What College REALLY Taught Me

In this episode of What College Really Taught Me (That Wasn’t in the Syllabus), host Naomi Totman sits down with student guest Ava Skelton to unpack the unexpected lessons that come with college life. From realizing that friendships take intentional effort to maintain, to learning the hard way how isolation can impact mental health, Skelton shares an honest reflection on growth beyond the classroo...

College teaches you a lot—but not always what’s on the syllabus. In this episode of What College Really Taught Me That Wasn’t in the Syllabus, Naomi Totman sits down for a candid conversation about the unexpected lessons that come with growing up on your own. From navigating friendships and learning to communicate honestly, to handling failure, disappointment, and financial reality, this episode u...

 From choosing a major for financial aid reasons to navigating group projects, procrastination, and the pressure of independence, Karis shares the lessons that don’t show up in any course catalog. She opens up about learning to let go of friendships, managing disappointment after years of academic praise, and realizing that everyone moves through life at their own pace. The conversation dives into...

In this episode of What College Really Taught Me (That Wasn’t in the Syllabus), host Naomi sits down with Diego, a mathematics and computer science student at Clemson University, to unpack the unexpected lessons that come with college life. From redefining friendship and learning how to truly connect with others, to facing failure, financial realities, and the weight of personal responsibility, Di...

*This podcast has brief mentions of suicide Sarah Wimberley is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, majoring in Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Psychology, while also pursuing an accelerated bachelor ’s-to-master’s program and a minor in International Studies. But her journey to college wasn’t something she ever took for granted—in fact, she wasn’t always sure she would make it ther...

Braelyn Lemere is a senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Animal Science and deeply involved in band and colorguard. As she prepares to graduate, she reflects on a college experience that didn’t unfold the way she originally planned—but ultimately taught her far more than she expected. In this episode, Braelyn opens up about changing her career path after realizing that vet...