The Reality of College

College is often regarded and told by our parents, uncles, and grandparents to be the best time of our lives. While there is some truth to this, with things such as near-unlimited freedom, thousands of students eager to socialize, college sports, bars, free merchandise, and amazing dining hall food! All of these positives and more, but I often see my fellow classmates more stressed and negative than in positive spirits. Why is this? I believe it to be the reality of college.

The Academic Life

While it is undeniable that we are here to get a higher education to improve our chances of succeeding in the real world and acquiring a good job, when college feels too much about school, students begin to stress out.?

Strict and arrogant professors can often utterly ruin a class and even a semester for a student, combined with the excess homework, readings, midterms, and exams that don’t look like study guides. How do we even expect to maintain a social life?

Social Life?

The social aspect of college is supposed to keep us sane and happy, but often it’s the biggest source of stress! Enter the ultimate supervillain of college social life: FOMO. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is when you don’t really want to go out to a party, event, or bar but feel pressured to go because you’re afraid of missing something fun. Giving in to FOMO might lead to a great night, but it can also remind you why you didn’t want to go out in the first place. This phenomenon can have both positive and negative outcomes, making the decision-making process stressful for students.

When comparing college to high school, there are a lot of differences, but some social negatives still stick around. One consistency I notice in both is cliquey friend groups—those who don’t let others in and act differently toward anyone outside their circle. While having a close inner circle is totally fine, I don’t agree with treating others negatively just because they’re not in your group. I often hear from transfer students who struggle to make friends and from introverts who find it hard to break into social spaces. The maturity gap between college and high school students isn’t as big as we might think, and this is one area where that’s obvious.

These are only 3 examples of the many that college students face daily, of course, we are stressed.?

But best believe we will find a way to have a good time and enjoy ourselves sooner or later!