It seems like the entirety of your junior and senior year of high school has led up to this moment, finally SATs and ACTs and all other redundant acronymic tests are over, and it’s finally time for a fresh start: college. Suddenly, we’re standing in front of the calendar wondering how October came so fast. With a month and a half left this semester, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were unpacking our boxes full of clothes and saying teary-eyed goodbyes to our families.

It’s been said over and over again that college is supposed to be the best time of our lives; full of eccentric professors, espresso shots, and new relationships; life seems to be at its peak. However, I’ve learned that one of the unsaid pressures of college is how quickly you have to find who you fit in with, what kind of major you want to be, what your passions are, and ultimately who you want to be.

There’s a rushed feeling in college and you feel overwhelmed by everything that’s thrown your way. You feel like you’re supposed to have everything figured out: a group of best friends, plans for the next school year and even plans for after graduation. Our generation experiences a pressure to seek a label that makes them feel secure, and it seems like there’s a universal script written for college students with an endless list of questions interrogating us on what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and why we’re doing it.

Don’t get me wrong though, so far college is great. I’ve made friends that I’m able to have fun with no matter what we do. Whether if it’s going out to a party or staying in and watching American Horror Story, dull moments are a rarity. However, it’s hard to convince people that staying in isn’t as bad as it sounds: time to yourself is necessary and doing something in the comfort of your bed shouldn’t be looked down upon. We have the rest of our lives to go out, to meet new people, and come back to the dorm at 2 AM with crumpled Whataburger bags in hand. You’re not paying thousands of dollars of tuition for just those nights (even though they’re great bonding moments), you’re paying to get an education.

There is time for us to figure out what we want to do. These four years are known as some of the best years of your life because they allow you to learn the things you want to learn, hang out with the people who don’t pressure to be someone you’re not, and figure life out step by step. Remember that we’re only 18-22 year old students, there isn’t a need to rush through college nor life itself. It’s better to figure things out at your own pace instead of sprinting through to the end and see that you’re not happy with the result.