OPINION: Personal growth can take time at college

Like many young individuals, I faced enormous challenges upon moving into adult life and entering college. Growing up in a small city, I was an excellent student with many dreams. However, at this first instance of being away from home, I knew this road ahead would be much more challenging than I could have ever thought. 

It was tough to leave home. My family’s home has been a continual source of love, humor, and support. While packing and leaving, the feeling of sadness worsened. The thing that earlier seemed like a token of freedom started emerging as a roller coaster of emotions. In place of the initial joy of college life, anxiety and homesickness soon took over. While staying in a city like Detroit and always wanting independence, my spirit yearned for family warmth, the familiar surroundings of my hometown and life before college. 

I was among my best friends in high school, but I was just another face at the university here. Classes were larger, professors less reachable, and the pace of life could have been faster. I could not keep up with my course load; I was often overwhelmed by how much reading I had to do and how many assignments I had due. I remember looking at my syllabus on more than one occasion and feeling like the burden of expectation it placed upon me was crushing me. Isolation became added to my emotional rage on top of the academic pressures. I missed my friends left behind, and the outreach for new connections was painful. Too often, social events that should bring something into my life made me feel lonely. I felt like a spectator in a world that had moved on without me, watching others develop friendships and build lives. 

Then, all the responsibilities of adulthood descended on my shoulders. I knew this would never end, and I needed to be prepared for financial realities: budgeting, bill payments and constant worrying about student loans. It all got overwhelming. What I imagined as independence by then felt more like a burden. Often, during late nights, I lie awake and think about how to make ends meet. Most significantly, the financially tight bind brought a feeling of drought, especially when I compared my struggles to those of my peers, who seemed to navigate life easily. 

Although I faced these challenges, I knew I had to find my way forward. During my second semester, I sought help. I started attending workshops on time management and financial literacy offered on campus. I slowly gained my footing. I finally reached that pivot point when I joined the crew study group, where I got involved academically and met new people.  

I also learned self-advocacy. I started talking to my professors a lot more, like asking them for an assignment explanation or telling them about my struggles. All this proactive work improved academic performance and brought a feeling of empowerment. With each minor victory, a more significant boost of confidence arrived, and I began to perceive challenges not as an impassable barrier but as an opportunity for significant personal growth. I now knew myself and what I could do. What was earlier a frightening transition to adulthood had now assumed the proportions of a journey within. I learned how to handle many things regarding adult life more efficiently and become more independent. 

The transition into adult life was not without its share of difficulties. Of course, it is brutal, yet it brought more significant personal growth and self-discovery. Becoming an adult can, at times, be hard, even threatening, but it can, at the same time, be an opportunity for strengthening and changing.