Maximize Your College Experience: 5 Steps to Boost Your Values

"I believe in my abilities"

As warmer days approach, the end of a semester is in sight. For many students, these times brings a mix of excitement and anxiety - whether they are moving into a new year level or getting ready to graduate. It is natural to feel uncertain of what comes next, especially when it comes to boosting your personal values. In this blog post, we will focus on five practical tips that will help boost your values while in college.

1. Stay ahead and be the best

   The job market is more competitive and unpredictable that even people coming from the most qualified institutions find it difficult to land a job. As a college student, now is the perfect time to sharpen your personal skills and values. You can begin by exploring courses that are provided by your university of your interest. Additionally, you can also look into free or paid online courses to boost skills within and outside of your academia. Platforms like LinkedIn, Coursera or Allison provides free online courses available.

   
   

2. Gateway for future opportunities

As you navigate through college, you may come across opportunities where there are Career or Education Fairs that allows you to interact with prospective companies of interest. To make most of these opportunities, here are some things that you could do to leave a great first impression;

• Come prepared - Conduct research before the fairs and meeting the prospective companies so that you can communicate with them.

• Ask smart questions - Once you have conducted research, you can based it from here and derive questions.

• Practice your pitch - You can practice in front of a mirror or a friend before meeting them and get feedback on how to improve your pitch!

You may also prepare your resume or personal name cards when you have the chance to meet people. The following resources are helpful for building resumes or portfolios if needed.

(Thomas Frank: 8 Tips for Writing a Winning Resume)

(Flux Academy: Design Portfolio: Complete guide)

3. Turning failure into opportunity

Failure is never easy to accept, but it doesn't signify an end but rather a greater success ahead. Whether you have struggled for an exam that you prepared for a very long time or you did not get selected by your favorite organization, it is a learning opportunity to seek growth and continue as there are many better opportunities awaits. Success isn't about just failing - it is also about learning, adapting and persistency.

4. Learning beyond yourself

Learning isn't just about absorbing knowledge - it is also about knowing when to seek guidance. If you ever feel stuck on a research project, you can ask a professor for their thoughts about it. When you feel like the executive members of an organization is not willing to corporate with you, talk yo previous executive members or friends on possible solutions. Seeking advice isn't a sign of failure, but rather a capability to learn from others, adapt and grow.

5. Realistic goals wins the race

   It is easy to get sweep up in ambition - because we all want to achieve big things. However, pushing yourself too hard can often be exhausting and disappointing. In the end, we may not have gained anything valuable. Instead, focus on setting realistic and achievable goals that you can complete because not only it will be less exhausting but you will feel accomplished. Learning how to set realistic goals is a powerful skill - it helps to build a solid foundation of your future. The following video is an inspiring TED talk by Sarah Glova who shares her tips on how to make achievable goals.

   
   

   (Sarah Glova: How to achieve your goals with a single page)

   
   
   
   

   There are many other skills to boost your personal values but your college years are the perfect time to find your true qualities and balance. So dream big, plan smart.