If you want to get more out of college, take more out of college.
Back in May, I shared the recent 2014 Gallup Poll, “It’s Not ‘Where’ You Go To College, But ‘How’ You Go To College” which showed no difference in college graduates’ workplace engagement or well-being whether they attended a college that was public, private, highly-selective or less competitive. But it’s worth taking a look at the college factors that were found to affect the quality of your college experience and your well-being later in life, such as:
Graduates who worked closely with a professor who took an interest and mentored them were twice as likely to be engaged at work and thriving in terms of their well-being.
Graduates who had a deep involvement in a job/internship, a long-term school project, and/or an extra-curricular activity were twice as likely to be engaged at work.
Students with no student loan debt are three times more likely to be thriving in terms of their well-being than are those with between $20,000 and $40,000 in loan debt.
The best part: you have influence—and even complete control—over those factors. Don’t sit back and wait for a college to give them to you. Take them for yourself.
Start by working hard in high school. Find colleges that fit you where you can be happy and successful. Apply for financial aid and make sure you have plenty of schools where you are a strong applicant. And once you get there, get busy building a remarkable college career.
The stats don’t lie. The students who take more out of college (and don’t take out more debt than their budget allows) get more out of college.