By Sarah Johnson |Staff Writer|
Most people enter college with the same basic goal: to earn a degree in order to score our dream profession in the future.
What we don’t always think about, or maybe we just try not to focus on, are the sacrifices we make in choosing to attend college.
When questioning students about college, financial debt was the biggest sacrifice that was mentioned.
With tuition being over $2 thousand per quarter, textbooks hardly ever being affordable, and the cost of gas it may take to commute, being a college student is financially stressful for many.
As if the financial debt cloud floating over your head isn’t stressful enough, you have tests, papers, and studying to do; your sanity may tend to disappear every quarter like clockwork.
For those students who have jobs, it can be tough to find the time between work and attending classes to study and do homework.
School-related distractions can occupy your mind when at work, potentially influencing the other aspects of your life negatively.
Lack of sleep is something most students on campus appear to experience, particularly students attending 8 a.m. classes.
Snacking from vending machines and an insufficient number of substantially nutritious meals are physically taxing on our bodies.
Additionally, the lack of exercise from sitting in classes from 8 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., can grow to be a huge physical sacrifice.
Having a lack of a social life was found to be the hardest sacrifice for many in college.
“Sorry, I have to stay in and study tonight.” stated student Dawnika Lopez, a common response through text whenever invited out for drinks.
When you’re stuck inside writing a research paper all weekend and then also have a midterm Monday morning, you’re in a situation that truly, for lack of a better word, sucks.
So what is all of this for? Why do we put ourselves through this stress? And most importantly, is it worth it?
Since I personally cannot answer this question, I asked Communications Professor Basemeh Rihan here at CSUSB.
“I promise you when it’s all said and done, you will look back and say ‘How did I do it?’ And you appreciate it so much more because you struggled. It’s something that you gave to yourself, nobody handed it to you; which is such an amazing feeling.”
Remind yourself with every taxing quarter here at CSUSB, not having certainty of the future can be scary, but most things in life worth having don’t come easily.
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