College really the best 4 years of your life?

[Anonymous]

College was a lot of goofing off. Grad school was tough. The best time was my late twenties when I was a young professional working overseas making tons of $ and having fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a four-year stretch? Easily the best time. I was fortunate not to pay for college so didn’t have to worry about paying bills; loved my classes and learning; played a sport; terrific friends, even 30 years later we are still close. But I know not everyone has that experience and not everyone loves school.

I think this is a good way to think about it. For a book-ended stretch of time, it was the best time. I went to a school I loved and made great friends who I am now celebrating numerous 50 year birthday parties with. I am grateful I was able to view my college years that way. And yes, it was I want for my children.

[Anonymous]

College wasn't the best 4 years of my life, but I understand why others might feel that way. I think the best 4 year span in my life was the time immediately after college. I was single, no kids, no debt, good job, great apartment. It was so much fun.

[Anonymous]

It really shouldn’t be if you have any sort of fulfillment. College is probably the most convenient time of your life but not much else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

Hmm. Maybe you didn't have as good a football team.

Like the PP said, there's less than 20 hours of class time. I liked my early working days but a lot more of my time was tied up weekly, closer to 45 hours.

I came from a working class and farming background. For me, college was a big level up and exposed me to a lot of new connections.

And I am still involved with my sorority and attending my college games as an alum.

[Anonymous]

LOVED college! Maybe it depends on where you went, your friends, your courses, and how you spent your free time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading on this forum that college was amazing back in the day. I look back and I don’t see it that way. I am still really good friends with one person after 20 years. I remember college as a time where I slept in, rolled out of bed, went to class if I felt like it, went out, drank, took tests, and had a work study job. Nothing of that was earth shattering amazing. I graduated with a B and got a job before my senior year ended in consulting.

Now I read these threads and everyone has this take on how kids aren’t experiencing college as it use to be and it was an amazing time for us back in the day. Is that really true?

100000% not the "best years of my life." It was fun, sure. But, "peaking" in HS or college is so sad, imo. You still have 50 plus years ahead of you (hopefully) and I'd hate for it to be all downhill. You have to find your joy in all stages. (And FTR, right now approaching empty nest/menopause/ post-middle age, this is the stage I'm struggling with the most of any in my life. Up until now, I've been fairly successful navigating the bad in every stage and finding joy/happiness in the good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

Hmm. Maybe you didn't have as good a football team.

Like the PP said, there's less than 20 hours of class time. I liked my early working days but a lot more of my time was tied up weekly, closer to 45 hours.

I came from a working class and farming background. For me, college was a big level up and exposed me to a lot of new connections.

And I am still involved with my sorority and attending my college games as an alum.

. I grew up working class but college was the first thing I couldn’t wait to escape. Couldn’t stand the pretentiousness and the lack of knowledge so many wealthy kids had about the world. Having disposable income and less academic stress is awesome. Plus I was an engineering major with 2 jobs- 20 hours a week wasnt in my vocabulary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

Hmm. Maybe you didn't have as good a football team.

Like the PP said, there's less than 20 hours of class time. I liked my early working days but a lot more of my time was tied up weekly, closer to 45 hours.

I came from a working class and farming background. For me, college was a big level up and exposed me to a lot of new connections.

And I am still involved with my sorority and attending my college games as an alum.

I was in a "top tier" sorority on my campus, too. I cannot imagine being this tied to my sorority. My SIL is like this. And hey, great. I just don't get it. But I guess I don't need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

No one is talking about peaking in college and no not the best four years but I would much rather be in college going to games than travelling through Europe and Asia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

No one is talking about peaking in college and no not the best four years but I would much rather be in college going to games than travelling through Europe and Asia.

Sometimes it’s hard to accept that everyone is different, but damn this comment just baffles me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

No one is talking about peaking in college and no not the best four years but I would much rather be in college going to games than travelling through Europe and Asia.

Sometimes it’s hard to accept that everyone is different, but damn this comment just baffles me.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

It's a big stretch to say they were the best 4 years, but I agree with those who say it was likely at least the second or third-best, for all the reasons mentioned re: freedom, learning about oneself, making friends, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College was unbeatable. I was in a top-tier fraternity. There was an endless supply of fine women to date and hook up with. All my best friends were a short walk away -- sometimes just down the hall -- and always down to do fun stuff. My only responsibility was going to class 15 hours a week and crushing exams with the help of our extensive test bank. Parties every weekend. Football games. Tailgates. Did I mention the fine women? When else but college do you get to live like that? I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get to have a college experience like mine.

This! Only as a woman. I stunningly got a bid from a top tier sorority. It was at a huge SEC school. It was a great group and I have very close friends from there 45 years later.

We had endless parties and dances with great looking guys. Home football weekends were the best.

My program was/ is one of the best in the country. It was hard work but I loved it. walked right out of college into a job offer at one of top 50 or so forms in the country.

I have had a good life since then, but nothing compares to that level of freedom and fun.

I don't really get this. Where do you people go in your young adult like? Football games were fun, but not as fun as traveling though Europe and Asia. Not as fun as first job with money and nights out every night.

People who peak in college are like the people who peak in HS.

No one is talking about peaking in college and no not the best four years but I would much rather be in college going to games than travelling through Europe and Asia.

I would too, and so, I suspect, would many of the people expressing disbelief at this sentiment. But this is DCUM, so you have to sound cultured and intellectual, even though it's an anonymous forum. Greek life bad, diversity good. Football bad, world travel good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading on this forum that college was amazing back in the day. I look back and I don’t see it that way. I am still really good friends with one person after 20 years. I remember college as a time where I slept in, rolled out of bed, went to class if I felt like it, went out, drank, took tests, and had a work study job. Nothing of that was earth shattering amazing. I graduated with a B and got a job before my senior year ended in consulting.

Now I read these threads and everyone has this take on how kids aren’t experiencing college as it use to be and it was an amazing time for us back in the day. Is that really true?

I mean that kind of sounds like my dog's life. Not to shabby if you ask me. Now I wake up early, sit in traffic, grind all day, sit in traffic, drive kids around, pay bills, and have a family including elders that rely on my ability to have a good income which can be pretty darn stressful sometimes. For many (of course not all), college is a sweet spot where you get to have an independent quasi-adult life without having all of the extra baggage, at least that's how I look at it.