What is FOMO?

Fomo is referred to as “the fear of missing out.”

This is a term that describes a majority of the first year college students’ experience at a university.

Everything is so new, people are everywhere, and there are constant events happening. For the slightest second, you might even forget that you are actually here to earn your degree and not to just move away from home.

I am a sophomore and unfortunately, on some occasions, I tend to feel this emotion we call “FOMO.”

No one wants to miss out on the fun things going on at night and that’s when the temptations creep in.

“Oh it's fine, I’ll just catch up on my homework on Sunday. That’s my catch up day,” or “It's fine, I already have an A in the class, one late assignment won’t hurt.”

These reasons may be true but they are not always good decisions. Yes, you may have an A but that late assignment can bring your grade down a lot faster than if you were to try and get it up again. Sundays are common catch up days, but they don’t have to be.

Saying no to a night out may suck, but what are you really missing out on?

From what I have experienced, it reaches a point where nothing changes. All of the same things happen every weekend. Jimmy got too drunk or Sally went home with that guy. It will all happen again the next weekend when you are free to go out, so don’t worry!

It is not easy saying no, I can attest to that, but once you think about your priorities and what is more important, it gets easier.

All the students you see out most likely go to your school. With that being said, they are in the same boat. So everyone has school work they got to do, it is just a test to see who can manage to balance getting their work done and maintaining a social life at the same time.

The next time all your friends go out and you have a lot to do before the next school week, don’t stress.

Think about how staying in is the better end of the deal.

Think about how you will be passing your class with a good grade because you are turning everything in on time.

Notice the good qualities in self-discipline that you can use for other situations in your life. That is what really matters.

The nights out are always fun, don’t get me wrong, but the same thing will be going on the next weekend.

I guarantee you won’t get many opportunities to raise your grade after incomplete assignments or excuses for late submissions.