If you’ve ever thought to yourself – I hate college, you’re not alone. Here are a few reasons why and what to do about it!
A college study shows that over 73% of students reported hating school.
This is no shock considering most students can barely sleep at night with the amount of stress it causes.
But, it’s not the only reasons students hate college…
Let’s dive into the facts!
Reasons Why You Hate College
College is not easy.
Here are a few reasons why you might hate college:
- It’s stressful
- You think its a waste of time
- College is expensive
- You don’t know what you want to do in life yet
- You don’t think college defines your success
- It takes up too much of your day
- It’s hard to balance with other aspects of life
- You major doesn’t interest you
- It ruins your eating/drinking habits
- You’re burning out
You might find that all of these reasons resonate with you in some way. For others, just one reason is enough to dislike college.
Now that you know where it’s coming from, let’s answer a few common questions.
Common Questions About Hating College
Hopefully these questions help you relate to the situation and give you a bit more insight into what to do about it!
Related Post: Is College Worth It?
Is It Normal to Hate College?
Yes! It’s very normal to hate college.
Approximately 73% of students reported disliking college in a university study.
There are plenty of reasons to hate college. Some would argue that there are more negative things than positive things to say about universities.
Why Is College So Miserable?
College can be miserable for many reasons, because:
- It’s hard to maintain your grades
- It’s hard to make new friends
- It takes up too much time
- You’re more stressed out in college
- You’re likely far away from people you’re close with
- It causes you anxiety or depression
- It’s not as fun as you thought it would be
While there are a million more reasons, these are the most common when it comes to feeling miserable at school.
Related Post: 15 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting College
How To Make College Less Miserable
To make college less miserable, it’s important to unwind and remember that college doesn’t dictate your life.
Try unwinding by:
- Hanging out with friends
- Exercising
- Partying
- Attending fun college events
- Playing video games
- Doing things you love
As long as you take just a bit of time to yourself every week to unwind, you can make college feel a lot less like torture.
Try to stay away from drugs and alcohol, however. These can actually make things worse over time and ruin your college experience even more.
Is College A Waste Of Time?
It’s common to question whether or not college is a waste of time.
Here’s the truth: It depends.
Do you know what you want to do in life? Is a degree mandatory or extremely helpful to pursue that career?
If you answer “no” to either of those questions, then college might be a waste of time for you.
However, if you answer “yes” to both, then college might be worthwhile for you in order to pursue your passions and start a career.
Personally, I hate college because it was a waste of time for me. I knew I wanted to pursue my own business and work as my own boss.
It was not easy, but it’s definitely achievable to find success without college if you put your mind to it.
Related Post: College vs No College (Pros and Cons of Each)
Is It Okay To Struggle In College?
Whether or not it’s okay to struggle in college depends on how you view your own success in college.
In fact, 52% of students reported struggling in college by missing coursework and not attending classes out of stress.
In other words, it’s perfectly normal to struggle in college. However, many students don’t find it okay because they want to achieve good grades and graduate.
If you’re struggling right now and need to get back out of a slump, this guide on How to Get Back on Track in College could help a lot!
I Hate College, What Do I Do?
If you hate college, there are a few things you can do:
- Assess why you hate college
- Ask yourself if there’s something you can do to fix that reason
- If yes, make a plan to work towards that goal
- If no, find other ways to make better use of your time (see below)
- Just need to graduate and don’t care about grades?… Just tough it out
A lot of this is easier said than done. However, your options are limited when you’ve payed a ton of money and signed up for all these classes.
That’s just the truth.
A few great ways to make better use of your time in college:
- Join clubs that actually interest you
- Focus on your physical and mental health
- Make connections and network with others
- Start a side hustle
- Get a job and save up money
- Go to community college first (if you still can)
A common thing that people miss out on in college is doing something that you can expand on after you’ve graduated.
For example, starting a side hustle that ends of becoming a full-time job out of school or networking with someone who can refer you to a good job.
I Hate College But Want to Be Successful
A common misconception about college is that it automatically determines your success once you graduate.
This is not true.
Your success is determined by how much effort you put into your life, your major, life choices, networking opportunities, and a ton more factors.
College can help with this! It does not guarantee it.
There are many people who have found a ton of success without college and there are many who have found success with it.
Success is defined differently from person to person. Find out what it means to you and then determine whether or not college can help you get there!
Related Post: How to Make New Friends in College
What Can I Do Instead of Going to College?
Luckily, there are tons of things you can do instead of going to college! Take a look…
- Go to trade/vocational school
- Go to community college
- Start an apprenticeship
- Intern at a company
- Start a business or side hustle
- Learn a new skill for free online
- Volunteer
- Join an organization
- Get a license (real estate, construction, forklifting, trucking, etc.)
If you’re completely against college and need a new route, just know that there are options out there for you.
Keep in mind that nothing will be handed to you and it will take a lot more effort to find opportunities, but you just have to stick with it!
Final Thoughts – Moving Forward If You Hate College
Hopefully all of your questions have been answered and you can relate to many of these topics.
If you’re thinking “I hate college” all the time and want to make life less miserable, just know that there are things you can do about it.
It might not fix everything, but it will surely help.
It’s going to take a bit of effort to get out of that mindset, or at least to learn to deal with it.
But at the end of the day, it’s just 4 years of your life that could end up being totally worth it for you in the long term.
Good luck in college and on your journey!
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions leave them down below. Thanks for reading!
