People are so quick to define college as, “the best years of your life,” or “the years that define you.” I often times beg to differ. Though, I am not trying to argue and say that college sucks entirely. Because that isn’t true either. But college is challenging. Especially during the last few weeks of the semester.

I think we often portray our time spent at college in a different light on social media. We post photos of our college best friends to remind our parents that we have indeed made friends while being away.

Yet the next day you dread any social gathering and you feel like you are failing six classes when you are only in five. We post those smiling-selfies instead of finishing that paper that is due by midnight. When in reality, it took you about three hours just to get that “perfect shot” captured and posted online... when really you are drowning in three hours worth of school work.

It is important to realize that you are not alone in all of the stress that comes with college. We have all been there. And by been there, I mean we are all there too. You might not see it as you are scrolling through your Instagram feed, or reading your Twitter timeline. Remember, we post the version of ourselves that we want others to portray of us onto our social media platforms. Life isn’t always as pretty as the latest picture you posted online.

If you are a college student at any level, I’d be willing to bet you understand failure. Or that you will at some point. Maybe your failure looks like a D on your last midterm. Or being one half of a point away from a C in one of your classes. Maybe your failure is that you still have no idea what you are even going to do with the degree that is burning a hole in your pocket. And for some, failure might look like the mistake you made at a party this past year.

Whatever it may be, failure is inevitable. If we are keeping score, college has got me beat by a landslide. But failure should never get the last word. In fact, failure should not define you, it should refine you. It should teach you. We will try again, and we will fail again because that is what progress looks like. Progress looks like a bunch of failures.

Let us keep in mind that Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. Nobody wanted to hire Walt Disney as an artist, so his brother got him a temporary job. His first animation studio then went bankrupt. When JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, she was divorced and bankrupt.

A dozen publishers rejected her manuscripts until one finally agreed to publish her. However, they told her that she would need to get a job because there is no money in children’s books. Today, she is the first person to become a US billionaire by writing books, and the second-richest female entertainer.

So, to anybody who is kind of hating college right now...

Failing a class is one of the most discouraging things to an eager student. Heartbreak and regret not only hurt but they will follow you around. And rejection is crushing. But, my advice to you is as cliche as it gets. Do not give up. Even the biggest failure will beat the hell out of never trying. You are not damaged goods just because you have made mistakes. You are someone who is wiser because you have made mistakes. And you are not going nowhere just because you haven’t gotten to where you want to go, yet.