As high school seniors, your main expectations for college are never really to learn. You want to have that college experience, but I'm here to tell you that experience isn't everything. When I started my college journey, I started at my community college. I was intrigued by interior design and drove 40 minutes every day to end up doing something I came to love for two years. Most people in that school basically just came to class and went home. There was no sense of campus community, but that was okay.
I learned so much in my classes and obtained a degree I can hold on to forever. I was even able to make a couple of friends along the way. The different start to college that I had from all my friends made me constantly feel like I was missing out on something. Now to the present day, after visiting friends, changing schools, and going to all different kinds of parties and bars, I can easily say that experience is not as crucial as you think it is.
After years of always having FOMO, I have come to the realization that life is exactly what you make of it. I am not going to lie and say I never got upset at the fact I never went away to college, or that I wasn't going to a wild frat party on a Tuesday night. I wanted that all because I thought I was missing out on something, but I cannot really tell you what that something is. If you think that something you're missing out on is fun, I am here to tell you that fun can be obtained in so many other ways.
Being encompassed by good people with clean energy is a start. When I'm surrounded by people I love, the simple sitting around a table and chatting, playing board games, or simply taking a drive and listening to music can bring that same level of fun you're looking for. It is also extremely important to realize how to have fun with yourself. Through the years of commuting to college, I spent a lot of time with myself. I grew to appreciate who I am as an individual and that has stemmed into being excited to spend a night in, all by myself. Why wouldn't you want to hang out with the coolest person you know?
The feeling of missing out can control you and make you feel low about yourself, I've been there. But I have also become aware that what I decide to do about my life and how to make it fun is solely up to me, and that is the control you need in your life. College parties are not the be-all-end-all in life, everything is what you make of it. Try and have a good time no matter where you go. Time is wasted when you sit around wishing it was something else. I may not have that college experience, but I have a great thing going. I may never get that college experience, but I have accepted that the experience won't make me into a better or worse person. And it won't get me a job, which is the main goal of college, right?