by Jemya Lucas

People say college years are the best years of your life but I do not think I can say the same. I am almost at the end of my collegiate career and I always look back and reflect on how my college experience was. Did I have fun? Did I get the typical college experience? Unfortunately, I will honestly say no.

Before I came to Greensboro College, I attended Guilford Technical Community College, so I have been a commuter student throughout college. I have met some people whom I can have cordial conversations with, but my relationship with them never got to the point where I could hang out with them outside of school. I often feel lonely in school because it is just so hard to make friends as a commuter student.

I joined a club during my first year at GC. I was new to the school and just so anxious to potentially make friends, so I thought that in order to make my experience at GC better, I should join the club. About a year later, I left the club because it was not for me and because I felt odd. I did not have much in common with the other club members, so I felt like I had no one to relate to. I got tired of trying to make myself fit in. That was a result of me jumping into something without thinking it through. I looked into the other clubs that GC has and nothing sparked my interest. 

Maybe my social anxiety plays a role in my college experience too. I often tend to avoid social situations because of my anxiety and shyness. How can you get the typical college experience when you have social anxiety, campus clubs do not interest you and you are a commuter? I think that I should have gone to a school that is not local so I can live on campus and have the chance to engage with others constantly. On the other hand, should I have gone to a school where there are more people of my culture that I have more in common with?  

There have been a few factors as to why I have not enjoyed my college years. Being a commuter on top of having social anxiety makes things so difficult. Would living on campus make a difference if you still have social anxiety? Perhaps it could make a difference because living on campus could sometimes force you to interact with others, in a good way. Yes, I have felt lonely during college but as a coping mechanism, I think about the friends that I do have outside of school. Although I may not have established many friendships in college, I do have other friends. Thinking about that makes me feel less of a loner and grateful for the friendships I do have.