▲ Student traveling alone. (Google)

Have you heard of the TV show called Second Twenty? The show deals with a campus life that only students in their 20s can enjoy. The heroine became a mother when she was a high school student, so she couldn’t achieve her own dreams of attending university with her classmates and friends. When she turned 38, she finally entered university to stock her mind with knowledge. She finally lived her dreams of experiencing life on campus.

Is there anything we dream about that would make our campus lives more rewarding? In fact, are we even enjoying our campus lives with the same level of romance we dreamed of before entering university? Also, what should we be
doing with our time as 20, something university students?

The Dankook Herald (DKH) surveyed Dankookians about their campus ideals and
explored how they spent their time as a student. Most of the respondents said they use the time for self-enrichment, doing things such as reading books and playing instruments.

The DKH asked whether Dankookians are satisfied with their campus life or not. A half of them agreed. Especially, Ha Min-gi (freshman, Dept. of Psychology) who said that at university, students are free to do anything they want with their time. In addition, university classes offer them a great opportunity to learn more about the best direction they need to take in life.

When the DKH asked if there are any differences between their romantic view of university life and reality, almost 80% Dankookians answered yes. Hwang Tae-kyu (freshman, Dept. of Portuguese Languages) said that he had romanticized various kinds of relationships he would have. He had imagined himself getting along well with classmates and seniors, and even finding a girlfriend. Although he does a lot of activities, studies his major subjects and has time for leisure, he still has difficulty developing relationships.

The DKH asked Dankookians what they thought was the most interesting and preferred way to spend their time as a university student. Almost half of our respondents said that they wanted to experience a journey. Others said that
interacting with various kinds of people, and in particular, dating was their preferred activity, while Mr. Hwang said that enjoying the freedom and independence was the biggest advantage of people in 20s.

Dankookians, however, thought that the most important activity that they had no choice to take part in, was studying their major. “Deep exploration of your major and further reading of books, are a great help for people wanting to live a prosperous life. In other words, there is a big difference in activities that you have to do and those that you want to do during your university life,” Mr. Hwang added.

The DKH examined how students regarded their campus life and how different it turned out as compared to their expectations. Next the DKH looked into the most important activities you should take part in, while in your 20s. First of all, travel anywhere you want to go. You may have heard people saying that we don’t have money in youth and we don’t have time in senescence. What this means is that the most valuable thing we have in our 20s is time. When you are employed after graduating university you have less time than you have right now, so you need to take advantage of this window and explore the world. Of course there is a risk that your trip disappoints you and you may not be satisfied with the experience, but you will regret it later if you don’t go on an adventure while you still can. Disappointment and regret are very different emotions.

Second, challenge yourself without setting any boundaries. Currently, many experts say that 20s limit themselves inside boundaries they set for themselves because they may have experienced difficult times or faced many obstacles in the past.

As a result, they think they can’t be successful. However, if you start limiting yourself, your range of options will get smaller and smaller, until you can’t do anything. It is better to struggle to gain what you want rather than be satisfied with the status quo. The first time to you face a challenge will be difficult, but if you persevere, the second and third times will be much easier. Some young
people think they’re not ready for a challenge, so they say they’ll come back to it when they are better prepared. The truth is, there is no time like the present, so you should take up your challenges now. You will be less inclined to do so when there is more at risk when you are older.

Third, good money management is needed in 20s. Learning to manage the money is necessary because most people in their 20s can’t distinguish between the right and wrong time to spend money. It doesn’t mean to accumulate as much money as you can, but rather do not squander your money needlessly. Squandering your money early on will only lead to difficulties later on. Think about it like this. You have to manage your money, not for the far future, but to use when you really need it the most.

Lastly, exercise regularly and take time to make memories with your friends. Exercise doesn’t mean work to get thinner, but rather work to get healthier. Currently, you may not feel tired despite going a night without sleep or maybe you drink all night and still feel fresh enough the next day, but no one knows when it will become impossible for you to continue like this. So you should make a habit of exercising starting now.

You also need to create shared memories with your friends. Nowadays, we are finding ourselves too busy to create great memories with friends because we’re too busy taking care of ourselves. Think of it this way, when you meet your high
school friends, what do you mostly do? Many people enjoy themselves talking about their shared memories, so shared experiences with your friends are really important.

In conclusion, we need to stop for a moment and take a look back at our university lives to find out whether we’re living our dream. Of course it is a difficult period, racing against time, as there are some activities which are only possible to do in our 20s, but those activities can be different for every person. We need to step aside and find out what kind of activities we really want to do,
rather than running full steam ahead without stopping. A richer rewarding life is out there. Follow these simple steps and you will find yourself agreeing.