Everyone told me I should be so excited when graduating high school because college would be the best four years of my life. After going through 2 and a half years of college, I heavily disagree. College is lonely, just as cliquey and petty as high school, and much more demanding. Between constant internship applications, organizations, and classes, there is a lot to do with very little time. For some, it might be the best four years of their lives – they find their group on campus, they have people to study with, and they are able to go to parties every weekend. For me, finding my group on campus has been difficult. My hope in writing this article is not to get pity and especially not for people to tell me I haven’t put myself out there enough (because I have), but to let anyone out there know that you are not alone.
During my freshman year, I did the same thing many freshmen do – I found some people in the same major as I was, made friends, and we ate in the dining hall together. After that, we agreed to take a few basic classes together during our second semester, but that came to a strong halt when COVID-19 hit the United States in March 2020. Had COVID-19 not occurred, do I think I would be having a better time in college? Yes, but I don’t think it would have changed much. I still entered college with a very clear idea of who I was and who I wanted to be, and that very much changed when I learned who I really am and what I want to achieve. To be honest, I still have not figured it out, and that’s okay. Growing up in a world like this where every time we go on social media, there is something new to be disappointed in from Senate Bill 8, the heartbeat bill, in Texas to hashtags like #repealthe19th to the copious amount of women discussing their experiences with sexual assault and harassment. It’s hard to think of what we can do and become when there is so much trying to take us down. It is also challenging to find people who you can trust to talk to about these topics and have them actually understand.
The truth is that the world is an isolating place because we are so polarized, and COVID encourages us to isolate ourselves even more. You never know who will be against you and who will be there to help you. While college students may experience this, it is not different from the experience other young adults are experiencing. Sadly, it will not get much better until we decide as a collective to make it better. Personally, I believe if it is going to be any generation, it will be our generation.