University Life (Part 1)

**Disclaimer!!! This is my experience as a Canadian student at a Canadian University (just the one I go to)**

Ahhh University... An institution created to support further specialized education, allows students to make long-lasting, meaningful connections through events, residence life, and on/off-campus parties, challenge their abilities in a variety of ways, typically through studies, delve into a new interest or hobby via sports teams or clubs, and graduate with a treasure box filled with amazing memories, and a degree promising a bright future filled with endless opportunity to succeed at life. That sounds pretty fun when you write that up, and that's what many tend to believe university to be like too. But the reality of it is that that is not the case for the most part.

Not to say that university, or any kind of post-secondary education is bad, because it's not. I just find that we do not discuss what university life looks like in its actuality. And when people do talk to you about it, typically teachers, parents, media, and other influential people in your life, it's mostly just the pitch I wrote up at the beginning. Minus the other teachers that just go around in class talking up a storm to scare you, and tell you about how "electronics are not allowed in lectures," and how "profs aren't gonna help you," and that you basically have to teach yourself the whole time.

I mean... both sides aren't wrong, but they aren't 100 percent right either, and that is what bothers me about the entire thing. No one talks about the truth of university. Sometimes other students won't either. They'll talk about networking and LinkedIn as compared to the mental toll, and recalibration of standards that you do in university; the scary part of university.

And keep in mind, the majority of students entering first year of uni are an average of 18 years old. Heck! I was 17 when I started uni. Which means, I was 16, when I was forced to figure out what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, and apply for a whole freaking LOAN! NO ONE TALKS ABOUT THE FINANCIAL PART OF UNI, AND THAT'S SO FRUSTRATING!!!! And the sad part here is that I am one of MANY!

As a result, from this lack of information about what university is really like, we tend to suffer as students more so. We tend to feel bad that we are not as good as we once were, or compare ourselves to students who are doing AMAZING, and then feel bad for ourselves. It sucks! It's such a huge mental game, and it really leaves you feeling exhausted, in pain, and straight up depressed.

Like I said before, university and getting a higher education is not bad AT ALL! What is, is not talking about what you are getting yourself into, and not laying out the facts of what it is, because let's be honest, aside from the small percentage of you that had your lives figured out in terms of where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do, a great majority of us are confused AF! Why else do you think people transfer or drop out during first year.

To conclude I guess, I feel it's important to talk about this stuff. If we don't, we keep getting avoided, and no actual help would be given to support us. But if we talk about this stuff more, maybe we could help in creating a better education system that will help us prosper, and enjoy our time learning instead of constantly questioning our existence, and feel like a total disgrace. Cuz again, university life can be and is great, but it also has some downsides to it, which are relevant enough to be brought up and talked about in conversation.