The demands of college have been increased to seemingly unachievable heights, as the bar of success is raised higher and higher. Good grades are no longer enough, involvement is no longer enough, and leadership is no longer enough. Instead, you must attain all of these at once, while also trying to do everyday basics, like eating and sleeping, not to mention figure out how to pay for the ever rising cost of college. The stress placed on the average college student is more than it has ever been before, and speaking as a college student myself, life is hard. Here are five pretty good reasons to cut us some slack.
1. No more magic money tree.
We used to live in the wonderful land of Mommy and Daddy’s money. They paid for whatever we needed, but once we leave them and decide we want to be big kids at college, our magic money tree dies. Sure, they pay for things here and there -- for example my parents pay for my food. Some parents continue to buy everything for their children and some parents cut off their children entirely. But for the general college student population, we have no money.
2. Everything costs money.
Piggy-backing off the topic of having no money, everything costs a lot of money. Books are hundreds of dollars every semester, and professors make them “mandatory” so that you can read a few paragraphs in them and then hope to sell them back to the bookstore for a fraction of the cost. Food? We want a lot of it, but can’t afford much of it once the meal plan goes away. If you add a car into this equation and GAS!? Ha. RIP to our bank accounts.
3. School, work, social life, or health: pick two.
For every hour you spend in class you’re encouraged to spend three hours doing outside class work. So, assuming you’re taking about 15 hours of courses, you have an additional 45 hours that you are supposed to spend doing homework and studying. Sixty hours of your 168 hour week are to be spent in academia, approximately 36 percent. Then, when you take eight hours of nightly sleep into account, 56 hours a week, you are left with about seven and a half hours, per day, for eating, showering, a job, socializing, clubs, and other various organizations and commitments. Try to fit all of that in your agenda.
4. My body is 20, but my mind is age two?
Technically, our drivers licenses indicate that we are somewhere around the ages of 18 to 23, but mentally we are still in elementary school, and our favorite subjects are recess and lunch. We try the best we can, but sometimes we just need to go home, eat some applesauce, and cry.
5. The world is a big scary place.
We are living on our own for the first time ever, and we are expected to be good at it, and unfortunately we aren’t. It’s hard to remember to go grocery shopping for yourself, and do your own laundry, and do your homework instead of watching television. There is a whole lot going on in our lives that we weren’t prepared for by high school algebra.
So, when we really mess up that significant thing, or are super late that important thing, or we are just always doing everything wrong, please cut us some slack. We are so stressed that our bed is a long lost friend, and we haven't leisurely watched television in years. Send us some money for our birthday and give us big hugs when you see us. We need it.
Thanks.
College Students
