Ten Things to Do in College ThatHave Nothing to Do with College

This fall I'll have two kids in college -- a freshman and a junior. By the time each graduated from high school they had been immunized against any adult advice about college -- words that typically follow the same line of thought regardless of whoever is offering them: "study hard, take care of yourself, don't get into trouble and have fun."

Life on most college campuses is a bit like living in the Biosphere.  There's a barrier between students and the "real world" that exists for a lot of reasons that I won't get into here. Suffice to say that a complete education that prepares one for that world requires getting outside the dome that insulates students from the rest of society.

Here's 10 ways college students can improve their education that don't have anything to do with college. Feel free to share this with your student.

1. Take the local newspaper.
Sure there's news galore on the Web and in the college paper, but student's who only get their news from these sources miss a lot of what's really important to people, like who won the local Little League tournament and the stories about the town council debate over sewer rates and replacing the holiday decorations on main street.

2. Make friends with someone who's not connected to the school.
Most college students have few, if any, friends who are more than 4 years older or younger than they are. It clouds their perspective on what's important to people. Make friends who are vastly different by joining a church, getting a job off campus, joining a club or other group with membership outside the campus community. You'll find out what people do for a living, how they pay the mortgage, and what they care about day in and day out.

3. Get a local library card.
The local library won't hold a candle to anything on campus, but sometimes it's nice to share a study table with a retiree and a junior high kid, or re-read a chapter from "Beezus and Ramona."

4. Go a local or regional festival.
Instead of going to the beach or visiting friends on another campus for a road trip, take in a local festival and cheer for your favorite watermelon queen or dance to the kind of music that never makes it on the campus radio station.

5. Take up a hobby that crosses age boundaries.
Become a triathlete or learn to quilt -- anything that lets you interact with people of all ages and backgrounds who share your passion.

6. Volunteer with a community organization.
Google volunteer opportunities in the community and choose an organization to help out that sounds interesting or supports a cause that you used to care about.

7. Get a county map and explore.
Most college students graduate without ever seeing anything that's more than a mile off campus. Go to the local chamber of commerce and get a county map. Then get on your bike or hop in a car with friends and explore. Stop in at the local museum, grab a cool one at an out-of-the-way gas station, buy something for your room at a yard sale.

8. Compete in something.
Take up running, mountain biking, orienteering, rock skipping, competitive eating -- anything that gives you an excuse to say "No" to late night campus craziness and takes you beyond campus intramurals.  If you're athletic, competing will give you a reason to take better care of yourself, eat better, and stay fit.

9. Follow local and state politics.
If you take the local paper, you'll get a healthy does of politics and learn more about the issues of the day -- big and small. It may help shape your course of study or introduce you to a cause you'd like to get involved in. I'll let you choose where you want to register to vote.

10. Write a letter to the editor of the local paper.
If you follow suggestions 1-9, you're likely to develop enough of an interest in the world around you to speak up publicly. You will have grown into a adult citizen of somewhere besides campus.