By Jaelyn Aquino
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard my parents say, “Do you even go to class? We see on your social media that you are spending a lot of time with your friends and socializing a lot lately…”
This is a weekly question that I get and still after three and a half years my parents are not convinced when I say “Yes, mom and dad… school is going well. My grades are good and you’re right, I do love spending time with my friends.”
I wish my parents knew what college life was like on a daily basis. It may look like all fun and games from the outside, but coming from a student I can assure you that school has its challenges. As students, we are constantly trying to balance our homework, test schedule, work and then our social lives. Don’t get me wrong, it is exciting and fun to live with your friends in a residence hall and go on late night runs to Pie Hole, but that is only half of it. We go to class all day and then at night we are swamped with homework. We need a little excitement in our lives!
While we do spend a lot of time on our phones, posting on social media, I will be honest and say that is not an exact representation of our day-to-day life. We are posting about the exciting events that are happening, such as going to football games, because we don’t want to exploit the stressful situations we go through as students. No one wants to see or post a picture of someone sitting in class or studying in the library.
I can understand where my parents would think that college is just a fantasy land, especially looking on social media. Without a doubt, these years will definitely be some of the best years of our lives. There are so many fun things to do on Boise State’s campus and so many exciting people to meet. However, there is also the constant stress that students go through trying to juggle school, work, and all the extracurricular activities they are involved in. So mom and dad, I can assure you that I am gaining an education, while enjoying my college experience!
Jaelyn Aquino is a senior at Boise State studying finance and marketing. She was born and raised in Mill Creek, Washington and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.