At one of the largest universities in California, it’s not an uncommon sight to see a flock of potential students touring the campus. Walking by, you automatically put a little more pride into your step and make your UCSD sweatshirt just a tad more obvious, as if to claim your territory. Surrounded by interesting architecture, the constantly warm California weather and La Jolla shores, what’s not to love about UCSD?
But wait, what’s that… a midterm in week three? Let’s face it, as great as it can seem, UCSD is not always the easiest place to be. With classes, part-time jobs and clubs, we naturally tend to feel swallowed up in papers, flashcards and responsibility in general. This is the time when we slowly start to regress into a combined state of mental insanity and existentialism. Inevitably, we begin to regret the college life as whole, because it’s just much simpler to curl up in a blanket and have Netflix erase all the worries away.
But every time you fall victim to the “distressed college student syndrome,” remember the feeling of striding past the herd of high school seniors that want to be in your place. Know that in the past year, over 89,000 students applied to be where you are now and that UCSD has become one of the most sought after campuses in the nation. Realize that even though there are moments of mental exhaustion, you fought for one of the highly coveted spots here at UCSD. With the competitive number of applicants slowly rising each year, it’s important to remember that even in the midst of midterm misery, there was a reason why you deserve to be on this campus.
So the next time you enter one of those “give up” moments (we’ve all been there), understand that you have earned a place here. You deserve to enjoy every bit of the San Diego lifestyle: each trip to Vallarta’s, every hike down to Black’s Beach, each trudge up Peterson Hill and each proud step you take when passing by the poor souls who have yet to go through your pain. Mainly because you probably wouldn’t want to have it any other way.