College is supposed to be like a movie, but is it actually?
For years before coming to college, everyone says that it will be the best four years of your life. But once you get here, it may not actually be that way. For years prior to coming to CU, I was glorifying the college experience because it was supposed to be amazing and perfect. However, now that I am a senior I can say that the years I’ve been in college may have been some of the most difficult years of my life.
My first year here started off well enough, but I soon realized that maybe the college experience wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I was really worried that I was the only one who felt that way, but I can assure you that I am not the only one.
No matter what college you attend, there are bound to be problems. However, the best way to get through college when you don’t love it is by following these steps.
- Find your fan base.
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Being with a group of true friends is the best way to keep going when times are tough. It can be really hard to find good friends in the first place, but once you do they will be the best support system out there. It took me three years to find my real friends, but now that I have I’m able to lean on them. They are the ones who can make college bearable even when you hate everything else.
- Take Time alone.
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Taking the time to do things alone is one of the best ways to survive college. When everyone is going out partying, it can be really easy to experience major FOMO. However, it is equally as nice to spend time alone at home watching a movie. Being comfortable alone is such an asset because at the end of the day you are the only person you’ll ever truly have.
- Spend time on campus.
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Spending time on campus links back to taking time alone. Our CU Boulder campus is beautiful, and one of the best ways to explore it is to just go out alone. Even when you want college to just end already, you have to remember this is the last opportunity you will have to walk around campus and get coffee from the library. It’s a simple joy, but it really helps to appreciate the institution for what it is.
- Explore the surrounding city.
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Boulder is a classic college town, so it can be hard to avoid the college culture. Despite this, exploring the city surrounding your college will create a division in your mind:exploring a new place versus going to school and being trapped there. Every college town has so much to it other than the university itself and when you want to get away, finding these hidden gems is the best.
- Plan ahead.
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A final step to getting through college even when you don’t love it is simply looking towards the future. College won’t last forever and you will move on from it. The “pain” in this case is temporary. Along with this reminder, it really helps to make a plan for what you want to do after college. It allows you to strive for something and move forward with your life rather than feeling stuck being miserable. Planning ahead gives you a sense of hope for when you just don’t want to do it anymore.
College isn’t the experience for everyone and there is no shame in not loving everything about it. Even though everyone seems to love the experience, they all see a downside, they are just likely not showing it. College is an important experience, but it does not have to be as picture-perfect as everyone makes it seem.