Press Clippings & Releases

Press Clipping: Her Campus at New Haven - 5 Most Important Life Lessons from ASGA

02/20/2018
5 Most Important Life Lessons from ASGA

By Deanna Brenon
Posted Oct 06 2017

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the American Student Government Association national summit in Washington, D.C.. While I learned so much from the presenters and fellow student leaders, these are my top five takeaways from the conference.

You are Too Good for Nothing

There are two elements to this phrase: that you aren’t too good for the smaller jobs, but you are too good to let your talents go to waste. You probably won’t land your dream job out of college, so if you get offered a job where you’re just running around making coffee, make it the best coffee you’ve ever made. Giving your all will get you further than being proud.

Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

Focus is really important no matter what you’re involved with. It can be tempting to join everything your friends are in, but if it doesn’t relate back to one of your goals it isn’t going to help you later on in life. It’s okay to join other clubs just for fun, just make sure to prioritize so you can spend the most time and energy on things that really matter to you.

Persistence Beats Resistance

The real world probably isn’t going to be kind to you. You may be fighting for a job and have to keep coming back over and over again. Instead of getting angry and giving up, just keep coming back. You might not get the perfect job, but you’ll get somewhere.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

It can be easy to feel as if you need to do something in order for it to be done right, or to not want to ask for help. There are always resources around you, use them. It’s better to let go of your pride and ask for help than to waste your efforts struggling on something that should be manageable.

Bring It, Don’t Wing It

When you’re doing a million things it can be hard to figure out what to give your efforts to, and may lead to some less than stellar scholarly efforts. It’s important to keep your focus and give the most effort to things that matter, and scale back on things that don’t.

So much of this advice centers around prioritizing and keeping you main goals in focus. Some days it may seem like you aren’t getting anywhere, but keep in mind that even the smallest step is taking you closer to your goals. Keep the big picture in mind, work hard, and take chances, and everything will fall into place.