FOMO, also known as fear of missing out, is a chronic issue for many students on campus. On a university campus filled with overachievers and full-time leaders, it gets really easy to get caught up in the idea that if you are not a part of everything, you are missing out. Whether that means missing out on social activities or on career fulling triads, it easily can become convoluted to say “no” to any opportunity and quickly overwhelming once you say “yes” to every opportunity.
Fear of missing out changes and grows into different forms throughout your years at Gonzaga University. In your freshman year, you will be quick to learn that there are so many wonderful opportunities and groups to join on campus. Bombarded with clubs harassing you to join as you walk down Bulldog Alley during the club fair, easily agreeing to everything, taking every flyer, joining every mailing list and agreeing to attend every meeting. It gets overwhelming quickly as you try to manage school and new social engagements. As you progress in your education, it becomes very common of Gonzaga sophomores and upperclassmen to join everything that may help their future careers. If you’re like me, you end up taking on one too many internships, agreeing to one too many jobs, designing for one too many publications, and writing for anything that affords me the opportunity to do so in hopes that doing this and being this way may propel me into a successful future career (fingers crossed that it does).
I suffer from FOMO. Don’t be like me, if you can help it. While Gonzaga does have all these great opportunities–realize that there is so much life to live, and so little time left on campus. They say that college will pass you up quick, so do what you can to enjoy it. Yes, agree to the opportunities that excite you, write for that publication that brings you joy (like HerCampus Gonzaga *wink*) but do not overwhelm yourself. Save time for your friends and time to call your parents. Because if the FOMO really worth putting those things off?