Stop Trying To Define Your College Experience And Start Embracing The Crazy Mess Of It All | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Stop Trying To Define Your College Experience And Start Embracing The Crazy Mess Of It All

Our difficult times are what define our college experience.

70
Stop Trying To Define Your College Experience And Start Embracing The Crazy Mess Of It All
Robin Hartman

In a past article, I explained that college isn’t really what it appears to be in movies and on TV. I wrote about my loneliness and how it honestly is okay to not make friends immediately. For this week’s article, I’m bringing back that idea of college being a perfect experience. I came across a writing prompt that asked to describe the best college experience.

If you think of that at surface level, it’s a pretty easy thing to write about. But really, it’s more complicated than that.

College isn’t something that you exactly can plan out and describe in detail. Sure, you can talk about your major and what classes you’re taking, but there is so much more than that. There is stress (obviously), fallouts with friends, relationship problems, and those complete and utter breakdowns. You can’t plan for those.

Describing the ideal college experience would mean leaving all that out. And you can’t because those moments, those painful and dreadful moments, are what shape you into the person you’re going to become. They give the much needed mindset to keep figuring life out.

Sure, you can mention parties or going out with friends; those do help you form yourself, but it’s the challenges in your life that make the biggest impact. Especially freshman year. What happens the first year and how you handle that sets you up for how you take on the rest of your college years.

The best college experience varies person to person. Each of us go about our lives in different ways, using experiences to define aspects of our lives. I’ll admit, going out is fun, but that shouldn’t be the definition of the college experience.

Embracing the difficult parts during this time are what define the college experience (albeit not exactly the ideal one). Yet, deliberately trying to define these four years shouldn’t be your main objective. As I have come to realize, college just kind of happens and you go along with all the twists and turns thrown at you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
students
Sophia Palmerine

Dear High School Friend Group,

My sweet angels, where would I be without you guys. We all grew up together because we either met in middle school or high school and watched each other grow up and get "old." We got to go to prom together and then graduate together. Then watched each other as we continued our lives in college, joining sororities and meeting people who will impact our lives forever. It all has happened so fast.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

College In Gifs

Because we are all sad Jim Halpert

662
head on desk
Wise GEEK

Oh college, we can’t live with you, but we can’t live without you. It’s a love/hate relationship, really. College is an experience that no one can ever prepare you for, and maybe that’s a good thing. You never really expect any of the things that college encompasses until you are there. College is fun, but don’t have too much fun. C’s get degrees, but they don’t get you into graduate school.

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf

The "Gossip Girl" series may be over, but Blair Waldorf's iconic character lives in our hearts forever. Blair was the queen of the Upper East Side, and a character you either loved or hated. She taught us everything we needed to know about life, love and of course, how to score a Chuck Bass. So the next time you feel a bit lost and are in need of guidance, look no further than to the Queen B herself.

As I spend my Sunday avoiding my homework and other adult responsibilities, I realized that I've watched this series over and over about a million times. Sadly, there isn't a Blair quote I don't know, so I came up with a list of a few favorites. You know you love her...xoxo

Keep Reading...Show less
class
Odyssey

College is an endless cycle of crappy, sleepless nights, tedious, boring lectures, and hours of never-ending piles of homework.

Keep Reading...Show less
two women enjoying confetti

Summer: a time (usually) free from school work and a time to relax with your friends and family. Maybe you go on a vacation or maybe you work all summer, but the time off really does help. When you're in college you become super close with so many people it's hard to think that you won't see many of them for three months. But, then you get that text saying, "Hey, clear your schedule next weekend, I'm coming up" and you begin to flip out. Here are the emotions you go through as your best friend makes her trip to your house.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments