When you’re starting college, adults are always telling you that college was the best time of their lives. They talk about the fun that they had and all the lifelong friends they made. They tell you to enjoy the time while it lasts. They say they wish they could go back. While you may look back on your college days later in life and think the same thing, that doesn’t mean that college is going to feel perfect while you’re in it.
First of all, yes, maybe you’ll look back on this time and agree that these were the best days of your life, but you also may not. When you’re going to college, no one wants to tell you, “I had a really mediocre time in college. I didn’t have many friends, and the workload was overwhelming.” You’re going to hear from people with a whole range of experiences telling you how perfect college was because it really is an exciting time and they want you to get the most out of it.
However, getting the most out of college doesn’t mean it has to be the best days of your life. You shouldn’t feel like there’s something wrong with you if your life doesn’t feel perfect, but social media makes us feel like everyone else’s college experience is perfect. The thing people feel most pressure about is probably their social life, and social media puts the pressure on even more. Everyone posts pictures with captions about their best friends or amazing roommates or perfect sorority sisters.
What you don’t see is that some people aren’t friends with everyone in their sorority or that some people have a group they go out with all the time, but they don’t really feel close to them. There are people out there having a great time and making lifelong friendships, but there are plenty of people who aren’t. Don’t be ashamed if you don’t make close friends until a couple years into college, and don’t feel ashamed if you never make close friends in college.
Besides the social aspect, there are so many other things that make college overwhelming. The workload is stressful for most people. You may be worrying about the financial strain. Some people have a job that takes up a lot of their time. You always seem to be tired. A lot of people get homesick. You may not like your roommate, or if you do, you may not like living with someone. There’s the stress of figuring out what to do with your life and finding a job after graduation.
The point of this isn’t to stress you out or to say that college is the worst. Instead, it’s a reminder that college isn’t as perfect as everyone says it is. If you’re not perfectly content or you don’t feel like you’re having the time of your life, don’t worry. Everyone has to deal with difficulties in college, so you’re not alone.
Cover photo from bu.edu
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