����app

Before stepping foot on campus, you are often bombarded with stories about college — tales of life-changing experiences, academic achievements, and unforgettable social moments. These stories, while well-intentioned, can sometimes create an overwhelming sense of expectation. The pressure to succeed, be involved, and make every moment count can make it feel as though you are chasing an ideal rather than crafting your own experience. However, college is a deeply personal journey, and learning to filter external expectations is key to finding confidence in yourself.

If someone tells you that joining multiple organizations was the highlight of their college life, you might feel pressured to do the same—even if balancing multiple extracurriculars isn’t what you want. Or another individual might tell you success in college means landing prestigious internships or graduating with honors, so you chase the highly coveted title of “academic weapon.” A common one that you’ll hear is that college is about personal growth, forming meaningful relationships, or simply making it through each semester while maintaining a healthy balance, so you lay back and chill out, which may stress you out more.

Granted, advice from friends, family, and professors can be valuable, offering insights you might not have considered, and it’s okay to take guidance from those who have walked this path before you. But their experiences should serve as reference points rather than blueprints, and success in college is not one-size-fits-all. What worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you, and that’s perfectly fine.

The key is defining what success looks like for you and allowing that definition to evolve as you grow. Instead of following someone else’s version of success, reflect on your own goals
and personality. Are you happiest when deeply involved in a few meaningful activities, or do you thrive in a wide range of experiences? College is about discovering what fulfills you, not about replicating someone else’s path.

Start by setting personal goals based on what truly matters to you. Maybe your priority is exploring new academic interests, or perhaps you want to focus on mental well-being while maintaining a solid GPA. Whatever your goals may be, they should align with your values, not with what others expect of you. It’s easy to get caught up in comparison, especially in a world where social media highlights everyone’s best moments. Seeing peers securing dream internships, acing exams, or attending endless social events can make you question whether you’re doing enough. But remember: people showcase their successes, not their struggles. When you start to feel overwhelmed by external expectations, take a step back. Limit your exposure to sources that fuel unnecessary pressure. Unfollow accounts that make you doubt your own progress, and instead, seek out spaces that support and encourage your unique journey. Surround yourself with people who uplift you, not those who make you feel inadequate.

And to close this article out, remember that there’s no universal timeline for success. Some people find their passion in their first year, while others take time to explore. Some land their dream job right after graduation, while others carve their own unconventional paths. Your journey is yours alone, and it’s okay if it doesn’t mirror someone else’s. Growth and fulfillment don’t follow a strict schedule. College is a time of exploration, growth, and self-discovery. While it’s helpful to listen to advice and learn from others, the most important thing is to remain true to yourself. Define your own version of success, take the advice that resonates with you, and have the confidence to carve your own path. By doing so, you will create a colorful college experience that is a combination of all the advice you have received — all on your own.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the ����app Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us –����to pitch your idea and get started! 

��

Almost everyone gets the same speech when they are preparing to enter college: make friends, go out, and have fun – but never too much fun! As important as it is for college students to discover new things about themselves and jump at fun opportunities, maintaining their GPA, attending class, and forming a good relationship with their professors should come first. The general college idea is that while it is important to nurse a social life and make meaningful memories, achievement in academics should always be prioritized and a good work-life balance needs to be implemented if they want to be successful.

The Challenge of Being a Student Athlete

However, every student’s experience is not the same, and student athletes are faced with an entirely different beast when they enter college. When a student is already working to manage a healthy academic and social life, sports become a large time and energy commitment on top of schoolwork when they are already taxing activities on their own. As a member of the Florida A&M Marching 100, I’ve struggled with finding my pacing as a student when the most consistent thing in my college schedule is 2½ hour practices once a day and long games on the weekend. As a student athlete, it becomes easy for a sport to control your athletic schedule, dictate your social life, and completely overtake your academic pursuits when classes and your social schedule don’t demand the same consistency and planning factor. So, how do you avoid neglecting other parts of your college life while still maintaining the healthy amount of dedication it takes to thrive as an athlete?

Make Other Things a Priority Too

You must learn to apply the same amount of devotion you have for your sport towards your academic and social life. Just as you take extra time and implement more self-discipline to become better at your sport, as a student athlete it is your responsibility to also go the extra mile in your academics and life outside sports. When you learn to acknowledge your priorities and create a structured social, academic, and athletic schedule, you can succeed.

Acknowledge Your Priorities

The first step, acknowledging your priorities, comes with self-reflection. Ask yourself why you’re in college in the first place, and what weight your sport should have in your life. Of course, some students are in college pursuing their sport and/or being paid to participate in it while others are doing it because a hobby they love, but no situation changes the fact that attending college is for your education. Sports cannot fully provide what you’ll find in a classroom and the skills you’ll need to apply in your life, and that mindset can help you avoid becoming too fixated on them.

Keep a Schedule

Secondly, creating a schedule is very important. Whether it be a new assignment that wasn't mentioned in the syllabus, a random hangout scheduled with your friends, or another practice scheduled in preparation for a big game, academic, social, and athletic college life can be collectively erratic. With a physical schedule like a planner or calendar, it is much easier to be prepared and proactive with assignments and events so that unplanned activities won’t throw you off too much.

When I took time to reflect on my purpose in college and began to act with proactivity towards planning against the erratic nature of student-athlete, I learned to flourish on and off the field; you can do the same. It takes practice and precision to truly find a balance, but as an athlete those are qualities you have had to display plenty of times before. So, enjoy college, but most importantly, take control so that you can succeed!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the ����app Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us –����to pitch your idea and get started! 

��