College is an interesting place. Of course, college is wonderful in many ways: you meet many new friends, explore different subjects and activities of interest, and begin the long journey of discovering who you really are. However, being a college student can also be inhibiting. At least for me personally, I have found that my perspective and ability to consider the world at large has, at times, weakened. I have become so sucked into the college culture that I have seemed to occasionally lose the big picture. For instance, issues surrounding Greek Life such as the “dilemma” over which pregame partner to choose for next year’s football season and selecting a date for date party have developed a sense of false importance and gravity. As a logical person, I know that these issues do not matter in the slightest, but I have convinced myself that they are important and normal. In fact, many things that occur on a college campus that students view as normal and acceptable are really quite odd. Here are a few real quotes that I have gathered thus far at college that are truly anything but normal:
1. “I’m way too sober for this” — I have heard this phrase uttered at many date parties and mixer functions. However, when one thinks about what this phrase actually means, it’s a little terrifying and absolutely not normal. What do you mean? You feel too much like your real self? You’re essentially saying that you need more alcohol or drugs to enjoy the people you are with and the event you are at. In other words, you need to become so far outside of your true emotional state and personality to withstand the time. That’s pretty sad.
2. “Isn’t it the worst when you hook up with someone and then you see him/her again and he/she doesn’t remember you at all?” — For college students, it isn’t out of the ordinary to meet someone of the opposite sex when drinking, and for the experience to be blocked out of your memory. However, in the real world, it is not normal to forget the people you meet and the experiences you have with them. Forming real relationships is crucial to having a successful life: it is the people who you connect with and the memories you form with them that make life worthwhile. This phenomenon of drunk hookups, while it seems rather innocent right now, is really dangerous. As this issue becomes more normalized and frequent on college campuses, sooner or later one is going to sit down and realize that four years have passed and very few valuable relationships have formed.
3. “This dress isn’t that cute in person, but it looks really good in pictures, so I’m going to wear it” — Oh good so your boyfriend who you’re going to meet over Instagram will be impressed? Many college-aged students have made social media utterly more important than their real lives. I have heard friends say that if they do not get good photos at an event, it will be a bad night. I have even found myself thinking that if someone likes my Instagram it means that they actually like me. “Oh well he likes my posts, so I think he’s into me.” I’m sorry, because someone clicked a red heart on their feed full of pictures that means that he has feelings for you? It’s very hard not to fall into the trap of social media platforms that focus on your appearance, but it’s important that students realize just how meaningless and stupid photos really are. Photos were meant to capture memories occasionally, not to document our entire lives, allow us to become self-obsessed, and give us a false sense of reality.
4. “I don’t have class until 2pm. Well, I technically do but I never go” — GO TO CLASS. While it feels normal to skip a lecture that simply goes over the slides posted online or is even recorded, you are here for an education. It is not logical or normal to pay as much as one pays to go here and not attend class. Also, if the lecture is really that unbearable, you probably have no interest in the subject and shouldn’t be enrolled in the class anyway. So, do yourself a favor and go to your classes; education is what you are here for. And hey, while all the social stuff is great, finding a subject that excites you is kinda fun, too.
While it may seem like I spent most of this article criticizing campus culture and the students who go here, that was not my intention. I love this university and the people I have met here. These problems also don’t encapsulate every student. The main point of the article is this: college absolutely should be fun. But, it is important that we as students take time to notice when we have drifted too far outside from who we truly are. Everyone who attends the University of Michigan is hardworking and valuable, they just need to remember to hold on to who they really are and not become too sucked into the weakening parts of the culture that surrounds them.
Photo courtesy of YouTube.