Right before my freshman year of college, dozens of people – parents, students, and older friends – hailed college as the best years of their lives. They told me to enjoy it, that it goes by "sooooooooo fast," and essentially made me believe I was in for four years of non-stop fun.
Fall semester rolled by and I became confused...was it only freshman year that made you feel like you didn't belong? Even that rationalization failed when I saw hall-mates and classmates living it up, loving their lives, partying in sororities, and fraternities, and saying how much they dreaded leaving for breaks. I had expected the greatness that everyone recounted when they shared their college experiences, and was sorely disappointed.
I began to feel like I was alone in my dissatisfaction by the end of my freshman year and made the decision to transfer to another school, which would surely improve my happiness. After a miserable semester, I came to conclusion that CNU (my first university) was where I did actually want to be. I learned that my expectations, or maybe the expectations that were given to me, were too high. I figured I just may not be one of those people who are in love with their overall college experience.
And that's okay.
Since my return to my original campus, I've made so many friends, gotten a great on-campus job, helped found a sorority, and become president of that sorority. These things certainly improved my college experience; however, did it suddenly shoot it to the top of a roller-coaster high of my life?
Nope. I'm still just "okay" with college. This fact can absolutely be depressing when seen in a certain light, but what I have come to realize, and would encourage others to see as well, is that it's really a good thing if college isn't the best four years of your life. It's a very, very good thing. This means that you have so much more ahead of you, whatever that may be. For some, it's the job or internship of a lifetime that takes them around the world after graduation. For someone else, it could be the start of a lifetime with another person. Whatever it may be, do not be upset if college is not the best four years of your life – the best is yet to come.
This is not to say, whatsoever, that people who enjoy college to the fullest are bound for a drab 60+ years. I'm very, very happy for you, and even envious. But for the people like me, college isn't necessarily "what you make it" as so many orientation advisors tell you. You can fill your days with interesting classes, club meetings, and learning new hobbies and still feel empty. That's okay. Just do what you can to make the best of it, and look forward to whatever imminent greatness is bound to come.
