by Katrina Asther Martinez
“I don’t deserve this ice cream.”
I caught myself muttering this after a brutal exam—one I had spent countless all-nighters and caffeine crashes on. It was just a single test, a mere fraction of our syllabus, yet I felt like this minor shortcoming would hijack my entire future.
College has a funny way of distorting our reality. We grow up with countless warnings from elders that our last years of education would completely dictate the trajectory of our future, and that we absolutely cannot afford to slack off or step off the gas. We are encouraged to give every piece of ourselves—whether our energy or sanity—to ensure our names are plastered on a piece of paper during graduation. They say that college is the biggest gamble we’ll ever take in our lives; therefore, we cannot afford to risk our bets.
But that doesn’t always have to be the case.
Two truths can coexist: studying like there’s no tomorrow doesn’t guarantee tomorrow is still promised. And overworking in the daylight might cause you to miss the pink of the sunset. College isn’t the endpoint of our lives, but the launchpad. We are allowed to grind—to build up our skills and resumes—while also keeping the good: maintaining connections with peers, family, and instructors that will last us beyond our degrees.
Time isn’t the enemy, but our friend. We lose nothing by scheduling a 15-minute walk or debrief between studying if it gives us mental clarity. And if sacrificing all your hobbies for college sabotages your mental health, then by all means, walk into rooms that reinforce your identity outside of your major. Just remember to keep it in a manageable schedule.
The thing is: we can’t gamble on a future that isn’t certain. Each of our success stories will never follow identical blueprints. Your laxest classmate could become a CEO. The Chemistry student might pivot to Law school, and the Accountancy student might find a sudden calling in Medicine. Even after college, the horizon keeps shifting—there’s graduate school, possible career changes, and new beginnings. Nobody truly knows what’s next, and there lies the beauty and irony of education.
So, do your absolute best in college, but remember to breathe. Do not dwell in despair if your timeline isn’t the same as everyone else’s—whether you’ve shifted majors, haven’t met your personal academic demands, or are struggling to balance a life outside of school: there’s hope for you.
College isn’t make it or break it. So, eat that ice cream, and live a little.
———
Katrina Asther A. Martinez, 20, more commonly known as “Kat”, is an aspiring chemist, lover of science, quiet poet, music enthusiast, and violinist.
