8) Take some small classes with professors who can write recommendations
If you're not interested in graduate school, skip to the next piece of advice. But if a master's or a PhD is an option, you will want at least two or three high-quality recommendations from faculty.
To do this, you'll need good relationships with professors. This means one or two small classes with the same faculty member, and several visits to office hours. Maybe a research or teaching assistant position. Or ask the professor to be your thesis or independent study adviser.
If these topics interest you, see my more detailed advice one recommendation letterrequests, on how to write to your professors. My blog also has lots of advice on choosing PhD programs and being successful.
9) Unless you're required to write a thesis, think twice before committing to one
An independent research project can be the perfect capstone to your college years. Sadly, I often see theses that weren't worth the students' investment of time and energy. Some people's time would be better spent acquiring technical skills.
I used to advise students against a senior thesis if they had the choice. After getting lots of disagreement on my blog, I revised my view. A senior thesis can be a great investment if you are dedicated to a question of interest, or if you want to learn how to research, strengthen a relationship with a professor, practice for graduate school, or try out research and writing as a career option.
10) Blow your mind
At the end of each year of college, you should look back at your thoughts and opinions 12 months before and find them quaint. If not, you probably didn't read or explore or work hard enough.
I know I've succeeded when I read a blog post or paper I wrote a year ago and see three points I should have made and one I shouldn't have. I know I've succeeded when I change my opinions because the facts I know changed. Better yet, I really know I've succeeded when I can see how a handful of new ideas have reshaped the way I understand the world.
Come to think of it, this is not a bad rule for life after college, too. It gets harder to surprise yourself and change your worldview, but there are an awful lot of new facts to learn. The simplest way I do this is reading, especially outside my discipline. I pick up books on unusual people or places.
I also try to read newspapers and magazines that survey a wide range of areas. And I switch up the periodicals I read every so often rather than stick with the same one for years. For the past year I've been reading the New York Review of Books, which discusses books on a hundred subjects. In the past it's been a selection of foreign policy or current affairs journals, or ones about the arts. Or just a diverse Twitter feed of news items.
The other way is finding ways to spend meaningful time and relationships in new places. I'm fortunate that my work brings me to another developing country every so often, and each new place changes the way I think about development. Likewise, back when I was a management consultant, working in new industries and firms made me challenge old beliefs or come up with new ones. Volunteering in organizations did it too. Wherever you go, being a "tourist" doesn't cut it. You need local embedding, even if only for a few weeks or months.
Christopher Blattman is an associate professor of political science and international and public affairs at Columbia University. He also blogs about higher education, addressing topics such as choosing between master's programs, how to get a PhD and save the world, and if you're ever too old for a PhD.