The most frustrating thing about turning 18 is not the lack of money, friends, or self-promotion but rather the responsibility of being responsible for oneself. What can be frustrating is not knowing how to mentally take notes on how to adapt to every situation. Not being given the book on the real things that matter as an adult, mental health learned personal stability and the process of moving forward rather than staying stagnant or going backward.
No one tells young adults that becoming an adult means figuring out how to make connections while also being true to who they are. No one tells them that their journey is not going to match the idea of what a healthy lifestyle looks like for someone else. I believe that most people miss the entirety of college, which is learning who someone truly is and what someone needs to walk in their purpose.
Intuition is one of the biggest things that should be focused on. Listening and making the right choices takes a lot of patience and discomfort. In the beginning, I assumed college was an out. I made the poor assumption of believing that if I attended college, I would be better for it and that every heartbreak and painful battle would just disappear. I’ve had a hard life, and so naturally, my career goals lined up with income and financial stability rather than passion and purpose.
I wanted to go to college despite being unaware of the dangers of the world and having the perspective of being emotionally intelligent. I had to learn the hard way to be relatable and adaptive.
My graduating class was in 2018. I did not graduate the year I desired because of external circumstances, and I felt left out and behind all my peers. Unfortunately, my peers now lack the understanding that I gained while experiencing my life differently.
Colleges do not teach young adults the life lessons they think that they’ll learn while attending college. Colleges also do not teach young adults how to take care of their health, fine-tune their intuition, and learn from their mistakes. Colleges lately make the transition from home life to college life (in my opinion) too perfect. College life nowadays supports a naïve lifestyle. Most people who are even beyond their college years lack understanding and compassion for people.
I would think that this essay would talk about the importance of learning how to be considerate through college experiences. College is important for all educational purposes, but the lessons someone would learn at that age, regardless of college, is what really matters because everyone in college is at different points in their life, and not one situation is the same.
In college, your intuition, self-growth, and learned stability are what build a foundation that can last for decades after college is long gone. College teaches people about the true nature of their actions, who they are, and how they will make it in this world.
Disclaimer: This article in no way reflects the views of The Cauldron and its staff. It only reflects the views of the columnist.