College is a whole world unto itself. What we mean is, there are many things that you will do, and that matter in the world of college that don’t matter in the real world. When you graduate, it can be a shock to realize that the things that were so important to your life in college are actually unimportant when you begin your career. If you go out into the real world expecting things to be the same, this can make your transition into life after college much more difficult. So remember these key tips for what likely won’t matter as much in the real world, so you can relax and set healthy expectations.
Your GPA isn’t as important as you think
Look, the GPA obsession, in many cases, is a waste of energy and time. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t worry about your grades at all. Or that prospective employers won’t still appreciate knowing that you had a high GPA in your job interview.
Just know that once you leave college, GPA becomes largely irrelevant. Universities use GPAs mostly to show their credentials. This is all to say that if you get a B instead of an A for one of your classes, that really won’t have any effect on your future job. Hopefully, this helps you relax a little more and not go into full-bloom GPA obsession and burn yourself out studying before you even graduate.
Your major may never matter
The world of college seems to make your major the most important thing. When you meet a new person to talk to the family during spring break who asks about your studies, you’ll likely be asked what your major is. Maybe you’ve not chosen it yet and are feeling stressed at the huge decision. We’re here to tell you that you can relax. When you finish college, almost no one cares about what you majored in. You might not even care!
So, many graduates go down different career paths that aren’t in line with their majors when they start getting real-world work experience and find out what they really allow to do. Did you know that only 27% of college graduates end up working a job even related to their degree? Hopefully, that puts it into perspective for you.
Your social circle isn’t relevant
You might have already experienced this in your transition from high school to college. All that time worrying about how you weigh up against the popular group and what kind of social circle you are in is completely irrelevant when you enter college and make new friends. This is the same for when you leave college. Sure, there may be some workplace politics going on in some businesses, but generally, no one cares what social circle you were in while you were at college. Whether you were a lone wolf or the college jock, people won’t care. Really, that’s a refreshing thought.
You get to ‘clean slate’ your former self and go out into the world being whoever you want to be. Know that the dynamic of college study and your social circles will be totally different from what you will experience in the real world after you graduate. This is all to say, relax and enjoy college.