I’m supposed to love college. And for the most part, I do. However, lately I’ve felt restricted when it comes to my freedom. All my friends have expressed their love for some sort of gained freedom from high school. They love making decisions on their own, not needing the guidance of their parents and even the new responsibilities that come with this independent life. Maybe I don’t entirely feel this because I attend a small college or don’t have a car on campus, but nonetheless I haven’t felt that true freedom I’m supposed to as a college student, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
They say college is the time to learn to become an adult. I’m supposed to learn how to do adult things on my own. While I have learned several of the things that qualify as being an adult, I’ve felt trapped in a bubble at my small college.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my college and wouldn’t trade my experience for the world, but small colleges tend to keep their students contained in the atmosphere of this specific college’s life only. Whenever I’m on a break from school and am returning back to school, I find myself thinking, “Alright, back to being stuck here until the next break.”
Small colleges, and perhaps even colleges in general, encourage students to stay on campus during the academic year. It feels as if they don’t want me to leave, but want me to stay trapped in their prison. Now, college isn’t anything like a real prison, I know, but it’s the idea behind a prison I’m referring to. The feeling of not being able to leave can be overwhelming. Whenever any of my friends tell me they’re stopping by Target I almost always tag along. Having this tiny break from college is joyous, and it’s only a Target for crying out loud!
Not only have I felt physically restricted when it comes to campus, but I feel mentally restrained as well. Leaving class only to go back to my dorm doesn’t make me feel like I’ve really left class. No matter where I go on campus, I’ll always be in the mindset that I am at school: the place where I learn, study and do homework. Constantly being surrounded by this school-like atmosphere gets old real quick, and makes me yearn for breaks. Sometimes I just want to get off campus to get away from the school-related environment. We all need a break sometimes!
College is a weird place. You love it and you hate it. I’m sure many of us are looking forward to a nice, long summer break so we can escape the prison-like feeling colleges tend to have.
