Life Lessons from a College Senior
By Jillian Tombul
“College was the best four years of my life,” family and friends often told me growing up.
As I wrap up my college experience in the next few days, I’ve been reflecting on my experience, and whether it lived up to the hype.
Though I put immense pressure on my college years, so glamorized by culture, I’m amazed at how fast they flew. While bittersweet, this last stretch has left me with great excitement and anticipation for the future. I feel equipped to face it.
My parting advice to those entering this phase:
1. Friends are family, don’t stop making them.
Throughout my teenage years, I struggled with vulnerability and openness in friendships. However, leaving the comfort of my home for college forced me to lean on my community and it has been such a joy. Recently I got to live with five of my best friends for ten months! When will I ever get to do that ever again? It is crucially important to have a close circle of friends. It is simultaneously necessary to never stop connecting with people.
In deep friendships, similar values are key. The friends I made in college are the best people I have ever known. They push me to grow in my faith every day. Our shared faith allows us to not only connect deeply and support each other, but also to hold one another accountable.
Also, do not limit yourself to certain age groups. In my current stage of life, I am constantly learning from people older, younger, and the same age as me. There is wisdom and support to be found in friends of any age. Looking back, I think one of the best things I did for myself throughout college was find a mentor who poured into me for my first three years of college. We became great friends – I was in her wedding this past January. Putting yourself out there can be terrifying, but the reward is worth it.
2. Change is inevitable. God is constant.
College is such a dynamic time. There’s a taste of independence and freedom but there’s still some constraints of childhood. I have learned to embrace the chaos. I am comforted by feeling in control, but I have realized there has never been a second where I actually had it.
Life almost never goes as planned, so I have learned the importance of being open to new experiences and welcoming the unpredictability. God ensures that we are never done growing, as there are always ways for us to look more like Him.
Looking back on lesson one, God is the best friend you could ever have. While other friends and circumstances may change, He is always constant and sometimes even carrying you. During my junior year, I faved a lot of change and hardship. While my friends could not have been more supportive, God ultimately got me through. Rely on Him and trust His process.
3. Work is a blessing.
This point would have made me roll my eyes a few months ago. However, with the privilege of attending a Christian university, I have spent my last semester studying Tim Keller’s Every Good Endeavor. Our careers are opportunities to work alongside God for the betterment of our communities and world. Work is a good thing, but not the ultimate thing. Our identity and purpose is found in Christ, not our productivity. This lesson is easily lost in the everyday tasks we perform. I hope to remember what a blessing it is that our Creator is One who loves us enough to allow us to help Him build His kingdom through our interactions with others and our work.
Who’s to say if college is truly the best four years of your life? But it has certainly had a profound impact on who I am. Time will tell how it continues to shape my development as a person and life trajectory.
Based in Birmingham, Jillian Tombul is graduating from Samford University’s business school in 2024. She enjoys sharing ideas and thoughts about faith, education and culture.
