When you’re in college, everyone expects you to be the stereotypical college student. However, most people aren’t the stereotypical college student, which can really mess with your head. You’re supposed to be having this exciting and amazing college experience, and if you aren’t you feel like you’re missing out. If you often worry that you’re not the typical college student, you’re not alone. These are the reasons why it’s okay not to be the typical college student!
1 You Don’t Love the Dorms
You would be surprised by how many people don’t love the dorms, even though everyone seems to be having the time of their lives. If you don’t love the dorms very much, chances are that you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t love a variety of different things about it, whether it’s their roommates, the bathroom situation, or even just the cafeteria. Ask around and you’d be surprised just how many people don’t love their dorm!
Frequently asked questions
2 You Don’t Live in a Dorm
You may be a commuter student, or someone who doesn’t live in a dorm at all and drives to and from school every day. I did this for just over a year and at first, I really tried to hide it from a lot of people because I thought I was a weird and not a typical college student. However, as I got more comfortable with it myself I began to talk about it more, and I met so many people who commuted as well. It may seem uncommon, but the more you’re open about it, the more likely you’ll find people dealing with the same parking struggles you are!
3 You’re Lost on the Major Front
It took me such a long time to pick a major and I’m still graduating on time. Don’t put nearly as much stress on yourself over your major if you can’t decide. You would be surprised by just how many people are as lost as you, even if your college wants you to decide your major fairly quickly after you start college! There’s nothing wrong with doing things on your own time.
4 You’re Not Big into Partying
Depending on your college, your campus will more or less be pretty heavy in the partying area. If you’re someone who doesn’t love to go out and would rather watch Netflix, or even just hang out with a small group of friends, you can find those people too! Be open about some of your favorite TV shows, movies, or music, and you’ll make friends who love them too and would rather watch that TV show or movie than go out!
5 Greek Life Just Isn’t for You
If you go to a school where Greek life is very prevalent, it can be very tough to be someone who knows that Greek life isn’t for you. It’s okay to have friends in Greek life, but try to make most of your friends outside of the Greek world. If you’re not constantly hearing about Greek life from your friends, it won’t feel like you’re missing out on nearly as much as you would feel like you were if you only had Greek friends!
6 You’re Having a Hard Time Making Friends
If you’re having a hard time making friends altogether, stop worrying! There’s a lot of pressure on people to make as many friends as possible while in college, like it’s some sort of race to see who can have the greatest college experience in 4 years’ time. If friends aren’t falling into your lap like you thought they would, you have options. Either search social media for people in your area with similar interests, join some clubs, or simply speak up in your classes. You’d be surprised just how many friends you can make just by doing those things!
7 School is a Struggle for You
You got into college, so obviously you’re smart! If school has been a struggle for you while in college, you’re not alone. Don’t let yourself get down about the fact that your grades aren’t as great as they once were, because you’re just as smart, if not smarter, than you were then. It may require a little more work, but it’s no reason to get discouraged over your grades!
Do you feel like you're not the typical college student? Did you struggle with that while you were in college? Tell your story and support other girls in the comments!
