Anonymous
Photographed by Stephen Poore
If you’re reading this, I hope you know that regardless of the challenges and loneliness you may face, things do get better.
When I first got to college, I was overwhelmed. The workload was intense, nothing like high school. Homework wasn’t just a few problems or a short reading assignment; it was pages of dense material, complex coding projects, and endless problem sets that often seemed to have no clear solution. I found myself up late into the night, staring at my laptop, exhausted but unable to stop, because there was always more to do.
On top of that, I felt lonely. I would walk into the dining hall, tray in hand, scanning the room for a familiar face. Sometimes I found one, but even when I sat with people, I still felt like an outsider. I had friends, classmates, people from my dorm, from orientation, but they all seemed to already have their groups. I missed the comfort of high school friendships, where I could call someone without hesitation, where I had people, I could just show up to lunch with. Here, everything felt distant, like I was on the edge of belonging, but not quite there.
But here’s the part I want you to know, it got better.
Slowly, over time, I adjusted. The coursework didn’t get easier, but I figured out how to manage it. I learned how to organize my time, when to take breaks, and when to ask for help. I stopped trying to do everything alone and found study groups that made things feel a little less overwhelming.
The loneliness faded. It wasn’t instant, but little by little, I made real friends, the kind I could text at any time, the kind I could sit with without thinking twice. It took effort, but I found my people. I got less homesick. I started to appreciate the freedom of college instead of fearing it.
So if you’re feeling the way I did, just know that it’s okay. It’s normal. And most importantly, it won’t last forever. You’ll figure things out. You’ll find your rhythm. And one day, you’ll look back and realize just how far you’ve come.
Anonymous, Virginia Commonwealth University
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