Does anyone wish they were in college again?

Basically end of thread. I often wish I could go back and enjoy the good parts all over again (and make different choices to avoid the bad parts) but there's not much of a point to it. We are where we are right now and all we can do is keep moving forward.

this is how I felt until about 13 years ago when I indefinitely left the united states and began living in big, international cities abroad with lots of things going on, clubs to run with, beautiful locations that are cheap and easy to go to, etc. best decision of my life

There are a lot of things I miss about it - the amount of freedom, the freedom of my friends (basically just hanging out all the time), the ability to travel without thinking of accommodating kids, fitness.

With that said, I wouldn't go back. There's no guarantee I would make the same decisions again and wind up with my current situation which I also cherish.

I see where you’re coming from, I had a great time in college too. Nothing better than training with your best friends every day, partying a bit on weekends, and generally feeling like the world was full of possibilities.

I miss that too, but I’ll also had a great time through my later 20s and 30s.

I think the keys are a good job (i.e some vacation time and a solid salary), and living in a place where people don’t just get married and focus on their families right after college. (Nothing wrong with that if that’s your thing, but it sounds like you’re looking for something else right now). I would focus on making those two things happen first.

The positive with being older is that unlike college, I have money now and I don’t have to worry about racing and being in top shape several months a year.

In the past 15 years I’ve been all over the world, surfed, hiked, ridden motorcycles through the mountains, lived in Europe, sailed to tropical islands, dated some really cool women and made friends along the way, and generally lived it up in the city I live in weekend to weekend. I don’t run a lot any more but still get in the gym and get the endorphins going with some weight circuits, do some open water swimming races, etc.

I also chose to gamify work a little bit and set goals for the month or year, not just show up and work for a paycheck. Win win with keeping the competitive juices going and advancing the career.

It’s corny to say, but life doesn’t have to be boring just because you’re not in college anymore. There’s a lot of great years left if you want to make them that way.

Great thread...

I think for most people college is the best period of life. You can be very selfish, time management of school, sport, and social life about perfect.

Also as a college student you are the King, working on Einstein's equations, criticizing Shakespeare, reworking the US strategy in Viètnam, and chasing Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile. When real life starts, you are just a small cog in the machine.

Only thing missing was the girl. Then sr fall I went home with a soph lacrosse player. 2 days later she approaches me in student union. "Look, I'm a pre-med and my folks don't want me to have a boyfriend at college, but I really like you. Do me a favor and just come by my dorm at 11pm - that will be efficient".

Well that was like an offer from Don Corleone, and possibly the invention of FWB and the fully liberated woman all at once. So Sr. year ended up perfect...and no did not marry the girl, but became lifelong friends and I am godfather to her daughter, and a big lacrosse fan.

So yes college is the best, but career after 40 gets easier and more important. Watching your kids as they become young adults, enjoying your family, and sipping a nice Barolo by the fire all have some value.

Youth is a form of wealth. Every 85 year old billionaire facing his mortality would trade places with a 21 year old with his whole life in front of him.

+1, sounds like you had a great time post-graduation.

You're right, more vacation time, a bit more money, and living in a place where most people stay relatively fit and don't have kids would make me feel much better. I can't understand why the culture here is to "throw away their lives" (for lack of a better term) after graduation. People get fat, have health issues, and/or are too busy raising 2+ kids to do anything fun or exciting. I know that you can't keep setting mile PRs indefinitely, but many of my former teammates are defining "self improvement" as becoming a better parent and not working on physical tangible things that you still can improve in, like ultramarathons, cycling, lifting, or swimming. All of the competitive juices are gone.

The intellectual side is just as bad. I didn't like many of my classes and hated the emphasis on grades, but the cool thing is that you get to delve into a lot of different ideas and ideologies. Now, everyone just stays in their echo chambers on Facebook with other close-minded people.

When you're in college, opportunities for fun, exploration, and improvement are plentiful and easy to access. After you graduate, they require a lot of money and/or a significant amount of vacation time, and even then, you'd probably be doing it alone and not with your close buddies.

Same here, I'd rather be a broke 21 year old college student than an 85 year old billionaire. Why they don't invest some of their money into anti-aging research is an utter mystery.

My parents are only in their 70s, and all of the money in the world can't buy them fun experiences. Ski trips? No, might break a bone. Hiking or backpacking? No, can't even walk a mile on level ground. Biking or motorcycles? No, balance is terrible. Overseas trips? Too exhausting.

So what's left? Pretty much just doctor's visits (they're on like 5 different pills a day) and watching cable TV. Holy crap, that's depressing.

You sound a bit like I was right after graduation. I lived in a southern midwestern city near where I went to college. Once I hit my later 20s I realized that my values and goals for life didn’t totally match where I was living, even though I had some great friends.

All I can say is that moving to a couple of places that i fit in more with more economic opportunities really changed my life. Hope you can find that too, sounds like you’re still young with a lot of potential for some great years.

Changed my life

College was the life. Beer miles. Butt chugging. Ragers after XC natties. Summer miles and fortnite with the boys. Dropping deuces on frat’s front lawns.

Absolute chaos bro.

It's weird reading this post because I'm nearly 37 and still live like a teenager. No kids or partner yet, not even a career right now. Still running PBs, still skinny (135 lbs, 5'10). I'm travelling this summer before starting a training course. Went to university twice (BSc, MSc) - it is overrated for the most part.

I think you misgendered the OP.

I do miss the wild gf!

Amen to that, player. Anyone hating is jealous. No offense intended. Telling our kind to "grow up" because they're secretly miserable, stuck in a hole they've dug for themselves. Pretending to be happy on Facebook and like their awful job and annoying coworkers. They'll live and work in the same place their entire lives, mostly pay check to check finances and lines of credit. Then they show their hands, cheating on their spouses, telling the single, childless ones they're lucky in a moment of weakness. We're the kind of men they'd go for in the affair flings like clockwork. I can smell them from a mile away. Love to cheer them up, at least temporarily. Actually, I had two of the at the same time last year. It was spectacular. They had the blood on their hands, the cheaters. Pretty typical in this day and age. Is what it is.

yes and no

i know to take a small course load focused on my topic

and scout out professors that are like world class coaches

with the libtarddedness, its fading slowly and soon fall off the map, so i'd be back in style soon enough.

with GF Id know what's up with that.

i wouldn't go in debt however, get a scholarship, go to a smaller school

i spend some time at UBC last year, in the summer it's over the top fantastic, in the winter with the rain, the students are stressed out and most of them have no clue what they're doing. so that would rub off if you did not quarantine people.

in fact, young person, if you go to university, the most important thing you can do is look for good friends that last a lifetime, and be that good friend, like a champion make that priority number one.

and secondly, focus on your favorite topic exclusively that maybe make a buck also.

it you don't manage great friends, that's OK, make sure to ditch losers and annoying people, as your're not going to ever rock their world anyway.

being by yourself in your voyage is not as good as the shared experience with fine people,

but battling alone without morons, this is noble thing. and rewarding.

so ya, i'd go back to Uni. i'd have too many followers though.

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Having personal computers, Microsoft Office and printers would be a huge advantage. So I would say that 1999 and later would make a difference.

No. College was hell for me. Before when test grades were posted on glass & metal bulletin board in front of the professors office i would obssessivelly check 3x a day for my grade starti ng the day after the midterm/final even though i knew it took 3 days to start posting. Engineering Physic was so difficult i never knew if i passes or got an A the questions were so hard. It wasnt until a decade later that my work colleague who was a TA told me no one ever got the right answer in Engineering Physics they designed the questions to observe how you think and graded accordingly. I fainted when I heard that.