When I was in high school, I always envied college students. I saw their freedom, parties, friends, and lives and wished that my time to go to college would come sooner. And when it did I was so excited. I got to college my freshman year and the first week was great. It was filled with parties, meeting new people, staying up however long I wanted, eating what I wanted and when I wanted. I thought to myself, "man, this is the life." Then the second week of classes strolled around I went from being stress free to having the weight of the world on my shoulders. No one told me about the stress that comes with college, I had only seen Instagram pictures and girls eating pizza at 3 am. College is much harder than it looks for a variety of reasons:
1. The influence to go out every night or get a good night's sleep is a struggle.
You know that you have an 8 a.m. three days a week and a 9 a.m. two days a week and it's already a struggle to wake up for them as it is. But the night before every class you friends urge you to go out and party with them all hours of the night and you can't help but want to dress up and go out with your besties. So you generally end up ignoring that voice in your head saying its a bad idea and you end up going out until 4 a.m. and having to wake up at 7. Then you head to class half asleep with makeup from last night and wished you didn't go out and promise yourself not to do it again. But then that night the process repeats and you end up with the same regrets you had the morning before.
2. Homework is more than just a sheet of paper front and back.
I remember when the 100 question addition homework was enough to have me in tears in second grade. But now I am constantly crying from what my professors consider "homework due the next day." A 5 page paper, reflection, and PowerPoint presentation as homework gives me the type of stress I would need to have a panic attack. And that is simply for one class. The amount of work put on college students is more than how much should be legal.
3. Eating healthy and working out is something that requires time and energy.
If you aren't an athlete at a university, you understand that its on you to make time to workout and eat well. Well that is a lot to do. Between projects, extracurricular and more, it's difficult to make time for making homemade meals as well as going to the gym at least 3 times a week like it's suggested. Most of the time you live off Jimmy John's and whatever crummy pizza place at your school.
4. Sleep is not a priority. Ever.
There just aren't enough hours in the day to get a "good night's sleep." I am happy if I get even 7 hours of sleep on a given night. Weekdays consist of classes so by the time you get home, eat, and shower, it's most likely past 9 p.m. and you have hours of homework to get done. And the weekends aren't much help either because you don't go out until after 10 p.m. usually and coming home can range anywhere from 1 a.m. - 6 a.m. And when football game days, tailgating starts when the sun comes up.
5. There are no such things as sick days.
Mom and dad used to be able to call you out sick for the day when you had a stuffy nose. Not in college. Whether it's mono, pneumonia, or the stomach flu, professors do not generally tend to care or be sympathetic. If you miss class, that's 5 points gone for the day or 0 points for an assignment you can't make up. Better bundle up and bring a few boxes of tissues or you might as well drop the class.
6. Getting a job is not all that it's cracked up to be.
Being in college doesn't secure you a job. It definitely helps but going to college is not an uncommon phenomenon. When applying for jobs and internships you are competing with hundreds of thousands of college students around the nation for one position. So on top of good grades you need to have a resume that sets you apart from all of those people. That means getting involved with as much as possible on top of everything else you have going on.
7. Finding your college sweetheart is much different than finding your high school one.
You'd think people would grow up a little bit from high school and become more mature but that's not the case. You'd also think that with all of the new people you meet you'd find your perfect match. That is also not the case. Well, at least not for everyone. Everyone is trying to find themselves and what they like in another person so it takes trial and error practices to find the right person. That means a lot of heartbreaks, tears, and long talks with your friends. But once you do find your soulmate, it's worth it.
College is the best four years of your life don't ever forget that. But also prepare yourself for much more responsibility and emotional and physical labor. College is all fun and games but you gotta work hard to play hard. So next time you look at a college student's Instagram, make sure to remind yourself that you are only seeing what they want you to see. Behind that picture is hard work, dedication, emotional roller coasters, and a lot of kick ass memories. But it's completely, absolutely, and totally worth it.
