Class is a part of it, but it’s so much more.

I was talking to a colleague the other day who is still a college student and seems to be killing it. We were talking about everything from cultural differences, to moving to a new place to attend college and everything in between.

I responded to her statements by saying, “college is hard” and she responded, “It really is. No one gives enough credit for how hard it is.”

It’s true. College is hard. And I want to give you credit today for doing it.

From being expected to learn everything you need to learn to start a successful career, to being expected to also have a picture perfect social life. College is hard.

In my four years at The University of South Carolina I experienced all kinds of hardships. Cultural and locational changes. Interactions with individuals I never thought I would encounter. Being homesick. Learning to live on my own for the first time. Making an income. Managing my taxes. Maintaining relationships with everyone from my favorite bartender to my most respected professor, which I must say, were very different kinds of relationships to uphold.

College was the worst four years of my life. This fact is for several reasons that I don’t have time to elaborate on right now. But college doesn’t have to be perfect, and neither do you.

I want to give encouragement and empowerment today. If you are a college student, remember that college really is hard. College may turn out to be the best four years of your life, or it may simply turn out to be the hardest. I need you to remember today that you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to get the perfect grades. You don’t have to have a perfect social life. You don’t have to maintain every relationship perfectly in your life. You just have to try and stay motivated. You just have to keep learning and keep growing. You are building the person you will be in the future. As long as you keep growing and keep moving, you are succeeding.

I also want to give you a challenge. I know, I just told you everything you are already doing is really hard, but this is an easy and empowering challenge. Find a way to remind both yourself, and the people surrounding you that college is hard. Remind both yourself and your friends that you don’t have to do it all perfectly, you just have to keep moving.

Be yourself, as hard as that is sometimes.

Be patient with yourself, so that you don’t give yourself more stress than what is necessary.

“Just keep swimming,” as Dory famously said. If you are pursuing what you want to be pursuing, and making yourself and others happy, you are doing everything you need to be doing. College is hard. Life is hard. Just. Keep. Swimming.

Much love always,

Lizzie