Lessons I Learned as an Undergrad

Four years at Virginia Tech taught me many lessons. I learned that I absolutely, 100 percent, must have my alone time during the day; that sisters make the best of friends; and that Friday nights are best spent laughing and dancing hilariously in the car on your way to Cookout at midnight. I loved undergrad. I would have done many things differently, treated many relationships differently -- but that's behind me, no going back now. Four years taught me a lot, and one thing is for sure, I would not do it again. Why try to change the four years that changed you? Everything happened the way that it should have at the time it was supposed to, and I would not want to taint that.

Just for fun, here is a list of a few important lessons that I learned during undergrad:

1. Make time for some good, old fashioned fun. Now, you might be thinking, "College is PACKED full of fun, what a dumb lesson you learned..." but riddle me this: We all get caught up in our own little world -- that ten-page paper is due in two days, it's TOTS Tuesday, you want to drink. Downtown is fun, we all love a good time downtown. But sometimes you need to take a break from homework, from the downtown life, to engage in a little old, fashioned fun. Next you might be thinking, "What do you mean by 'old-fashioned fun'?" Here is what I mean: laughing until you can't breathe, watching Disney movies until 3 a.m., sleepovers at your friends' apartment, singing your heart out to "Call Me Maybe" as you drive down Main Street. The fun that is innocent, small, but means the world to you and your friends in the moment. Take some time for good, old fashioned fun.

2. Take advantage of your surrounding opportunities. For those of you who the know me well, or who known the "Virginia Tech Kelsey Heiter," you know that I defined myself by my activities in college. Whether this was a good or bad decision is not for you to decide, it is what I did and I don't regret it in the least. Running from meeting to meeting, then off to the Empo to finish homework before going to bed at 2 a.m. -- I loved it, I thrived off of it; it made me who I am today. My motive? I wanted to do everything that I possibly could because I knew I would never be able to do it again. When are we ever again going to have over 700 clubs and extra curricular activities at our fingertips, with over 25,000 people to engage with, as well as a community that welcomes us with open arms for the majority of the year? For most of us, the answer is never again. During college we live in a fun little bubble; a bubble of friends, opportunities; everything that we need, for the most part, surrounds us in this very place. I wanted to soak in every chance I had to make a difference, make an impact, or leave my mark at Virginia Tech. These activities defined my life for the past four years, introduced me to some of the most amazing individuals I have ever met, and made me realize how blessed we are to have these opportunities at our disposal. Take advantage of what is around you, do not pass any significant opportunity for some extra sleep or a half off pitcher at the Cellar.

3. Learn something new, and own it. We come to college to learn. Learn about mechanical engineering, or the history behind the French language -- whatever it is, we can safely say we learn at least something new in each class. I learned lots of new ideas/concepts/thoughts/people/opinions/etc. at Tech -- we all did. Luckily, several important people showed me how to take what I learned and enhance it one step further by owning it. For example, I learned in leadership class freshman year, what it takes to be a good leader. From these few classes, I look those skills, and with the help of my peers and advisers, took those skills, crafted them, applied them to my life, and owned them. And I mean really owned them. I made these skills my own, put my own twist on them, and applied them to my life, as well as others. Your education is what you make of it. If you leave college knowing something new, great, but you have to do something to make it have an impact on the world, to make it important. Learn that and you will not be sorry.

4. Spend time with those who matter the most to you. The summer before my senior year I lost my grandfather. He was one of the very most important people in my life, and I miss him all the time. I was fortunate enough to spend great amounts of time with him over the years, forming a deep, special bond that I will never forget. Spend time with your grandparents, great-grandparents if you're so lucky. These individuals have much to teach us, and can offer you love, wisdom, and insight that you will never learn from a textbook or on a college campus. They have experienced life, and have something to show for it. Every time I see my grandmother, I get her to tell me another story from her life -- something small that makes her smile, or the story of how she met my grandfather, or the first time she taught my Mom to ride a bike. We never know what the next day will bring, so take the time to let those special people in your life know how much they mean to you. Your grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers -- we are only on this Earth for a short while and I think sometimes we forget that.

5. Don't be afraid to show your emotions and express your opinions. We try so hard to please people through the way we dress, act, say, do, dance, laugh, cry, etc. At 21 years old I finally feel comfortable enough to laugh loud enough that I snort, or politely disagree with someone, or even cry when I feel the need. Don't hide how you feel for the sake of feeling rejected, or looked down on, by others. This is your life, why would you let your fear of not pleasing others stop you from living the way you want? Please don't. We are all made and put on this Earth because we have something unique and special to offer -- show that to the world.


College taught me about life. Sure, I learned something about communication and English, but what I really learned was why I am passionate for the things I enjoy, and how to apply that to my life to formulate some sort of career. I may be overstepping my boundaries because I am going to graduate school, so I still have two more years to fine tune my skills, but these lessons have transformed and molded me into the person I am today -- and take it or leave it, this is what you get.