Just a little over a year ago, I entered college feeling excited and confident about the new things that were in store for me. I’ve always loved to learn, and I was always good at it too! Going to college was an opportunity to delve deeper into the things I was passionate about!
But after my first day of classes, I left feeling dejected and uncertain about my intelligence. While I always felt prepared in high school, in college I simply felt average.
I was at the top of my class in high school. When I got to Boston University, I realized everyone was at the top of their class as well.
Suddenly, instead of feeling confident and secure in my abilities, I felt left behind, as though I was missing something. I felt passionate about my classes and I did all of the readings, so why wasn’t I an expert on the material when it seemed like everyone around me was?
The answer to this is actually pretty simple – nobody is really an expert at anything in college.
While it may seem like some people have it all figured out, the truth is that nobody is perfect at everything. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and one person’s strength may be your weakness, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t qualified!
Acknowledging how you feel is incredibly important, but reframing your thoughts and realizing that it’s okay to not be perfect all the time is also necessary.
You aren’t supposed to know everything when you go to college. That would negate the entire point of it.
Instead, you should enter with an open mind and remember that if everyone around you knew everything, they probably wouldn’t be attending the same classes as you. Everyone in college simply wants to learn. Some people just are more confident than others, and that’s okay!
It’s okay to just want to learn in college instead of contradicting or adding to everything the professor says. It’s okay to sit back and actively listen.
There always seems to be a negative connotation around being average, but I learned over the course of the school year that there is nothing wrong with it.
In fact, it means that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, watch us on TikTok, and read our latest Tweets!