They say "college is the best time of your life"

[noname223]

I don't know why people still pretend that. The pressure is horrible, one has to study many facts which one does not need after the exams. In German we say bulimia studying to that. Trying to memorize facts with the short term memory without any longterm benefit.
Maybe I am exaggerating it so far. But there is truth in that. Many students cope by taking drugs. (at least alcohol) Some turn into addicts, become mentally ill or write 1.000 threads in a suicide forum to cope with the stress.

I hate the pressure. A huge part of it stems from the abuse but another part is external. Peer pressure or pressure from the lecturers. I am just so sick of it.

However I have to agree on one thing. At least one can choose the subject one can study. At school I had biology, PE or foreign lagnuages in which I was not interested at all.

It is interesting to learn new ways to analyze and perceive reality. Learning new ways how to approach the world. Comapring the advantages of different world views. But the never ending pressure to be good at it ruins the fun of learning new things in a nasty way.

Would you agree that college is the best time of your life? I am already scared about the future but if this is the best I am very anxious in which ways it becomes worse.

 

[wantittoendsoon]

I had a blast, but I can honestly say that I never used what I learned. I was a software designer and things change so fast I had to learn what I actually programmed on the job. a degree helped me get jobs but that was about it.

 

[hellispink]

College is gabarge. Only the privileged or the people who have connections and use others for their advantage can actually obtain things. To survive there you must become a fake individual just like everyone else smiling and handling others bullshit just for approval. It is a slavery and miserable time indeed where people are sold the miserable dream of becoming "someone" or that they can archieve things in life. But this system is made to make people into slaves. Only those high up will enjoy the afterparty

 

[lionetta12]

I don't know why people still pretend that. The pressure is horrible, one has to study many facts which one does not need after the exams. In German we say bulimia studying to that. Trying to memorize facts with the short term memory without any longterm benefit.
Maybe I am exaggerating it so far. But there is truth in that. Many students cope by taking drugs. (at least alcohol) Some turn into addicts, become mentally ill or write 1.000 threads in a suicide forum to cope with the stress.

I hate the pressure. A huge part of it stems from the abuse but another part is external. Peer pressure or pressure from the lecturers. I am just so sick of it.

However I have to agree on one thing. At least one can choose the subject one can study. At school I had biology, PE or foreign lagnuages in which I was not interested at all.

It is interesting to learn new ways to analyze and perceive reality. Learning new ways how to approach the world. Comapring the advantages of different world views. But the never ending pressure to be good at it ruins the fun of learning new things in a nasty way.

Would you agree that college is the best time of your life? I am already scared about the future but if this is the best I am very anxious in which ways it becomes worse.

People who say college was the best time of their life clearly never went to kindergarten, nothing beats that, was the best time of my life.

 

[Message In A Bottle]

People who say college was the best time of their life clearly never went to kindergarten, nothing beats that, was the best time of my life.

Afternoon naps ftw

 

[Zulu]

I went to college with the intention of becoming a higher scholar and bettering myself in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Instead, I got cucked by money and have to worship money both in my professional and personal life. Student debt is fucking cancer. "College is the best time in your life." No, college is one of the biggest things that ruined my life. I worked my ass off with no life to get straight A's, but I got cucked with tens of thousands of dollars of student debt, peer pressured to pursue a career I have no passion or interest in, and am grossly underpaid. Can't properly save for retirement, can't afford a house, can't really change careers or study something else that's actually interesting, and can't do much else besides being a wage slave. Should have just gone to trade school. Oh well, maybe in another life. At the very least, only 30-40 more years of this, assuming my mind doesn't destroy itself.

 

[Message In A Bottle]

Maybe for the privileged Chad who gets room and board amongst other benefits.

I imagine they would say it was the best time. They have everything a person could want - Looks, social skills, money, a average to normal brain…etc. The more you have, the happier your experience will be.

I unfortunately was never this blessed.

 

[CTB Dream]

Acadmy all awful simil life pyramid, this nit even teach stdnt any this all torture all nonsensia. Human cruelty hospi cruelty uni school acadmy all awful system. This no mention much Abuse prob suffer, many ctb reason awful study cruelty many abuse trama ptsd study. This all bad not even make true scientist all show limited think, that why world full prolif natal even profrs ignorant show thus how bad only pressure make ignorant make puppett

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

If by college you mean university, then yeah, I agree that it has been far from the best time of my life, in my personal experience. Films and media seem to hype it up as a magical time where you find your bffs, party hard, travel, and do the minimum effort/studying required to graduate.

