Students have more in common than they realize, so embrace the new situations college presents together.
In college, we encounter many different types of people, because it is much more acceptable to truly be yourself than it ever was in high school. You can find your niche no matter what you are into, whether that be sports, art, music, volunteering, Greek life, fitness… there is a place for just about everybody to fit in.
However, regardless of what subgroup of a campus population you categorize yourself into, I have realized one thing that holds true with everybody I meet: despite our differences, we college students always share these same fears.
The Future: Perhaps the biggest and most apparent fear we are all facing is what the future holds for us. As a freshman you decide upon a major and from that point on, the pressure to get good grades, to then get a good internship, to hopefully get at least one job opportunity looms over us like a black cloud. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, in just a short matter of time you will be out on your own in the world, without the safety net of college and your parents to fall back on to. You are an ADULT now… that title alone is enough to make any of us panic!
Relationships: If you are involved in a relationship in college or you are just enjoying the single life, either way, you’re scared. Don’t try to pretend you’re not; I’m a girl and girls dedicate hours on end to gossiping about this subject. For those in relationships, in the beginning you’re carefree and having fun with your new significant other. But then days turn to weeks and weeks turn to months and you’re hit with the sudden realization that, against all odds, you’ve fallen in love. Now the fear sets in, you start calculating how much time you have together before summer break, or worse, before graduation. Finally you realize that you’re going to be with this person forever, which is terrifying, or that at some point you’ll go you’re separate ways, even more terrifying. For those who are single, it’s even worse. The fear has probably set in now that the holidays are over, after answering the dreaded “Are you dating anyone?” question at each family gathering with a disappointing no. You start questioning why all your siblings and cousins have found their better halves, thinking that something must be wrong with you. The doom sets in when you get to thinking that you will be single and lonely forever, and then all of a sudden the fears of a relationship don’t seem so bad.
Missing Out: Social media makes the fear of missing out more prevalent than ever. It’s a Friday night and you’re not feeling well, you’re extremely tired and have plans to do nothing but stay in bed and watch the premier of a new Lifetime movie… Until you scroll through your Instagram timeline and see your friends all dressed up for a party or at happy hour downtown. Instantly, the fear that you are missing out on the best night of the year sets in and your anxiety starts. You tell yourself you should stay in bed, you’ll feel so much better in the morning if you just have this one night in. But sooner or later your FOMO gets the best of you and you find yourself at the one party or bar you swore you wouldn’t go to, wishing you were still home in bed.
So, you see, despite everything that makes us different, the common denominator among us college students is what we are afraid of. My advice to you is to take it one day at a time. Remember that you’re in college, you’re already taking the next step to better yourself and your future career will work itself out in time. Remember that in regards to relationships, everything happens for a reason and you most certainly will not be alone forever, and remember that the day you graduate isn’t an end to all of your fun, so if you need one night in, take it—you’re not missing out on all that much anyways.
