I’ve been told time and time again that college is a chapter of growth, independence and self-discovery. Still, people tend to ignore the ways in which it is also overwhelming, isolating and emotionally draining. Between changing relationships, academic pressures, and that constant feeling that you’re supposed to be figuring things out, it is easy to feel lost. Music has a way of stepping in during moments like this and offering comfort when words fall short. If you relate to this, I encourage you to turn to music for solace in moments of your own struggle.
Personally, music has been a constant source of grounding throughout college. Whether I’m biking across campus to work early in the morning, out studying late at night, or even lying awake with my racing thoughts, I almost always have a song playing in the background. However, despite popular opinion, this isn’t just because songs fill the silence. They do so much more than that — holding memories, emotion and a reassurance that I can return to amid uncertainty.
At UC Davis, campus life can feel overwhelming. Music can serve as a reminder that someone else out there has not only gone through exactly what you’re feeling, but has turned it into something beautiful. Often, listening to a song that perfectly captures your emotions helps you feel understood without having to struggle to explain yourself.
This can be especially vital for students during stressful periods like midterms and finals. Whether it manifests as listening to a calming playlist while studying, an upbeat song at the gym, blasting a curated playlist in your headphones or playing a shared playlist with your roomies in the dorms, music is a personal and shared coping mechanism.
One way that music accomplishes this is through its ability to inspire resilience. When you find yourself exhausted or even discouraged, a certain song can be a reminder of your strength, or at least help you borrow someone else’s for just a few minutes.
It also creates a space for emotional release. In a culture that emphasizes productivity and continuous movement, leaving little time to address difficult feelings, music offers space to pause and validate emotions rather than suppress them.
Finally, we connect music with certain places and moments, helping us to romanticise our routines and immortalize our memories. Over time, certain songs that we associate with taking a walk through the Arboretum, studying at the MU, or simply biking home after a long day of classes mark moments of growth, struggle and survival. Looking back, it is music that reminds us of not only where we are, but how far we have come.
Ultimately, music doesn’t fix everything. It also doesn’t erase the stress or magically solve problems, but it does offer something just as important. Presence. In moments when college can feel like a burden, music reminds us that we are not alone, that those emotions are worth taking time to understand, and that even during the hardest of times, beauty still exists out there. In a world that constantly demands more from us, music gives something back. And sometimes, that is exactly what we need.
Whenever I turn to music for comfort, motivation, or even a reminder that things will get better, I like to play songs like The Beatles ‘Here Comes the Sun’, Yungblud’s ‘Mars’ or even David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’. In the end, whether it’s an uplifting anthem, a comforting melody or a song that speaks to your frustrations, music has a truly distinctive way of helping us navigate the ups and downs of college life.