With the start of the new semester (many people's second but my third) I've realized how an overwhelming majority of my friends hate college. And I play along because I don't want them to know my dirty secret. I repost their memes and laugh when they say college sucks and agree when they say they can't wait for the next break. But deep down, I really do love college.
I've always loved to learn. I grew up reading and writing in my spare time. And this semester? This is the semester where I'm actually learning the things I need to know for my desired field. So I'm in love with my classes, and with my schedule, and with the people I've already met and connected with in the two short days that this semester has started.
I'm not by any means judging anyone who hates college, I just wanted to share that I don't. But I do understand how bad it can be. I've never hated college because I was (usually) interested in what I was learning. But there were some classes I had to take just to fill up my humanities or meet my minimum requirements, and those classes killed me. I can't express how boring it is to sit through a non-interactive lecture on rocks or a too-interactive lecture on business when business is the last field I would ever consider going into.
Even though those classes were torture to get through and a general pain, I never hated them. My only real complaint is my commute to campus, but that's all my doing. And maybe I just got lucky. Maybe I'm just so ecstatic that I got the classes I wanted and needed, and my professors are absolutely amazing, and my schedule isn't too filled and I'm not going to be overly stressed about midterms and tests and finals, because now I'm at that pivotal point in college when you actually need to learn the information being taught, not simply regurgitate it.
I think another interesting thing about this semester is that I'm being faced with my competition. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I'm sitting right next to someone who also wants my future job. And every time I'm there and I see that person, it pushes me to work harder. Because a lot of people are going for my job, and not all of them will make it. Some will either flunk out, drop out, or change their major. But that pushes me to be the absolute best I can be because I want this too badly.
So, if you're part of the few that hates college, just wait. It'll get better, and you'll get great professors with great peers and you'll actually give a damn what you're learning. I just want everyone to love what track they're on and to have fun learning, because education should be about being passionate about what you're learning, not just regurgitating facts and figures. Godspeed everyone.
