I think I can speak for all of us when I say that throughout my day on the UNH campus, I hear a lot of complaints. And I get it. We’re all broke, sleep-deprived, stressed-out college kids, so of course there’s a lot to complain about. Buses run behind schedule, all exams somehow always fall in the same week, and roommates can really start to bug you.
A personal agenda of mine is to combat this negativity by keeping an open mind and positive attitude. I find that these two things go hand-in-hand when it comes to managing your stress and uncertainties when it comes to college life.
There are lots of opportunities to meet new people when you’re living at school, and when confronted with new groups, it can be overwhelming. Right off the bat you may think ‘these are not my type of people’. It’s easy to decline the lunch invitations or study dates and stick to what you know, but I challenge you to push yourself to keep an open mind and try to get to know them. Your hunch may have been right, or you might meet some great friends, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. Go to clubs you wouldn’t normally try, strike up a conversation with a stranger, we’re only here for four years – so try everything!
On the other hand, you may have made friends that you thought would last a lifetime – or at least all through college. It’s common to think you know someone after spending a lot of time together, going from dining halls, to the library, to classes. I won’t sugar coat it; it can really suck to have a falling out with a friend. But among the heart break that can come with losing a friend, remember how they’ve taught you. Use the mistakes you both might have made as knowledge on how to create stronger bonds in the future.
Another, big stressor that comes with the college life is mistakes; and a lot of them. But trust me this is a good thing. You’re going to fail a quiz, or two, or accidentally sleep through an 8 am, or wait way too long to start an essay, or embarrass yourself in front of that cute guy in your stats class, or complete a whole assignment and forget to press submit, or run into that Tinder match that you ghosted. Instead of letting these things set you back, use them to learn. That’s literally what we’re all here for: learning. These things happen to everyone, so don’t freak out if you get embarrassed or if you mess up.
There’s going to be days when you feel like you’re up to your eyeballs in schoolwork, clubs, and exams. It may feel like there’s no way to get it all done. The burden of it all can make it feel like the world is crashing down and you can’t hold it up. It might seem like the only way to fix this problem is to lock yourself in the library, but please give in when your friends invite you to get dinner. Be open to taking breaks and giving yourself sometime to clear your head. Take a walk, color, listen to music, eat a snack, go work out; basically, allow yourself to calm down and have a few minutes to yourself.
So, UNH girls, I challenge you to look on the bright side next time something doesn’t go to plan. When you don’t get to all the things on your to-do list done, look at all the things you did cross off. When your routine is thrown off, don’t give up for the day, keep plugging along. When you start to feel claustrophobic in your dorm, don’t say you hate college. When you feel overwhelmed, take a walk and call your mom or a friend and don’t be afraid to rant. When you’re lazy to do the volunteer work for your clubs and student orgs, remember how many people you’ll be helping. Next time the negatives are weighing in on you, focus on the good and remember how lucky we are to be here!