of learning. Most of it is entirely unrelated to what I'm studying but I'm strangely comfortable with that. Here are some of the important things I learned during the 2012-2013 school year:

5. Textbooks Suck.

I know I've ranted about this before, but I feel like it warrants mentioning again. What. A. Rip-off. In this age of instant information and the ability to collaborate online, I just do not understand the value of assigning textbooks to a class if they do not add value. I don't mind paying for a book that is well-written and interesting. Hell, I'd even be happy with relevant. But I find it deeply disturbing that I pay thousands of dollars to attend an institution of "higher learning" and the best my profs can come up with is a text riddled with grammar and spelling errors. Ugh.

4. Marks don't Matter.

I love getting an A as much as the next student, but this year I gave up on letting my marks define my achievement. Sometimes they just don't do your brain justice and I'm over it. I'd rather sleep than stay up all night cramming for an exam. The odds of someone looking at my transcript when I'm applying for a job are low, and the odds of me wanting to work for someone who cares what mark I got in my Communications Theory class are even lower. But what about applying to grad school? Ugh. Don't even get me started.

3. While I'm in school, school is my job.

I deal with a lot of guilt about my decision to go back to school full-time. My guilt is often compounded by my decision to take out student loans for the first time and not work while I'm in school. It's freakin' scary. But I really wanted to do this right the second time around and I'm really glad that I decided not to work. It gave me the freedom to get engaged in my courses in a way that I never could before and get involved in some volunteer experiences that I would never have time for if I were trying to squeeze in a part-time job. So I'm trying to get over my guilt and just enjoy the experience.

2. The only person I have to impress is me.

I am my own worst critic. I'm sure that I am not alone in this. This year has helped me finally face my completely ridiculous and self-defeating inferiority complex. I can't say I'm totally over it but I'm getting there. Repeat after me: I'm fabulous.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bitch-im-fabulous

1. It's never too late to change your mind.

I know that everyone says that life is short but I have to disagree on that one. Life is way to long to put up with doing something you don't really want to do for the rest of your life. As my wise sister told me, I have the rest of my life to work. My twenties are supposed to be about self-exploration and self-discovery. It may have taken me a while to figure out, but I think in the end it'll be worth it.