What You Don't Realize College Is Teaching You

Does failing really help us learn?

BY Isabella Tatone ★ November 2nd 2025

Photo Credit: Ava Robbins

Although we all came to Syracuse University (SU) for various reasons, we probably all agree that education was a primary part of that. But what do we really learn from college other than the classroom education?

College is a time to learn how to depend on yourself. You can no longer text your parents asking what’s for dinner; you are in charge of your own dinners and your own life. No one is there to tell you to do your homework instead of watching a movie. 

Let making mistakes and learning from them be a guide for us all. No one is perfect, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You are allowed to fail a test and learn how to study for next time. In college, we suffer from our own consequences and have to learn how to take accountability for those actions. 

SU Junior, Brooke Slaton, reflects on her past mistakes, “First semester freshman year — I struggled with work-balance and social activities. Because I was in a new environment, I thought I could do what I did in high school, but I was wrong. Having more time threw off my prior routine. I saw a huge difference in my academic performance second semester of freshman year once I realized that” 

Spending time with friends and having a social life is an important part of college, but learning how to balance social life and education is the key to growing in college.

Other ways of failing are spending too much money or spending too much time going out. Everyone makes mistakes, but the people who learn from them are getting the true college experience. 

Maybe you got into an argument with your friend. What is the best way to avoid that next time?  Your parents are just a phone call away, but when you mess up, you really are on your own. 

Or, like SU Junior, Elaina Dub, you hate the dining halls and have never realized how much money you actually spend on food, “my second semester of sophomore year, I spent too much money on DoorDash instead of eating at the dining hall… I later had to face the consequences of this by being more mindful of my spending over the summer.” 

Making mistakes is normal, and you are not alone in this. The biggest piece of advice I can provide is learning how to be OK with being by yourself in college. There are a lot of times it feels lonely, but if you can find comfort in being alone, you will learn how to be the most independent version of yourself. 

Edited by: Eliza Brown