After I graduated college 5 years ago, I realized that I could have done better. I came to a sad conclusion that I made multiple mistakes and could have taken more advantage of my collegiate, social opportunities. There were many times I could have performed better in my social and academic life. I don’t regret it, because it was a learning situation and took my time post-college to fix it all. I don’t want many of you to make the same mistake, so below is a list of the top 10 mistakes I made in college.

1. Not Talking to Enough Girls I was in a fraternity and had options to talk to many girls. The only ones I talked to were the ones that I was introduced to. I never branched out and approached any girls on campus or in bars that I was interested in. I went to a college with over 40,000 students, which means there were about 20,000 were girls. I did not take advantage of that and I should have, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Instead I complained about not being able to meet new ones and didn’t taking any action.

2. Going to the Same Bars My friends went to the same bars every single weekend. Of course, I followed along with everyone else because I didn’t want to “miss out”. Unfortunately I was missing out on a million other cool bars and places in my college. There were so many more girls to meet, but I decided to stick around the same areas and talk to the same people. Senior year I got fed up with this and started going to a few new spots, to realize I was missing out this entire time!

3. Skipping Class I would skip class at least 1-2 times a week. Luckily, it didn’t affect my grades too much because I tortured myself and crammed last minute for every paper and test. This was beyond stressful. If I regularly attended class, then I wouldn’t have to have so many nights where I freaked out and had to pull all-nighters.

4. Not Making More Friends in My Classes The classes that I did attend, I kept to myself. I didn’t care to meet any new girls or make other guy friends. I kept to myself and stormed out as soon as the class was over. There were a ton of cute girls in my class, but I was either too afraid or lazy to spark up a conversation. Class is an easy way to get in with new, interesting people and it’s important to take advantage of that.

5. Getting a Girlfriend Too Quick Lucky for me it only lasted 3 months, but I got a girlfriend the first week of college. This is a major mistake. The whole point of college is to experience as much as you can. It’s not to get settled down into a serious relationship. Hey, if it happens, it happens. But, my advice to you is not to go on a hunt for it. College is the time for experiencing multiple girls and making strong bonds with your friends. Don’t let anything take you away from that.

6. Not Talking to Women I Was Attracted To There were so many hot girls that came around and I had easy opportunities to flirt with them or at least make friends with them. Instead, I had a pre-conceived notion that these girls were “bitches” or only liked to talk to jocks. Boy was I wrong. A lot of them were quality girls and I just stood in the corner watching everyone else mingle with them. I had no proof of any of my thoughts. I was just scared.

7. Not Reading Enough There is a lot of downtime in college. Instead of picking up a good book I would party or sleep. There’s nothing wrong with either of those (especially in college) but it would have been good to pick up a new book every once in awhile. I don’t mean your course books either, but a classic novel or a how-to book. I would have learned a lot more and opened up my mind if I decided to delve into some solid books, but unfortunately, I was too lazy.

8. Not Wearing a Condom There were a number of times I did not wear a condom in college. This was a poor decision. I didn’t catch any STD’s or get a girl pregnant (luckily) but I easily could have. A lot of people make this mistake and for them, it turns out for the worse. Unless you know she’s on birth control (for a fact) and is healthy (for a fact) then make sure you wear a condom. Trust me on this.

9. Drinking Too Much There was never a night out that I didn’t drink. Of course, this is completely normal for college, but I’ve realized I could have socialized better if I took it down a notch. After I graduated, I slowed down my drinking to one drink a night (if that) when I went out and I got more numbers and more dates. If I applied that same mentality to my college nights, I would have been more successful with women and woke up feeling healthier in the morning.

10. Creating Bad Eating Habits Every day I ate fast food or unnatural, frozen dinners from the grocery store. While I luckily, didn’t gain a significant amount of weight, it still affected my overall mood. Many days I would consistently feel like shit and I blamed it on my homework load or drunken nights out. In reality, my issue was the unhealthy food I was constantly putting in my body. A more natural and balanced diet helps you stay focused, energetic, and happy. It was hard to change these habits post college, but with enough time I managed to do so.

If you are in college or about to enter, then take my mistakes and learn from them. I highly suggest you break out of your shell, socialize with everyone and start to create healthy habits for your future. Don’t worry, because you can still have fun at the same time. Remember, everything is better for you in moderation.

tl;dr - don't miss any opportunities in college

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