My father once told me that a major part of being successful in life requires some bullshit.

Harsh? Maybe. But life is sometimes harsh.

In context, my dad was telling me to get a minimum-wage job, telling me I’d have to take classes that I viewed as a waste of time to earn my college degree and also letting me know I’d be required to wade through some bullshit on the way to living a life I’d love.

It’s true.

But it doesn’t mean that going to college will solely lean upon waking up at 8 a.m., testing a poor attention span to cram for tests in Busywork-101, then selling a social life for tuition and a communications degree.

All too many people spend their time at the University of Arizona just waiting to graduate.

They only look at the overlying reason why nearly 39,000 undergrad and grad students attend this odd university smacked right in the middle of a diverse desert town — to receive an education and a degree.

But that’s not the way it should be.

There’s more, much more in fact, that will teach you about people and about becoming an individual than walking to school, going home when class is finished and sticking your head into a monotonous textbook before falling asleep.

Squeeze every opportunity out of the rag that is college and soak it all in.

College means independence, and even if you’re from Tucson and are still stuck living at home with your parents, you have the chance and the right to push past boundaries and expand life experiences. So why be satisfied with your 15 units of class, your well-placed dorm, the Chick-fil-A and the slew of attractive members of the opposite sex?

I can guarantee this: there’s more than meets the eye for everyone. But you’ve got to seek those things out.

Like sports? Join an intramural team or play some pick-up basketball, soccer or racquetball at the Student Rec Center.

If you just want to watch, perhaps get involved with the Zona Zoo student section and extend the Wildcat spirit into the arenas and ballparks.

There are countless clubs, too. The Associated Students of the University of Arizona recognizes clubs based on most any major, creed, hobby and political affiliation. If it doesn’t exist, try to make a new club yourself — I would seriously join a foosball club, if there are any takers out there.

Or maybe you should run for ASUA office and fight for major issues that students face, although I’d advise against throwing another Jay-Z concert. ­­ ASUA lost nearly $1 million in 2009 with a poorly attended concert at Arizona Stadium.

Heck, while I’m at it, work for the Daily Wildcat and write about the issues and people that make the UA tick.

My point is this: as a senior, I’ve realized that four years in Tucson can’t be spent whining about incompetent professors and students alike — OK, OK that part of school is pretty fun. It can’t be spent only going through the motions, the bullshit if you will, of obtaining some silly piece of paper that will supposedly find you a job in this crap economy.

Here at the Wildcat, I’ve met perverted, obsessive-compulsive and downright nice people.

I’ve learned not just how to be a better journalist, but a better person: one who understands and can work with those who share my interests.

Of course, your interests will be different. Find a meaningful place for yourself, and make college a phase in your life that you can look back on and say, “”It defined me.””

Trust me, it’s not bullshit.

— Kevin Zimmerman is a journalism senior. He can be reached at

editor@wildcat.arizona.edu.