How to Combat FOMO: Embracing Your Own Path in College

When you step into college for the first time, it can feel like a whole new world with unfamiliar faces and foreign feelings. These emotions can be even more intense when you realize the new friends and people you are meeting aren’t interested in the same things or hold different values than you. 

When you’re just starting out, you can feel pressured to follow the crowd and do things you normally wouldn’t do. Though I fully believe in embracing the unknown and having fun in college, setting boundaries and learning when to say “no” is crucial. 

College is the time for going on adventures and making unforgettable memories, but that doesn’t have to be an everyday occurrence. With TikTok and Instagram, it can feel like the whole world is having fun without you. I’m telling you that’s not the case at all. 

Society’s definition of having fun might not align with yours. If you want to stay-in instead of going-out, do that. If you want to join that new club that none of your friends are interested in, do that. 

Don’t feel obligated to do everything possible, or the opposite—holding yourself back from doing something just because you fear you are missing out or doing it alone. I think one of the most beautiful things about college is embracing and discovering who you are. So please, don’t stop yourself from doing something just because you get distracted by what everyone else is doing. 

From one big sister to another, getting over the feelings of FOMO is all about your mindset. As a senior in college now, I have learned to overcome my imposter syndrome and fear of others’ judgment. The sooner you get comfortable being in your skin, the sooner you can start developing more valuable experiences that will make life more fulfilling. 

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