Holy busy! It's been crazy to think I haven't written a post since the beginning of March and here we are in April already! This semester has just been flying by for me, full of club meetings, trips, and oh ya class too. This post comes after a six day trip to Oklahoma I took with my Meat Animal Evaluation Team to compete in our national contest. I know what you're thinking: How can you miss that much class?! Surprisingly, this trip has not been my first trip of the school year or this semester even. Since school started in August, I have been to Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri. My trips aren't even done yet! This coming weekend I will be traveling to Kansas City for the AFA Animal Institute with a dozen other Iowa State Students. Believe it or not, all the trips I have taken this year have been through Iowa State either through clubs or conventions. While catching up can be a giant pain at times, I still think it is helping my education by getting off campus every once in a while, and I think more college kids should be doing it too.
One of the biggest skills college students need to take into the workplace is the ability to network, and it begins the day you step foot onto your campus. I have been able to meet so many potential employers through getting off campus and meeting with them at conventions and conferences. My collection of business cards is constantly growing, and I know that by getting out of my comfort zone, I have been able to create a connection with someone who may get me a job some day. While Iowa State does an excellent job of giving their ag students many opportunities to network, conferences and other networking opportunities takes it one step farther. I also have met a lot of amazing youth from across the U.S. through my travels. These kids may be my colleagues or even employers some day, and I would not have been able to meet them if I hadn't missed a day of class or two. My goal by the time I graduate is to know somebody in every state. I'm not there yet but I'm getting closer!
I am a strong believer that missing a day of class or two helps prepare you for the real world. You're not going to be able to make every single day of work once you graduate. Something will come up eventually that will make you miss a day or two of work. It's ok to miss a couple days, but you have to be able to know how to catch up or prepare ahead of time and get ahead. My planning and scheduling skills have been honed this past year. I now look ahead a couple weeks to see when I'm going to be gone, what I'm going to miss, and what do I need to all get done before then. I believe that planning and time management attributes will be extremely beneficial once I enter the workplace. It's easy to go to class everyday and stick to a strict routine without any deviations. However, are those perfect attendance students going to be ready to handle bumps in their routine? They may never know if they don't get out of their comfort zone and actually miss a class.
I will admit, I may be an extreme case in this instance. The thing is, I grew up only fifteen minutes away from Iowa State. I argued with my parents for a long time that I wanted to go far away for college and see the world. Nevertheless, I am at Iowa State and I love it. But that doesn't stop my from wanting to see the world and all it has to offer. I use these trips as my chance to do that. While my long term goal is to stay in Iowa, I do want to try something new and experience different things while I can. College is the perfect time for that. I would not have been able to see cattle feedlots with 10,000 head or visit the Jack Daniel's Distillery if I was always on campus. Last spring I studied abroad for 3 weeks in France, Italy, and Switzerland and hands down that was one of the best experiences I have had at Iowa State. I was literally able to see the world while still going to college fifteen minutes from home. I would highly recommend to every college student to study abroad while they are in college. I know my roots will always be in central Iowa, but I have been able to branch out since I came to college.
Getting off campus every now and then is good for the college soul. You're not hindering your education, you are expanding it. Now, I am not saying you should skip weeks of class at a time multiple times a semester because that is hindering your education. How can you get an education if you are never in the classroom? But, I am saying that a long weekend trip here and there for a conference or with a club on campus will help you later on. You get to experience things you never would have been able to, and also learn how to handle a breach in your routine. While I have been able to stay caught up even with my travels, my case is a little extreme and may not work for everyone. Still, take advantage of those opportunities and see the world a little!
One of the biggest skills college students need to take into the workplace is the ability to network, and it begins the day you step foot onto your campus. I have been able to meet so many potential employers through getting off campus and meeting with them at conventions and conferences. My collection of business cards is constantly growing, and I know that by getting out of my comfort zone, I have been able to create a connection with someone who may get me a job some day. While Iowa State does an excellent job of giving their ag students many opportunities to network, conferences and other networking opportunities takes it one step farther. I also have met a lot of amazing youth from across the U.S. through my travels. These kids may be my colleagues or even employers some day, and I would not have been able to meet them if I hadn't missed a day of class or two. My goal by the time I graduate is to know somebody in every state. I'm not there yet but I'm getting closer!
I am a strong believer that missing a day of class or two helps prepare you for the real world. You're not going to be able to make every single day of work once you graduate. Something will come up eventually that will make you miss a day or two of work. It's ok to miss a couple days, but you have to be able to know how to catch up or prepare ahead of time and get ahead. My planning and scheduling skills have been honed this past year. I now look ahead a couple weeks to see when I'm going to be gone, what I'm going to miss, and what do I need to all get done before then. I believe that planning and time management attributes will be extremely beneficial once I enter the workplace. It's easy to go to class everyday and stick to a strict routine without any deviations. However, are those perfect attendance students going to be ready to handle bumps in their routine? They may never know if they don't get out of their comfort zone and actually miss a class.
I will admit, I may be an extreme case in this instance. The thing is, I grew up only fifteen minutes away from Iowa State. I argued with my parents for a long time that I wanted to go far away for college and see the world. Nevertheless, I am at Iowa State and I love it. But that doesn't stop my from wanting to see the world and all it has to offer. I use these trips as my chance to do that. While my long term goal is to stay in Iowa, I do want to try something new and experience different things while I can. College is the perfect time for that. I would not have been able to see cattle feedlots with 10,000 head or visit the Jack Daniel's Distillery if I was always on campus. Last spring I studied abroad for 3 weeks in France, Italy, and Switzerland and hands down that was one of the best experiences I have had at Iowa State. I was literally able to see the world while still going to college fifteen minutes from home. I would highly recommend to every college student to study abroad while they are in college. I know my roots will always be in central Iowa, but I have been able to branch out since I came to college.
Getting off campus every now and then is good for the college soul. You're not hindering your education, you are expanding it. Now, I am not saying you should skip weeks of class at a time multiple times a semester because that is hindering your education. How can you get an education if you are never in the classroom? But, I am saying that a long weekend trip here and there for a conference or with a club on campus will help you later on. You get to experience things you never would have been able to, and also learn how to handle a breach in your routine. While I have been able to stay caught up even with my travels, my case is a little extreme and may not work for everyone. Still, take advantage of those opportunities and see the world a little!