Typically, when one is in high school, the idea of applying for college is one of the most stressful but exciting things that takes place in a young person’s life. We are pressured about where we want to go. Do we want to be in a city or the countryside? People start to talk about joining sororities and which “incredible” dorm they are going to be placed in. Everyone “loves” the idea of being BFFs with your new “roomie”, and all the millions of friends you are going to make. As well as talking about how you must have a 4.0 and manage a “super cool” social scene while meeting the love of your life. I wish I knew it was going to be anything but that.
The first stigma that we surround ourselves with is how incredible college is for most people. We tend to fool our minds with the idea that everyone out there is “living their best life”. It’s when you realize that what people post on Instagram simply doesn’t matter, that’s when you start to feel some sort of weight off your shoulders. For a lot of students, college consists of drinking not-so-good beer at your school’s dive bar on a Friday night, crying in the library and eating gross cafeteria food.
The other stigma that we see in college is that you HAVE to graduate and be done by the age of 22. In reality, it doesn’t go that way for everyone, no matter how perfect your life might seem or how much money you have. You’d be surprised about the amount of people who are barely holding themselves together and feel the need to leave college for a break before they crack under pressure. In the end, college can really be finished at any time you want in life, whether you’re 22 or 40 years old. Life is short but it is also long and your initial happiness is what should be considered in the end. People in this day of age tend to rush through everything in life. Whether it’s getting married, graduating, getting the perfect job- everyone just needs to stop and take a break. There is not one person in this world who truly can reflect as the ideal human being. Everyone’s got shit going on. But as for school, if you are pushing through the consistent and hard 4 years: First of all, amazing. Second of all, it’s important to work hard and to give things your all, by choice. If you fail at something, it doesn’t make you a loser. As long as you learned something in the end, that is all you will need in the real world.
It’s so important to surround yourself with people who love you and want to help you grow. People that want to go to the library with you and help you study. People that want to grab dinner with you and talk about life. People that will answer your calls at any time of the day to listen to you. Your friends reflect you and your worth. The truth of the matter is, no one is cool in college. We are all placed in this little bubble by choice and if you’re going to go around judging people on the way they act or their looks and style, your success rate for real friends is going to be very poor.
Take every day of life one day at a time because the future is very unpredictable and remember, always put yourself first in the end.