College students- a population all their own. Freshman, Transfer, Senior, Undergraduate, Graduate; the list goes on and on. Underneath the label is the Student- the person attending an institution of higher education. The student who takes 18 credits a semester, works a part time job, participates in on-campus groups and activities, lives with room mates, is away from home and still has to find time to socialize with friends. This is the typical definition of an 'average' college student.
Not each student you meet on a college campus fits this definition. There is not one stereotype that covers us all- we all don't drink Miller Lite, we all don't have fake I.D.'s, we all aren't a part of 'hook-up' culture, and we all don't have our parents paying for our education. No matter the age, amount of time in college, personal experiences, home life, economic background, or personality- we are all people experiencing the same type of daily events.
We all go to class, (sometimes) complete the assigned readings, turn in our assignments on Black Board by 11:59 p.m., actively participate for participation points, and go through the motions towards completing another semester. We all understand the workload and expectations we face as college students from our professors, our loved ones, and sometimes our peers.
What is different about each of us, is the personal obligations we carry. We may be a first-generation college student, attending college through financial aid. We have to work hard to maintain our GPA to continue receiving grants and loans, and also may have to get a job on campus to pay for daily expenses. We may be an Alumni, with the pressures of majoring in the same area as our parents, while continuing our parent's participation in a certain Greek Life organization. We may have transferred from our community college at home, and now have to adapt to a college where the Professor doesn't know our name, while we learn how to do laundry on our own.
We may be a Veteran who enlisted at 18, completed a tour oversees, and are now getting an education while dealing with a whole new set of expectations. We may be a 30 year old single Mom, who works part time so her kids can receive after-school care and are trying to set an example for our children.
We may be depressed, lonely, happy, outgoing, introverted- all due to this new aspect of our life. We may hate having to sleep in a twin-sized bed while our room mate goes home every weekend. We may feel that alcohol, drugs, and hooking up is the way to fit in with our friends. We may feel so alone that we're just hoping our R.A. notices.
No matter who you are or what you're experiencing as a College student- it's okay to feel that way. Talk to someone around you, someone at home, or just get the courage to ask someone to show you a resource you need on campus. We may all be at different points, but we all are apart of the same group with the same end goal in mind. Let us help one another, reach out to one another, celebrate in our successes, and share our failures.
