According to a recent Gallup Poll, six experiences while in college will lead to a person eventually enjoying and being engaged in their future career and experiencing an overall feeling of well being in their adult lives.  So, what kind of experiences should collegians try to have now that will help them later in life?  Gallup found the following:

1. Having at least one professor who generated excitement about learning.
2. Having a professor or professors who cared about students as people.
3. Being encouraged by a mentor to pursue goals and dreams.
4. Working on a project that took a semester or longer to complete.
5. Having an internship or job that allowed for the application of ideas learned in the classroom.
6. Being extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations.

Very few people had all these experiences, but even where the top 3 alone were experienced, the person was 2.3 times more likely to be engaged in their present career and experience overall feelings of well being.

If you can’t find these in your own university, seek them out elsewhere.  There are non-profits and for profit companies where you can find some or all of these experiences, outside of the university. Organizations like Ascend International can provide you mentors, learning that is engaging, long term development projects, internships (or similar) experiences that will help you apply classroom learning and opportunities to give back to your communities.  It is just one reason we say we are “preparing you for tomorrow.”