There’s a strange pressure at university to seem like you’re doing the most at all times. Not just academically, but socially and professionally too. We’re all chasing this idea of the ‘university experience,’ but having that experience no longer just means going to classes and going on nights out. Now there are societies, internships, committees, networking events, and somehow everyone always seems to have something going on.
And honestly, it makes sense why.
For students today, the job market feels increasingly difficult to navigate, especially when it seems everyone is applying for the same internships, graduate schemes, and extracurricular opportunities. A good degree no longer feels like enough on its own, so we find ourselves trying to mold ourselves into the ‘perfect’ candidate. But at a certain point, university stops feeling like a place to experiment and starts feeling like a constant attempt to prove you’re making the most of your time.
I also think social media plays a role in this, especially the ‘highlight reel’ idea. People naturally post the best parts of their lives online, whether that’s achievements, exciting opportunities, or big social moments, and after a while, it becomes easy to feel like everyone else is constantly succeeding while you’re standing still.
I actually feel this most with LinkedIn. Unlike Instagram, where people usually post for social reasons, LinkedIn is almost entirely focused on professional and academic achievements. Every time you open the app, someone seems to have become president of a society, been accepted to a prestigious summer program, or accepted a graduate offer. I’ve genuinely had to remove it from my home screen before because it can be difficult not to compare yourself to everyone else and start questioning whether you’re doing enough, which is such an unhealthy mindset to fall into.
While I do think social media contributes to this pressure, I also think the urge to maximize your time and be ‘interesting’ is magnified at the University of St Andrews more than anywhere else.
I do love this university and am very happy with my decision to come here, but its small-town charm becomes slightly less charming when it means everyone knows everything going on all the time, which pushes you to get involved in as many opportunities as you can.
There is such a strong culture of involvement at St Andrews. On the one hand, it’s one of the best things about the university. People are passionate, ambitious, and genuinely engaged in what they do, but that can also create a quiet pressure to constantly do more. Sometimes it feels simply enjoying university isn’t enough. You also have to be building yourself into someone impressive while you are here.
I think at the heart of all of this is comparison. The pressure we place on ourselves at university becomes so much worse when we constantly measure our lives against everyone else’s. As my mum always says, ‘comparison is the thief of joy,’ and honestly, she’s right. The job market may add pressure, social media may amplify it, and university culture can intensify it even further, but free time should not make us feel guilty; instead, it should be enjoyed with friends while we have the opportunity.
Resting, or not constantly chasing the next achievement, doesn’t make someone lazy or unsuccessful. If anything, university should also be a time where we’re allowed to just exist a little, to enjoy ourselves without constantly worrying whether we’re making ourselves ‘interesting’ enough.
This article also isn’t condemning people who choose to get heavily involved, because, ultimately, what you do with your time is completely your choice. It is more about recognizing that this pressure is there for a lot of us and doesn’t have to stay forever. Sometimes there’s just as much value in slowing down, appreciating how hard we worked to get here, and allowing ourselves to enjoy the freedom university provides.
So please, if you take anything from this article, let it be that you are allowed free time. You are allowed to slow down, and most importantly, you do not need to measure your life against everyone else’s to prove that it matters. We are all interesting in our own ways, and that should never be something valued over other people.