College is known as the best of times and the worst of times, all at the same time too! These 10 stages are highly relatable to any college student during their first year. Whether or not they admit to having experienced them is a different story though.
1. FREEDOM!
We all love it and then hate it and then love it again. This will never change. It's the first real taste of independence which is so enticing and wild but then bites us in the ass when we forget our responsibilities because freedom is a double-edged sword in college.
2. Fear
The most motivating force in college. Fear of failing a class, fear of failing out, fear of missing out (FOMO), fear of disappointing your friends, your expectations, and/or your family. Fear drives college students to go out on weeknights despite having 8:30s, but it also drives students to actually hit the books and pull all-nighters to ensure their paper is flawless. Fear is a powerful thing,
3. Balance
This stage typically comes after a tailspin to one extreme or oscillation between freedom and fear. College students learn what they can handle and how often they can go out and get the grades they feel okay accepting. It's not easy and re-balancing honestly happens each semester, but as the four years go on, college students get better and better at it.
4. Denial
Mostly this stage is reserved for right before midterms, finals, end of the semester, end of the year, end of the four years, etc. Denying the end has come is common for everyone. No one wants to grow up, leave the dorm party life, leave college and adult, or just accept the end of an era. It sucks.
5. Excitement
Easily the most common stage is excitement. Everything is scary and new but also exciting. You meet new people, you do what you what, you become who you will be. It's all exciting in college even if it's a scary-excitement.
6. Exhaustion
College isn't the easiest of times. You have to fit in long hours of lectures and labs on top of the 5 different organizations you belong to, on top of the parties going on tonight, on top of studying for your exam tomorrow. There are only 24 hours in a day, but if colleges could warp time and give us like 36 for a day, we'd be less tired, easy.
7. Acceptance
At some point in every college student's four years, there are stages of denial which are later followed by acceptance, whether it's taking the C in Orgo, knowing your paper won't get done in time, your classes for next semester will suck because you got the last registration time, the list could go on. Accepting your seeming fate is better than dying trying, right?
8. Guilt
No, not finish your beer because there are sober kids in Africa guilt. The guilt that you/your family are paying A SHIT TON OF MONEY to attend whatever college you go to, and you spent your entire day sleeping through your morning lecture because you were up til 4 a.m. watching Netflix or out drinking with friends. Knowing your nap better be worth 1/14 of the semester tuition you saw the Bursar post a few months ago.
9. Annoyance
Seeing red after your professor announces that the exam is the next class right before break after you just booked your train ticket home while he was reviewing the readings from the previous classes homework. Who in their right mind would think that's okay? Isn't it, like, illegal for him to do that, or better yet, isn't there a school policy against exams right before break if it isn't a midterm or final? Nah fam, get used it.
10. Happiness
College has it's major ups and downs, but luckily the ups are like sky-high and usually make up the majority of the year at school. College kids have lots to deal with, but most are happy problems. They are finding what speaks to them, who they want to be, and what they ultimately what to do career-wise.
College is college. It takes two L's to make the word. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, but it's a lot of dancing, naps, and parties, with some school mixed in at times.
