We hear it on TV, we hear it from our parents, we hear it from our friends and from their friends. College is supposed to be the BEST four years of your life. You're supposed to make your life-long best friends and have fun every second and form study groups and make connections.
You're supposed to never be homesick and always be happy. You're supposed to join groups and clubs and Greek life and make great grades — but what if it doesn't exactly work like that? What if you can only hope that college isn't the best four years?
Truth be told, you aren't in the minority. There are a ton of people who consider college to be a compilation of good years, but surely not the best. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I want my college years to be my best years. Great years? Sure. But not the best. For many students, college is a time of stress, of constant work, of struggling friendships, and of financial stress. While it may not be the best, there is no denying that these four years are years of learning and making connections and most importantly getting a degree.
If college isn't your scene, don't stress. You're not an outcast and you're not weird. As people, we all have our prime times. What may feel like a ton of fun to your friends, may not feel the same for you. Even if you were ready to graduate after a year, don't take this time for granted. College is a time for connections. It's a time to make yourself known and get to know as many people as possible.
Most importantly though, you want to walk out of college with a degree. You're there—and paying a ton of money—to set yourself up for success in work. More than just success though, you're in college to find the field you love. A successful four years in college should be marked by a getting job that makes work feel like anything by work.
If these four years seem to be longer for you than everyone else, that's okay. If you love college and never want to leave, that's okay too (as long as you do leave at some point). No matter where you stand on the college experience, remember that never again will you have experiences like these. Make the most out of these years. Take the time to look around and say "hey" to new people. Go to office hours just to chat. Meet with study groups and introduce yourself to grad students.
Maybe your best years are still to come.
