Every day, I always feel like I haven’t done enough. I haven’t accomplished enough. There is more I need to do. Ever since starting college, I noticed how easy it is to feel this type of way. From attending classes and lectures, studying for exams, completing assignments, and trying to maintain a social life, it feels like I could’ve done more. With 24 hours in a day and even when I finish everything I planned, it’s never enough. This makes me wonder why we put so much pressure on ourselves to always be productive.

I’m a Pre-Mechanical Engineering student and I’ve come to the realization that college is way more than attending classes and getting good grades. Expectations such as joining clubs, networking, and building connections, gain experience all to prepare for a future career. Although these opportunities are important, trying to do everything tends to get overwhelming. Sometimes, seeing other students accomplish so much makes me question if I’m enough myself

To be more in depth, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story.Adichie explained how people can create their own understandings of others when they only see one story or perspective and how it can truly be wrong and or hurtful. I can somewhat relate this with college students to experience something similar when comparing themselves to others. We often see someone’s achievements without seeing their struggles, failures, or sacrifices. We create an unrealistic image of how a successful college student should look like. There is also a saying for this; “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

In Roxane Gay’s My Body is a Cage of My Own Making. Gay discusses how society placed expectations on peoples’ bodies and how those expectations effected their every day lives. Her article focused on weight and body image, but from a more broad view on this, the idea of being judged by society’s standards can also apply to college students. Instead of being judged by their body, some students are often judged by their grades, achievements, and productivity.

There is a term called “LARP,” where it is to pretend that you know or are a part from something when you are not. On social media and even around campus, people would often show their achievements. However, we rarely see stress, sleepless nights studying, and struggles. This creates pressure for other students to act like they are doing just as well even if they are being overwhelmed. Instead of being honest about our struggles, we sometimes feel like we have to play the role of being successful college students.

The UMBC Library; where students are able to study and do their assignments or to hang out with friends.

Although having goals and being able to push ourselves to greatness is good. Without such expectations, we will not challenge ourselves to reach our potential. There is a difference between working toward success and believing that our accomplishments are worth everything.

I think college students feel like they are not doing enough because we are constantly comparing ourselves to expectations that could not be realistic. These readings remind me that we will not always see the full story behind someone’s accomplishments. Doing your best with the time and energy you have is always enough.