"College will be the best four years of your life!" Everyone says it, so it must be true -- right? Wrong. Let me be real for a few minutes. Four years ago, I wasn't putting in any thought into the type of college experience I dreamed of having. Four years ago, I was focused on picking a college that was going to further me in life, not increase the numbers of bottles hidden under my sink or the notches in my bedpost. I didn't pick a school that all my friends were going to, just so I could party with some familiar faces on the weekend. I sat in Advanced Biology with my future roommate, planning what types of snacks we'd want in our dorm, in between group projects and worksheets that required minimal attention. I was never the type of girl who sought out every incoming member of her class and tried to get to know each of them before hand, because you know, we were already going to be BFFs on move-in day.
There is always more than meets the eye to student life in college. As a biology major on a DVM track and a history minor, I do a lot of homework. I read, type, and jot during, between, and after classes, and I'm still usually up past midnight doing work. I take five courses, all which require almost constant attention. You're sick with the flu for a week? Forget it, you might as well just drop the class now because you'll spend the rest of the semester struggling to catch up -- I know, because I've been there for the past four years, and it's nothing short of exhausting. I feel that all too often, high school graduates are relying on portrayals of college in films, songs, and social media to govern their experiences. What many are failing to realize is that what they see is only one side of the story.
It seems like all movies, TV shows, and music videos reduce college experiences to getting drunk, partying four days out of the week, getting the hottest and most attractive men and women in your bed, and the big one -- everyone is constantly happy. There has never been, in my honest and humble opinion, a bigger lie in the depiction of a college experience than everyone being happy all the time. Now, I'm not saying it never happens, but I'll put some money on it not happening often most places. Let me lay it out for you.
No one Instagram's breakdowns, tears, stress, and failure. Having to pick between sleep, social life, and homework is real, and most people don't know how to balance their choices. I've had numerous mental and emotional breakdowns at varying times of the day because there are just weeks where I am swamped with work. Parents often can't believe that I'm given so much work, that it's actually impossible to get all of it done before the next class period. Truth is, most professors couldn't care less about your other courses -- theirs is the most important. People think it's awesome that you're the president of three clubs, an athlete, and have three labs and a 20-credit semester, but no one cares. It was your choice, and in their eyes, if you pull off a B in the course, it'll be a miracle, but they won't tell you that.
I have cried, broken down, doubted everything, wanted to drop out, and felt bottom of the barrel many times over my four years at Allegheny. I've been screamed at, torn down, denied, and then brought back up by professors who are supposed to help me. I can't remember the last time I was stress free or truly, genuinely, consistently happy. I wake up and go to bed every day thinking about the work I have to get done tomorrow and later on in the week, and about how I'm going to pay back my loans -- some way, somehow.
Don't get me wrong, I have had some amazing times in college. College gave me my two best friends whom I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, and whom I love dearly with all my heart. College gave me opportunities to grow and learn, and to figure myself out as a person, but kids need to get their heads out from under them and realize that college is not a festival. It is not a constant party, and losing yourself amongst the booze, drugs, and partying is easier than you think. Enjoy your college experience and live it to the fullest, but don't turn a blind eye to the real reason you're there.
