As graduation approaches, thousands of students are prompted to reflect on their time at App State. Whether it be asking where you’re going after graduation, the cords you have or if you’re graduating with honors, most of the conversation tends to be focused on academic accomplishments. While these are important and something to be proud of, the true successes occurred throughout the years prior. 

For years, graduation has fostered conversations surrounding academic achievements. Did you get into all the graduate schools you applied to? What job do you have lined up? 

These questions can often feel overwhelming, as if you are expected to have your life planned out as a 22-year-old. These conversations can also invalidate all of the struggles you went through to get to this point. 

During one’s time in college, there is a strong chance one survived horrible professors, nightmarish roommates, mental health struggles and a global pandemic. These trials and tribulations are not for the faint of heart and are surely more difficult to navigate than some academic aspects. 

According to a 2022 study conducted by the National College Health Assessment showed that almost 80% of college students suffer from some sort of mental health struggles during their college career, whether it be anxiety, depression or something else. Going to a new place to start a completely new chapter of your life can be terrifying, so it makes sense that a lot of students would have a difficult time adjusting. 

Though some may see this as part of the college experience, it should not be normalized as such. Being able to continue day-to-day life while going through mental health struggles is a feat in and of itself. Doing so on top of the everyday life of a college student is an even larger accomplishment. 

The average college student takes around 12-15 credit hours in one semester. Most college courses are three credit hours each, meaning a student is expected to study for three hours per credit, totaling nine hours outside of the class period. This means if a student is taking four three-credit courses for a total of 12 credit hours, that is 36 hours of studying outside of the class. 

This is already a lot to ask for someone who is as happy as a clam, but for someone with other hardships occurring, it can be near impossible. Getting to graduation through this adversity is something to be extraordinarily proud of. 

Another obstacle college students face is the dreaded roommate. Around one third of students have issues with a roommate at some point in their college career. These issues can span from something mundane, such as a roommate who is not as clean as you, or something much more serious, like differing political beliefs or patterns of bullying. 

Even though having a bad roommate doesn’t seem like a huge challenge at first, thinking about it in the context of having to live in a shoebox-sized room with someone you don’t get along with puts it into perspective. 

Being able to successfully complete classwork while wanting to rip your hair out because of your roommate should be celebrated, but it is yet another thing many people deem normal in college.

Nearly every student also has a horror story about a professor — maybe it was one who taught a gen ed writing class that was too big for his britches, or maybe it was the last class required for your major that took every ounce of your strength to get through. Regardless, a bad experience with a professor can certainly be a blockade in remaining successful during an undergraduate career.

On top of personal struggles, way too much homework and intolerable roommates or professors, many of the students graduating from App State this May were freshmen during the height of COVID-19. Yet here they are, having made it to the other side. Coming to college as a freshman is daunting in and of itself, but doing so without the opportunity to meet new people, attend class in person or have any sense of normalcy, is another thing entirely. 

While academic achievements should be celebrated, they should be accompanied by all of the external factors that each graduate pushed through to get to where they are now. The common conversations and questions surrounding the time of graduation should not be the only things people deem important. College is not easy and making it to the day you walk across the stage can be surreal for some. 

Regardless of the cords you have, your final GPA or your next steps, getting to graduation is something to be extremely proud of.

Through all the questions you’re bombarded with about your next steps, don’t forget all the steps you took that led you here, and certainly don’t forget to be proud of yourself. You made it.