If you’re reading this, then that means the first week of college is officially over! Congrats, you survived! Everyone knows that starting something new can bring up a lot of different emotions. Excitement, anticipation, curiosity are normal but so are the feelings of dread, homesickness, and anxiety. It can be challenging to navigate both a new environment and these emotions. However, what has helped me the most is understanding that college is just one part of your journey and it doesn’t have to compete with the picture-perfect version you’ve seen online. Some of the best memories actually come from messy, unexpected, or even ordinary days. That’s why my number one hack for surviving college is simple: romanticize your life.
Now what does romanticizing even mean? To me, it represents a shift in perspective. Life will always deal a hand which will include the good, bad, and the ugly.To romanticize is to understand that even the darkest moments highlight something worthwhile. I would even compare it to being the main character of your own sitcom. You will have fun moments for sure, but you will also have mundane or difficult moments which will propel your character forward. In college particularly, you may go through experiences that are very different from what you anticipated — romanticizing or thinking through a new lens may help. For example, you may be feeling homesick or you haven’t met people that you click with yet and that’s okay. This means that your character has the opportunity to level up but only if it sits with this discomfort first. Overall, while this approach may take some time to adopt, it will help you create your own collection of memories that will define your college experience a lot more than just trying to replicate an aesthetic.
If you are unsure how to get into this mentality or how to apply it to your college journey, I’ve listed out a few categories with action items that you can adopt:
Academics:
- Studying sessions can be boring and dreadful, but you can make things a lot more interesting if you explore studying in different cafes. This way you can even reward yourself with a sweet treat. For cafe recommendations, I personally love Hidden Grounds and Paris Baguette.
- If you need music to focus, create a study playlist that will entice you to stay locked in. For me, I love listening to dark academia inspired playlists that make me feel as though I’m studying at Hogwarts (even though I’m not).
Friendships:
- It can certainly take some time to establish real friendships, but the benefit of every new beginning is you have a clean slate. Don’t be shy to talk to someone sitting next to you in your class or to reach out to someone you connected with at orientation afterwards to hangout. After all, the main character needs people who will be part of their story and vice versa.
- While a big group of friends can certainly be nice, some of the most fun you will have is through the one-on-ones with people where you can talk for hours without getting bored. You laugh, trauma-dump (this is basically a requirement), and discuss everything in-between from what classes you have tomorrow to your hopes and dreams.
Self-care:
- While college is all about saying “yes” to new things, you also need to stay grounded. Stick to what’s uniquely you, whether it’s dressing in your favorite style or staying in on some nights to binge your favorite comfort shows. This time is for you and you’re allowed to use as much of it as you want.
All in all, college is supposed to be an experience and the truth is not every day will be aesthetic. But nothing should stop you from making the best of it even on the worst days. The little things like late night conversations, wearing your favorite fits to class, visiting different cafes and yes, even the late night cramming sessions will write the story that is uniquely yours. Therefore, don’t wait for the perfect moment to arrive. Romanticize the one you’re already in.
