Anonymous

Photography by Audrey Smallwood

If you’re reading this, you’re not the only one struggling with summer expectations.

Three months without Canvas notifications, club demands, and late-night library sessions should sound like a dream. But as the usual school-year stressors depart, the underlying pressures of the college student summer creep in.

I’m supposed to have an internship to stay on track for my career—but also to post about on LinkedIn, and to have something impressive to say when peers or family friends ask about my summer plans.

I’m supposed to be saving money so I’m not broke after graduation. But if my internship is unpaid, that means waitressing after hours—and making sure I mention the internship before the waitressing job when someone asks.

I’m supposed to be thinking about whether I want to go to graduate school. Apparently, now is the time to figure out where I’m going to apply.

I’m supposed to leave the house looking presentable, just in case I run into my ex-boyfriend around my hometown.

I’m supposed to be going to the gym and posting runs on Strava.

I’m supposed to be catching up with all my hometown friends, while balancing family time and work.

I’m supposed to be posting perfectly sun-kissed pictures of how well my summer is going on Instagram.

But if you’re reading this and your summer isn’t measuring up to the “supposed to’s,” neither is mine.

To the person who doesn’t have an impressive internship—or whose impressive internship isn’t turning out to be what they hoped… me too.

To the person who is waitressing, trying to save money, and working 50-hour weeks… me too.

To the person whose drives around their hometown are filled with painful memories… me too.

To the person unsettled by how their hometown friend group isn’t what it used to be… me too.

To the person who hasn’t been working out since coming home… me too.

To the person who doesn’t know where they’ll be or what they’ll be doing post-graduation… me too.

To the person whose mental health is sinking low as the quietness of summer rings loud… me too.

To the person who scrolls Instagram and envies their peers’ coastal vacations… me too.

All of our “supposed to’s” are the products of comparison, unrealistic expectations, and a competitive campus culture.

I invite you to release the pressure to perform and the need to be perceived a certain way by your peers. Offer yourself grace—you can only do so much.

Take a moment to be proud of where you are and what you’re doing, instead of focusing on where you aren’t and what you’re not.

If you’re reading this, it’s your summer—not anyone else’s.

Anonymous, Boston College

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