In real life, it ends up being a pretty mediocre experience for those who are already struggling socially, emotionally, physically, etc. There's pressure and deadlines constantly, the expectation to be reading journals and writing papers never stops. I am lucky that all of the covid shit threw a wrench in the memorization dogma for my cohort, as all my exams have been open book since the first lockdowns.

If you're autistic and disabled like me, you can't really take advantage of the wealth of opportunities that university presents you with. You'll be exposed to a variety of people, ideas, opportunities, but if you're withdrawn or low in energy, you can't engage with these things to the fullest. I've met lots of interesting people at university, but I cant maintain anything with them because most people have the energy to stay out all night partying, and I don't.

People in my cohort have never included me in their friendship groups either, because I'm weird and autistic. Which is ironic, considering I study brain science for my degree, most people do not have any sympathy for abnormality and only view patients as subjects of a science experiment. That discrepancy between what is being taught to us and what people actually take away from their lessons is astounding. I really love learning new knowledge, and it was my goal to go into academia and research to reform some of the archaic dogmas about the mind, but I have slowly come to realize that there is no place for someone like me here, because I don't fit the mold.

I'm sure for healthy, neurotypical people the experience is often much more positive and akin to the stories you see in films and TV. When I look at social media, I do see people documenting these glamorous, exciting and adventurous student lifestyles. It isn't exaggerated, some people actually are having the time of their lives. However, it is incredibly disappointing to be an outsider peering in through the glass from a distance, close enough to see what you're missing out on, but just outside the proximity of inclusion.

I'm close to graduating, and it feels like my youth has been wasted. So many opportunities for socialising and having fun dry up after university, and it is disappointing to have missed out on these pivotal moments which others take for granted.

 

[NumbItAll]

There's pressure and deadlines constantly, the expectation to be reading journals and writing papers never stops.

Seriously, how many fucking papers do we need to write over the course of a lifetime??? I know how to write a damn paper, I don't need to pay exorbitant sums of money for the "privilege" of doing that. I never got anything from the social aspect either. I also hate alcohol and don't understand why getting shitfaced drunk and destroying your liver is celebrated. College sucks.

 

[Unending]

My time at college was all virtual so I don't even want to think about the added pressure from face to face interactions. In order to pass, the two semesters that I completed, I had to be REALLY hard on myself. It was absolutely agonizing trying to function for lectures and school work while dealing with such a severe level of mental illness. After the first two semesters that I attended, I couldn't make it through a whole semester without becoming acutely suicidal so eventually just gave up.

 

[immrw]

I have imposter syndrome every day. This is my last semester and I'm graduating with a 4.0 in neuroscience. Work part-time on the side and volunteer in two labs on campus for experience. I feel so guilty for saying it, but I hate where I'm at in life. I hate the pressure. I hate not being able to relax. I know I'm objectively in a very good spot, but emotionally I'm far from it. I've even been disqualified from scholarships because I'm "too strong of a candidate" tf that even means? They told me to get good grades so I won't be in debt. What a joke.

Covid gave me health complications and no one at my uni masks. I have PTSD and autism, so it's not like I would've made friends anyway. It just sucks seeing everyone around me partying, going out to eat, having fun. I'm stuck here studying for things I lost passion for long ago. Just going through the motions because that's all I know how to do.

 

[Anon1337]

I hate being around large numbers of people.

 

[raumzeit]

University was a good time for me. It was the only time in my life during which I had an actual social circle. That being said, going to university seems to take a mental toll on people. It's often a toxic environment. The staff is rude, overworked and underpaid. It's better than working an office job though. Nothing is as depressing as being stuck in an office for eight hours every day, in my opinion.

I should add that I dropped out because of mental health stuff.

 

[catowice]

For me it was ok. Not the best university if not crappy, the journey was lonely, had hard times, but I was lucky enough to get a happy ending.

Well, for those who have a hard time fitting in during school, or just like to disappear in general, any kind of "reset" on life is great :)

The facility was decent, but the curriculum and the professors were not. They are either passionate and are a great help, or a massive bureaucrat who knows nothing that's going on that you have to put up with.

University never prepared me for real life or a job. There were a lot of struggles that were unique to me when I started working. I survived anyway, well somehow I still pull through everything :)

It did take a mental toll on me, pretty much like everyone else here. Not until recently did I realize how much of myself I forgot, or what did I give up for that.

Well overall I wouldn't say it's the best time of my life :) but there were certainly memorable things that I've written down so I don't forget. Leaving behind university for a year now and started working, I have somehow survived through the sole self-motivation of "my peers need my help", and found my balance. I'm on a journey to look for my missing identity, if there is such a thing.

I thank you for asking this question. I couldn't remember the last time I was able to write from my own mind.