As this fall semester came to a much-awaited end, many of you probably saw your friends post statuses on Facebook stating that they “survived the semester.” Now, think back to the excitement you felt when you committed to your college of choice and how your teachers, friends and parents said college would be one of the best times of your life. If college is supposed to be one of the best times of our lives, then why are many of us saying we are happy we are surviving the college experience?
What happened to students being excited about going to college, to take classes that can lead to the careers of theirs dreams? The future generation is going to be fearful of college if our generation keeps making college sound like something that we are struggling to survive.
Just take a look at some of the statuses being posted on Facebook at the end of the fall semester:
With suicide rates on the rise, we collectively need to change the language and attitudes associated with attending college. Imagine the fear that your parents or guardians experience when they see articles online about “How To Survive College.” A simple Google search reveals a countless number of articles with tips on how to survive college. These articles have titles like Tips for surviving your first year in college, The Ultimate Guide To Surviving Your First Year of College, How to survive the first year at university. None of these titles make the college experience sound like an experience worth looking forward to.
When students say they are surviving college, it implies that they are continuing to live in spite of hardships. Yes, as college students we go through hardships and struggle often to get assignments in on time, to get any sleep and to do well on tests, but getting good grades is not a life or death matter. Many of the students who share that they survived the semester on Facebook may not have gone through some of the serious challenges that many students do. Depression is common amongst college students and sometimes just feeling like one's life is worthwhile can be a daily struggle.
If students all over the country are sharing on social media how happy they are that they lived through the semester, then clearly something is wrong with the education system and our culture today. How about instead of saying how happy we are to be alive at the end of the semester, we talk about all the challenges we overcame and are proud of.
College is tough and is supposed to challenge students during the transitory times of our lives, but students enrolled in college should not be thinking they may not make it out of college alive. Positivity, encouragement and caring for other students should be something we as millennials do more of and take pride in doing rather than sharing statuses on Facebook that are not helping anyone.
Seriously, let's change the language associated with finishing the semester. Instead of saying you survived the semester use phrases like completed the semester, made it through, finished (you get the point). To many of you, this article may seem neglectful to the horrible struggles that some college students really do go through, but that does not mean we as college students can not, at least, try to be more mindful of fellow student’s needs and accomplishments.
Next semester, if you know a friend of yours who is struggling, do your best to be there for them and guide them towards the resources that will help them make the most of their college experience. College is just a short few years of our lives and we should be doing our best to enjoy it.
After all, we only have one life to live, make the most of your time, instead of feeling like you need to survive your life.
