To WHOMEVER it may concern,

Listen, I know we don't have to pay for a house and a car and put food on the table for a family of 18, but we do have a lot on our plate. Without sounding like a spoiled, whiny brat, we are tired and we are stressed because we are students.

Obviously, it is really fun to be in college and be mainly carefree before we have to enter the real world, but it isn't all fun and games all the times. I think some people don't realize that college isn't what it used to be. It is competitive and cut-throat; people work themselves silly to keep up with everyone else doing the same exact thing.

It isn't just about getting a degree anymore, it's about being top of your class, landing as many internships as you can, getting a job, doing community service, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA, all while trying to make friends and have some form of a social life, just to get into a good graduate school or get a good job and be happy. Think about how students all over the world are working hard for 4+ years and then fighting for the same jobs. Don't even get me started on MOST students who are paying for their own educations.

I'm not saying that our lives are SUPER hard, I'm just saying that we deserve some acknowledgment for the work we do. I know it isn't as stressful and tiring as having a family and making sure everyone is okay/happy, but one day, God willing, we will get there. And when we do, we will have to deal with that stress too, but for now, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make me feel small just because I'm a student and don't have "real" problems.

Sometimes being a student is a full-time job. There are times when I do homework non-stop from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m., and I'm not even a biology major or something intense like that. Again, I'm not trying to sound like a brat because I am thankful to attend college and have the ability to learn and obtain knowledge, but sometimes I just want someone to look at what I'm doing and acknowledge that it isn't a walk in the park. I am not too young to be stressed or too young to be tired, I'm just the right age.