8 Things I Wish I Knew in College

These 8 pieces of advice will change your college experience.

In this episode, Mel is sharing the most impactful and insightful advice for all college students.

Think of it as a freshman year survival guide.

And if you’re a parent of a college student, this episode is one that you’re going to want to share and listen to with your kid.

Mel is sharing advice on:

• How to handle drinking and hookup culture
• Why you need to stop clinging to your high school friends
• How to take responsibility for your own experience and manage the ups and downs of this new season of life
• How to navigate change and uncertainty
• Understanding what is happening to your body and brain during the first month of college
• What you really learn from college and why it’s not all about studying

This episode is the cheat sheet for how to navigate college (and any major life change), so grab your pen and paper because class is in session.

For another personal episode on navigating your 20’s, check this out next: 13 Things I Wish I Knew in My 20s

Connect with Mel:

• Get Mel’s new free 26-page workbook, What Do You Really Want, to finally answer that question and redefine your future.
• Watch the episodes on YouTube‍
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• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram‍
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• Sign up for Mel’s personal letter ‍
• Disclaimer

In this episode:

• 2:22: For all college students, this is the advice you need to hear.
• 4:05: This is what you need to know about college move-in.
• 6:05: What you really learn from college and why it’s not all about studying.
• 9:34: If you are bored in college, there isn’t anything wrong with you.
• 13:17: How to take responsibility for your own college experience.
• 15:12: What is happening to your body and brain during the first month of college.
• 19:15: The BIGGEST mistake you are likely making in college.
• 22:42: How to properly handle drinking and hookup culture in college.
• 27:45: We all do this, and it makes you feel like a loser.
• 32:31: Do this one thing every day to strengthen your friendships.
• 37:10: Put down the phone, and do this instead.
• 39:10: How to let go of loneliness and embrace doing things solo.
• 40:05: Wake up, this isn’t high school anymore.
• 46:10: For all the parents who just had a kid leave for college, listen to this.

Resources:

• Mel’s episode on 13 Things I Wish I Knew in My 20s, listen here.
• Mel’s episode on Call Her Daddy about friendship: Where Did All My Friends Go?
• Harvard Health: What we know and how to cope.
• The Atlantic: We’re missing a key driver of teen anxiety.
• Psychology Today: How to cope with your child leaving.
• British J of Clinical Psych: Link between emotional regulation and loneliness.‍
• The Liking Gap: do people like us more than we think? - Research out of Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and University of Essex‍
• University of CA, Berkeley: Why your friends are more important than you think.‍
• The Atlantic: How to make friendships, according to science.‍
• The Guardian: The key to our happiness is connection, not competition‍
• Int. Journal of Beh Dev: Adolescent home-leaving and transition to adulthood‍
• Am Journal of Lifestyle Medicine: The importance of habits and routines‍
• Forbes: Travel and exploration spark happiness, study suggests‍
• The New York Times: The benefits of talking to strangers‍
• National Public Radio: Talking to strangers might make you happier‍
• Dr. Vivek Murthy: The healing power of human connection in a lonely world.‍
• Harvard Business Review: How to find, define, and use your values‍
• TED Talks: The art of being yourself (video)‍
• TED: How to gain control of your free time with Laura Vanderkam (video).‍
• The New York Times: Do you seek out new experiences? ‍
• Harvard Health: Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being ‍
• Columbia: Why you should try something new everyday ‍
• Forbes: Stop. Reflect. Try new things