The American dream: Everyone wants to be successful. But how is success measured?
The first response you'd expect would be to have a respectable job that pays well. But then there lies a challenge. To get that respectable job, you have to go to school. Not just that, but you also need to make good grades, and you have to intern, and volunteer, and work and save money, and be in organizations, and study abroad to be well rounded. All of these things combined make you the perfect student; they write you the perfect resume. You're guaranteed to be successful, right?
Sure, academically. Career-wise, you're golden. But how are you doing socially? How is your faith? Your relationship with your family? Your freaking health? What toll does being the "perfect student" take on a young adult's mental health?
Why exactly do college students party so much? Why does everyone in their early twenties make jokes about crying every week over school? Why is it "cool" to not sleep and to constantly have emotional breakdowns?
That is what some people have to do to be the ideal college student. They have to stay up late to study for their class at 8:30, or skip another class to write a paper. They have to sacrifice healthy social interaction for a time consuming internship. Sure, there are some people who are blessed enough to show up hungover, sleep through class, and still make straight A's. But obviously, those are a rare breed. Average students have it a lot harder. There is a reason colleges have an application process.
Now obviously, going through all of this is worth it for a degree, so that you can leave and get a job you actually like. Why would anyone go through that much stress for nothing? However, some people simply can't do it. And I don't blame people who drop out of college. I've considered it more times than I can count.
The perfect student is unsuccessful. They are unsuccessful in being the perfect friend. They are unsuccessful at knowing how to handle other people's emotions. They don't place prayer at the top of their things to do. They don't even recognize that their mental health can be negatively impacted, or that they haven't called their mom all week.
When you spend all of your time studying, you miss out on living. Some people have looked down on me for having a 3.5 gpa (a B+, I should add) and being more socially active. But people don't seem to realize that everyone functions differently. Some people need to go out on Thursdays to relieve stress, and some people simply need time alone in the bathtub.
If I didn't have my weekly coffee dates, I would go crazy. If I didn't have sorority sisters to keep me sane, I would cry twice as often over school. I am a social person.
Introverted people might have it a little easier with time management, but they also tend to not have enough people to turn to in times of stress, which can be much worse than simply not having extra time.
So be the perfect student. Meaning, take time to prioritize what it is you need and actually want to do with your life. Take time for yourself, and take your grades seriously. But remember that spending all of your life working or studying will only lead to feeling like you missed out on the glory days.
