As college students, it's no secret that stress and nerves often taint what is meant to be the most memorable and illuminating period of our lives.
It is even more apparent that the angst we feel when examining college-related subjects, such as our major choices, test scores or internship experiences, can harm our perception of self-worth. The idea that, to the world (or a potential employer), the sum of your worth as a human being will be chalked down to a diploma and a weighted average is almost laughable, but in reality, it has become all too true for many. Viewing college as a means to more opportunity is essential, but too frequently students look to it as an end-all be-all for success, overworking themselves, or ignoring career paths that better fit their desires and motivations for more lucrative ones.
We feel this way about college because we are afraid of failure, or in more honest words, we are afraid of not being successful. Fear of failure is not a bad thing, and if anything, can add meaning to the lives of students and push us toward non-superficial personal achievements like getting your dream job or finding your passion. Our definitions of success, however, can turn something as benign as failing to find a summer internship, or earning a below average starting salary, into an all-out battle against anxiety and depression.
This is because in today’s world, the meaning of success has evolved from simply leading a good, fulfilling life to being exceptional. And in evolving so, the tools that we use to evaluate an individual’s worth have changed for the worse, making it difficult to maintain a strong sense of self-worth. From an early age we are repeatedly struck with the notion that anyone can do anything they put their mind to and that to fail, or to simply be average, means that they are lazy and inept. In other words, mediocrity has become pejorative, as the extraordinary has become the norm. This resentment towards normality coupled with a society that increasingly associates riches, fame and celebrity with personal achievement, has created a culture that places status above all other things.
The trepidation that college students now feel when choosing a school, adjusting a major, or even dropping a class is a result of an over-emphasis on occupational achievement. The value of your degree, and the doors it opens for you, are now subject to as much scrutiny as ethnicity, family and/or religion once were, and getting an education for the sake of bettering yourself is no longer honorable in its own right.
These trends are alarming, to say the least, for a few reasons. For those who are fortunate enough to secure a position in a school that suits their ability and goals, the pressure to be prodigious can wreak havoc on one’s sense of self-confidence and prevent personal fulfillment. On top of that, not everyone has access to secondary education, essentially making those who have not had the fortune to go to school worthless in the eyes of mainstream society. Life in this day and age should revolve around being the best person you can be and doing what you love, not earnings or status. In the same vein, an individual’s college experience should center on finding what is right for them and ensuring they enter the working world satisfied with their investment. Until we all learn to be more comfortable with what we have and who we are, we will all be more at risk of suffering from low self-regard and self-worth.
