When you first move onto campus, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with excitement.
You are meeting new people, figuring out campus, decorating your dorm and realizing that this is actually your life now. There are football games, late nights, new restaurants, organizations and so many new things to do. At first, college can feel fresh and exciting — almost like a honeymoon phase.
But eventually, that feeling starts to fade.
As classes become more demanding and calendars fill up, the excitement of move-in wears away. Suddenly, your friends have their own things going on, and you might find yourself missing home more than you expected or wondering why you do not feel as happy as you did when you first got here.
It is time to stop treating that feeling like a personal failure.
There is so much pressure to have the perfect “college experience.” Especially at the University of Mississippi, it can sometimes feel like everyone else is constantly attending football games, going out with friends, joining clubs and making memories. When you are struggling, it is easy to look around and think you are the only person who is not having the time of your life, but you are not alone in feeling this way.
The beginning of college is exciting because everything is unfamiliar. When that excitement wears off, it does not mean you made the wrong choice or that you have not made enough friends. It does not mean you are doing college wrong. You are simply adjusting, which can be a lot harder than we sometimes admit.
Most importantly, you should stop comparing your experience to everyone else’s.
The pictures you see on Instagram and Snapchat are not the whole story. Think about it: No one posts about homesick phone calls, anxiety before class or the lonely nights spent wondering if everyone else has it figured out, but we can almost all relate.
College is not meant to be perfect every day. It is not a vacation. Some days will be exciting and unforgettable. Others will be lonely, stressful or just hard. Both are a normal part of being a college student.
When the honeymoon phase ends, do not panic or think you are failing at college. Give yourself time to find your routine. Reach out to people. Get involved. Go home when you need to. If life starts to feel too heavy to handle on your own, do not be afraid to ask for help.
You are not bad at college. You are not behind. You are just past the honeymoon phase, and you are beginning to build a life that feels like yours.
Riley Altiere is a sophomore journalism major from Alpharetta, Ga.
