The Truth About College | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Truth About College

The story no one ever tells you after graduation.

15
The Truth About College
The Atlantic

In high school, we walked through the maze of hallways each morning and we looked without seeing the people who passed us by. We painted a smile on our face, put on the trendiest clothes, and struggled to find a sense of self in a sea of conformity. We focused on all the wrong things like what clothes we wore and who was dating who. We made inappropriate jokes, swapped lunches, and forgot that there was a world beyond the cement walls that felt more like a prison than a place of learning. We hated homework with a fiery passion, and we found ourselves constantly wondering if the information we were being taught would have any relevance in the outside world.

The future was an intangible concept that always seemed to loom in the distance until it was suddenly thrust upon us. But we were eager to move on to “real” life. We saw stars and freedom, with fast cars, late nights out, and a chance to do something for ourselves. Everything about life after graduation basked in a glow that could not be tarnished. So we followed the rules, and completed all the steps. We wrote our college essays and hoped that the schools we were applying to ignored the scent of our desperation and saw more than statistics and letters on a page. We were chasing our dreams in circles as the months ticked by, and we lived in a constant state of anticipation. The envelopes that came back brought both good and bad news, so we readjusted our vision and placed a deposit on the school we felt most excited about. We told our friends and family of our decision, and started to envision the life we would have at our new home.

During the summer before we moved in, we spent time with the people who had gotten us through high school and prepared to leave the nest. When the time came to say goodbye, we cried for the people we would leave behind but continued to keep our eyes on the horizon where a new dawn was about to break.

And when the new day began, we took our first hesitant steps toward adulthood and prayed that we were on the right path. It was then that we realized that high school was easy. Every day was the same; the hallways were always filled with the same people, taking the same routes to their classes, and exhibiting zero control over their own lives. There were rules built upon routines to keep us focused and out of trouble, and peer pressure reinforced homogeneity. But when we immersed ourselves in college, we found a place of freedom. Freedom to be who we want to be, eat what we want, take the classes we have always wanted to take, pave our own paths, and set our own schedules.

But being able to make our own decisions comes at a price. When we’re not taking advantage of every possibility in front of us, there’s room to wonder if we’re doing the right thing. Regret, stress, and worry are our constant companions, but part of adulthood is learning to live with and be proud of the choices we make. And that’s something that no one ever told us. We’re going to make mistakes in college. Huge, catastrophic ones and small, insignificant ones. We’re going to doubt every major decision we make whether it’s what to have for dinner or what to major in for the next four years. And that’s fine. Learn to live with and embrace the fear, because it’s how we react to this constant stress that determines the type of life we’ll live.

And the way I see it, you have one of two choices: Let the fear consume you and keep you down, or let it go. Let yourself be free to experience life without regret. Know that whatever will be, will be and you are just a speck of sand in the world’s ocean of people. Let life take you where it wants you to go, and never look back. Just soak in the view in front of you and glance at the horizon when you need a reminder of where you’d like to be.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

3917
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302761
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments