I could write a term paper on the things I wish I would’ve known before entering college.

I wish I had known how fast any extra money I save can disappear through late-night take-out. I wish I’d known how costly accidentally overdrawing my checking account for that midnight snack can be.

I wish I’d known more about how some of the seemingly simple tasks of college, such as finding a place to park or registering for classes, can often become frustrating.

But as I enter the fifth year in my quest for an undergraduate degree at Slippery Rock University, I can look past the minor unknowns I wasn’t prepared for by high school and chalk them up to “learning experiences.”

However, the biggest thing I wish I had known upon entering college is the importance of extracurricular activities.

The learning experience at a university goes far beyond what is measured in my QPA, and that is the main reason I am returning for another year of lectures, readings and endless term papers.

Call it an attempt to make up for lost time.

Networking is perhaps the most important aspect of college, but I’m not even sure I knew what the word meant as a freshman. Even after I declared communication as my major, I remained reluctant to start communicating with anyone, other than my new-found residence hall friends.

What a mistake.

While I always maintained solid grades, I can’t help feel I wasted the first couple of years by doing few extracurricular activities related to my major. It wasn’t until I was dragged into the student newspaper office by a friend that I started to get involved.

And what a difference it has made. Getting involved goes beyond just trying to pad your resume.

It gave me purpose in my academic life rather than mindlessly shuffling from lecture to lecture.

It helped me meet and interact with students in my major as well as professors outside the classroom, which certainly helped me grow more professionally than just talking to those who share my video game interest.

It doesn’t matter what your major is either. No matter what your academic department is, it will likely have some way to get involved outside the classroom.

There are numerous other ways of getting involved in college that I was either oblivious or apathetic to at first. I found out late in my college career that visiting the Career Services Office to polish my resume, volunteering for campus cleanup and attending any of the numerous speakers or performances on campus was long overdue and quite rewarding.

I can’t stress enough how listening to a Holocaust survivor describe her life, attending meetings on diversity issues, seeing a couple jazz concerts and even sitting through student government meetings have resulted in making me a more cultured student.

I ultimately decided to return for a fifth year to obtain additional exposure to such experiences.

Despite the bill I just received from the university, I don’t think I can put a price on the benefits.

I only wish I’d have realized it sooner.

Will DeShong of Ridgeway, Pa., is a senior communication major at Slippery Rock University. He is editor-in-chief at The Rocket, the student newspaper.