Growing up, I was always told that college was going to be the greatest time in my life. Everyone said that my years at university would be a time for staying up late, going to parties, making life-long friends, and learning more than you ever have before. Everyone swore that I was going to love it.
When I actually got to college, everyone around me was joining a sorority, making appearances at every school event, and going out with friends several times a week. There was always someone new to meet and something new to do. There was a lot of pressure to join in, have fun, and love every second of it.
The longer I spent in college, the more I realized that I just didn't want any part of it. I don't like the overall college lifestyle. The busy, overcrowded campus atmosphere stresses me out. I don't think football games are fun and I can't stand being around a bunch of people who are drinking. I don't even really enjoy most of my classes; some of them are fantastic, but I have felt that many of them are just unnecessary.
It's true that I enjoy some aspects of being in college; I love having my own apartment, making my own decisions, and being independent in every area of my life. I adore the internship I'm doing; I love putting on business attire, going into an office, and doing real work in a professional, adult environment.
With that being said, I've realized that the aspects of college I enjoy are those that are associated with being an adult— not the ones that are associated with being in college.
I can't wait to graduate college and start my career.
I knew from my first day of orientation that I didn't like college, but I spent almost two years trying to make myself love it anyway. I felt bad for not wanting to participate in "the college life", so I made myself go to events and I convinced myself that I wanted to be at school for the full four years to get the full experience.
The truth is that my college experience has been largely defined by stress and unhappiness. It took a long time, but I've finally come to terms with the fact that it is perfectly fine for me to feel that way.
Today, my biggest regret is not accepting that I wanted to fast forward through college and getting it done as quickly as possible.
A lot of other articles about being in college are about making sure that you're having fun and enjoying your time in school. I want to emphasize that you don't have to do that if you don't want to. For some people, college is just another item to check off your to-do list...and that's okay.
Take it from me: if you don't like college, don't waste your time trying to convince yourself you're having fun. Live your life the way you want to live it.
