Today marks the beginning of my fifth week at Stanford, and as much as I love it here, there are definitely things that I dislike. Some of these things are what most college kids deal with eventually and others are more specific to me or Stanford.
Feeling inferior:
In my classes, in my dorm, and in my dining hall there are Olympians, science fair winners, company founders, inventors, movie stars, Spelling Bee Champions, authors, and true geniuses. Being surrounded by people who are so outrageously talented and accomplished is pretty awesome, but it really makes you hyper-aware of how remarkably un-talented and un-accomplished you are. I was so used to feeling like the big fish in the small pond. Now, I feel like a single krill in the Pacific Ocean. Wherever you look there is someone who is more intelligent, more motivated, more athletic, more attractive, more artistic, and more innovative than you. Whatever you may think you’re good at, there’s someone who does it better. I know that this experience will really help me grow, and I relish the challenge. I just don’t know if my self-esteem can sink any lower.
Lack of privacy:
Most people who aren’t commuter students will likely end up sharing a room with one or more other human beings in college (unless you’re lucky and got a single).You will be deprived of privacy. You can’t even find it in the bathroom because you have to share that bathroom with everyone else on your floor. Even when your roommate is gone, and you have the room to yourself, there are people all around you separated by just the few inches that your thin dorm room walls provide. You can never be truly alone with just yourself.
Fear of missing out:
There are things happening ALL THE TIME. Every minute of everyday is filled with exciting things from a talk on US-China relations by Condoleeza Rice to a Raspberry Pi workshop with the company co-founders or a speech by Richard Dawkins or a lecture given by Melinda Gates. Then, there’s people going to concerts in SF, hiking the Dish, doing a sushi making workshop, and every other cool thing you can imagine. It’s hard to not feel like everyone is having more fun and taking advantage of more opportunities than you are.
Homesickness:
It sucks. You miss your family. Your friends. Your room. Your house. Your old routine. The familiar, the safe, the comfortable.
