Somewhere between the “6 a.m. morning routines,” perfectly aesthetic coffee photos, pre-planned outfits, and color-coded planners, social media has quietly rebranded what college is supposed to look like. According to frequent feeds, everyone is productive, well-rested, healthy, social, mentally balanced, and somehow landing dream roles all at once.
And to be fair, social media is not all bad. In many ways, it can be an outlet for college students to connect, share ideas, and explore opportunities. Sharing day-in-the-life videos, searching for study tips, and regaining motivation to do schoolwork by watching others do it themselves can all contribute to student engagement and success. Through social media, it has become much easier to learn about possible areas of study and see what campus life has to offer.
But there’s another side to the scroll.
When every post looks like a highlight, it’s easy to compare your everyday life and accomplishments to those of others. Suddenly, a normal college day: going to class half-awake, doing homework at the last minute in sweatpants, finding the cheapest food options around campus instead of the healthiest, can all feel discouraging or underwhelming at times. The pressure to be involved, productive, social, and successful all the time can make college feel less like a learning experience and more like a performance that you are constantly trying to maintain.
Social media also creates the illusion that everyone has their life figured out. One person is studying abroad, another just landed their dream internship, and someone else is balancing classes, leadership, a job, and their passions, all while maintaining a strong social life. What we don’t see is the rejection emails, the calls that never came back, the lost relationships, the stress, the burnout, the fears, or the moments of uncertainty that almost all college students experience along the way.
The truth is, most days in college are not aesthetic. They consist of poor sleep schedules, last-minute study crams, feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork or exams, calculating your current grades, trying to get as much done as possible in the limited time that you have, and reheating leftovers at midnight. They’re changing your major, questioning your plans, and figuring things out one step at a time. And that is completely normal.
Social media can be a great tool for connection, inspiration, and community. However, it should not be the standard that you measure your life against. College is not about creating a perfect routine or highlight reel. It’s about growth, small wins, mistakes, and learning who you are along the way.
Because the real college experience isn’t edited into existence, it’s lived.