Mistakes I Made In College: Not Taking More Chances
We all have moments we wish to re-do…While I think I was a pretty good student, as an adult I realized I didn’t grow & learn as much as I could have. So here’s a list of 5 mistakes I made in college, plus 1 thing I think I did right.
Table of Contents
Mistake 1: Document the process (through video)
Even if I didn’t have a YouTube channel or a Patreon page at the time (much less an inkling to make one), documenting my process didn’t have a real downside. Ultimately, if I decided that YouTube or blogging wasn’t for me, I could’ve just, y’know, deleted those videos or blogs.
Speaking of blogging, the main reason why I regret not taking videos of my art process is that I’m pretty bad at explaining art, verbally or in writing.
For the most part, art and design came intuitively for me, so it’s harder to articulate the what and how of my process.
So a video could’ve saved my friends and peers from suffering through my mangled explanation. Instead, they could’ve just watched what and how I did something. Plus, it’s useful when I want to re-create something or to demonstrate a technique to someone for the first time.
For a similar reason, I wish I also had some video footage of some of my older professors’ demonstrations (with their permission). Especially if it was one of those “old school” techniques, that is rare to see in this digital age.
This is one of the first college mistakes I made, and also my biggest regret.
Mistake 2: Skipping workshops/talks
As someone who loves food, it pains me to say this but: I regret choosing a lunch break over attending workshops. In hindsight, I missed out on far more than I realized and I think this is the biggest mistake I made in college.
I wish I could’ve at least asked the speakers and/or professors if I could eat in the classroom. Looking back on it, most speakers I did get to see had a pretty relaxed atmosphere and probably would’ve said yes. Instead, I ate my lunch outside like a normal person.
Sadly, I didn’t realize what I had until I was almost done with college. By then I had already missed out on some interesting speakers.
This was a mistake. I could’ve been asking a lot more speakers about what a typical day is like, at their school or workplace. Sure, they could’ve just sugar-coated their answers, but being able to observe their body language as they answered could’ve given me an insight into how honest their answer was (or not).
It would’ve been a good chance to see if they could review my portfolio, which is priceless in my field. I regret not asking at what level my work was at, compared to what they were looking for. They could’ve been giving me advice on where I need improvement.
Mistake 3: Not networking
No, I’m not talking about getting someone’s LinkedIn profile, although that might’ve been useful too. More so if I used and updated mine, but I’m already inconsistent with social media as it is.
It’s one of my biggest regrets that my being shy held me back from asking to connect with peers and potential mentors.
Even if it was through Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media. Heck, I would’ve taken their phone numbers, if they were willing to share that with me. There were a lot of times that I could’ve used – or at least appreciated – a mentor to talk to about my insecurities and uncertainties about being in the creative field.
In retrospect, the mistakes I made in college just seem to be piling on.
I know I would’ve – and still would be – willing to help fellow creatives looking for guidance. So I don’t know why I assumed they would be too busy to help me, and it was a mistake. The only thing I can think of in my defense was that I was too shy and introverted. I’m still not confident enough to just approach someone & ask friends, much less friends with creative & professional benefits.
I was so worried about being a burden, that I couldn’t bring myself to ask simple questions. Looking back now, chances are high that at least one or some would’ve been willing – even happy – to help.
Side note: Asking as an introvert, how do other people make friends? My go-to is to get noticed and adopted by someone far more social than I am.
Mistake 4: Passing up on other mediums
This one is both a blessing and a mistake at once. However, I wish that I had taken the time to explore other art classes outside of my major and required classes.
I only took one 3D Art class, and I had to work with clay, wires, and paper mache for the first time in almost 10 years. That already forced me to find different ways of thinking, to achieve effects I only knew to do on paper or digital.
I was able to grow & expand my repertoire a little. But I could’ve grown more if I only took the chance.
I don’t know if I would call it a dramatic growth, but it also didn’t hurt it. So now I regret not exploring classes such as jewelry-making, sculpting, and printmaking. However, another (more practical) part of me knew that I would’ve made myself more confused when I was still trying to pin down which field I wanted to go into.
I was so focused on checking off classes that a university needed, that I didn’t have the time/energy for personal & artistic growth. My mistake was that I was focused on what was good on paper, regardless of what it meant personally. Although to be fair, I was also an international student in the US, so expense was also a huge factor.
Mistake 5: Focusing on the letter grade
Of course, that’s not to say that only grades matter, because that’s simply not true.
Back then, my mindset was that I didn’t have the luxury of time.
I was keeping my options open to transfer to either a state university or a private art school. I knew that time to work on my portfolio wasn’t a guarantee.
So as much as possible, I made sure that my schoolwork already started with a higher quality, so I had less to polish for portfolio applications. But since this is on my list of regrets, that did not pan out the way I hoped.
I had to choose between putting in just enough time and effort to create something that would get me an “A” in class, but it wasn’t something that I was personally proud of. Sometimes, what’s great for school is only “meh” for a portfolio.
As far as mistakes I made in college go, this is probably more of a gray/personal area.
Other times, my energy went towards inevitable personal problems instead. But there was at least one instance where I prioritized my favorite art class over one that was just okay. I didn’t need the extra credit in the former, but could’ve used it in the latter.
At the time, my priorities made sense, but looking back on it I do regret it.
+1 I got right: Document the process (through photos)
I took quite a bit of photos and kept my best work.
Sometimes, it’s hard to say if or when you’ve improved your skills. Because there’s no convenient sound effect to let you know when you’ve “leveled up.”
In real life, there are no game stats you can see, or experience points to tell you how far to the next skill level.
But at least with photos, I can see the progress I made in 1, 3, or even 5 years.
That’s why I’m glad that I at least took the chance to take scans or photos of my artwork.
One of my top advice to fellow creatives is: Having a digital copy is better than nothing. If you can’t hold on to the original, a low-quality digital on Tumblr is still better than nothing.
One of the best things I got into the habit of doing, thanks to my advertising design professor, is making a process book. It’s exactly what it sounds like – you document everything from the research, inspiration, thumbnails, rough drags, and final work. You can turn it into a digital booklet, or heck, a PowerPoint.
There’s something viscerally satisfying when it comes to watching your idea go from a doodle to a fully rendered piece.
In the end,
Ultimately, no matter how we try, there’s always going to be things we miss out on. There’s also no way we can do everything, and be everywhere all at once.
But the point of offering my perspective is that I have the benefit of hindsight. These were the mistakes I made in college, but they don’t have to be your mistakes.
Hopefully, this gets someone else to start thinking about what they want out of their own college/university experience. From here, you can adopt & discard the lessons that help their priorities.
I wish you good luck, but most importantly: HAVE FUN (somewhat responsibly)!
