It’s a common story to tell America’s youth that college will be the best four years of their lives.
Movies have been made about the ravishing college experience where the only problem the main character faces is whether he will get a kiss from the shy nerd who magically becomes beautiful as soon as her glasses are removed.
Don’t get me wrong – college is great. But the expectations have grown out of proportion.
Here are 9 real struggles left out of the enchanting tale known as college.
- Money
The recurring decision of whether to spend your last $18 on groceries or beer never seems to yield a satisfied purchase. The groceries are the responsible decision but then you’re left with a boring weekend and cabinets full of tasteless pasta.
Beer may be the more exciting purchase but leaves you with a dreaded phone call to your parents begging for money. Sure, a job might fix this scenario, but then there wouldn’t be time to drink the beer anyway. But hey, 20-second showers and heatless winters can occasionally earn you some spare change.
- High school was pretty great after all
Remember high school? Watching kids you’ve known since fifth grade prank the teacher? Partying in clean houses stocked with food? Even better, living in clean houses stocked with food? When homework could mindlessly be done in front of the television (that you weren’t paying for) and when there was enough time to be a part of all the sports and activities you wanted?
Those good ol’ days seem a little underrated now.
- School is hard, so hard
The intensity of schoolwork is difficult to imagine until you’re drowning in the middle of it. All-nighters, infinite flashcards and countless revisions never seem to earn a grade better than a B.
- Lack of substantial friendships
Amidst relentless schoolwork, failing attempts to stay in shape and never-ending need for sleep it’s difficult to make time for friendships. Friends seem to come and go with the semesters. It’s easy to become close with someone who has a similar schedule, but when it changes next semester, it’s even easier to grow apart.
- Non-major courses
Tests about the reproductive system of fungi are hard to take seriously when your major is completely unrelated. It’s frustrating that tests on subjects completely irrelevant to your major take the same amount of effort and carry the same weight as the courses you actually care about.
- Sleep deprivation
Health experts recommend that college students sleep for seven to nine hours every night. But who has an extra seven hours?! Even when students find the time for rest, it’s difficult to rid the mind of the million other tasks that need to be done.
Guilt and racing thoughts are significant obstacles students face when trying to sleep. Tons of studies have concluded that a lack of sleep will contribute to a lower GPA.
Add that to the list of worries flowing through your mind as you try to sleep.
- Internship/Job search
College students seem to be the only people who are worried about a job they haven’t even started yet. The task of finding jobs and internships is often just as worrisome as the college course load and often more difficult to accomplish.
- Social Media
Turning to Facebook during a quick study break reminds you of all the fun you’re missing out on. Facebook users don’t post about how they are stressed and cracking under pressure; they post smiley pictures at alluring parties. Not to mention all of the posts from your high school friends reminding you of their unique, quirky humor that you no longer get to enjoy.
- It’s just not healthy
Between the sleep deprivation, excessive drinking, stress and lack of sleep, the minds and bodies of college students are on their way to rotting. Youthful glows are replaced with baggy eyes. Dinners of ramen take the place of home-cooked, balanced meals. And instead of after school practices, students are forced to sit in the library for five hours.
The college experience definitely has its perks. Meeting new people, learning from brilliant professors and the freedom to live on your own is an incredible combination hard to find anywhere else.
But, when the tale of the incredible college experience is told, these gloomy pieces are usually left out.
by Morgan Fincher
CougarBuzz 