As I near the end of my senior year at Augustana College, I find myself reflecting on my college experience compared to the images and stories I once saw on social media.
For many incoming students, platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat offer a curated glimpse into what college life should look like. These images often present a glossy, perfect version of campus life: picture-perfect friendships, endless adventures and an effortless balance between academics and social activities.
However, as I’ve learned over the years, these portrayals often don’t reflect the reality of the day-to-day college experience, leaving many students—including myself— disillusioned when things don’t measure up.
From the moment I started looking at colleges, social media played a big role in shaping my expectations. Influencers, current students and even college admissions pages shared images of fun parties, campus events and study sessions in beautiful libraries.
These posts made it seem like college was a constant flow of excitement and happiness. I thought that when I got to Augustana, I too would be quickly surrounded by a group of friends, acing my classes and living my best life every day.
But as I’ve navigated through college, I’ve come to realize that these posts are often just a snapshot of a much more complex reality. Social media thrives on showcasing highlights, but those moments don’t represent the full scope of college life.
What people don’t show are the stressful late-night study sessions, the social anxieties, the loneliness or the overwhelming sense of being lost at times.
Making genuine connections took time, and for much of my first year, I felt disconnected. The loneliness I felt didn’t align with the cheerful faces I saw online, and it was easy to believe that everyone else was living the dream while I was struggling to find my footing.
Over time, I realized that social media only captures a small fraction of someone’s college experience. The friendships I eventually made were not instantaneous but developed slowly through shared classes, study sessions and extracurriculars.
The ups and downs of my academic journey—times of deep stress and moments of triumph—were not always “Instagram-worthy,” but they were the experiences that have shaped me the most.
Rather than relying on the curated images I saw online, I found myself learning to appreciate the quieter, more authentic moments. It’s the quiet walks around campus in between classes and the satisfaction of overcoming a tough exam or finishing a paper that defines the college experience.
These are the moments I cherish, but they’re not the types of things social media highlights.
In some ways, social media does set us up for disappointment. The pressure to constantly measure up to a hyper-curated version of college life can leave students feeling disappointed or unfulfilled when their own experiences don’t reflect those images.
It creates a false narrative that college should be a constant celebration, filled with laughter and success. In reality, college is hard—emotionally, physically and mentally. There are moments of doubt, loneliness and failure that are just as important as the happy moments.
As I reflect on my college experience now, I realize that the social media narrative of perfection is not only unrealistic but also narrow. College life is far more complex than a single Instagram post can capture. While it’s easy to compare ourselves to others online, doing so can take away from the richness of the real college journey.
For me, the true value of college came not from the idealized version I saw online, but from the personal growth, the challenges and the relationships that I built along the way.
College is not about living up to a mythical standard, but about finding meaning in the moments that are uniquely their own.
