I'm not excited for college at all. Is anyone excited?

Is it normal to not be excited at all to go to college?

Why am I not excited about going to college?

If you’re not feeling excited about going to college, that’s not incredibly uncommon. 

In fact, google “not excited for college” and you’ll see numerous Reddit threads and article posts. Thousands of students feel this way.

But it may feel like you’re the only one who feels this way. Why? Social media, news articles, shows, and movies tend to highlight only the happy or exciting stories about heading to college. 

Some freshmen feel incredibly ecstatic about heading to college, but many don’t feel that way. (Some even dread the start of college.)

If you find yourself somewhere on the scale of unenthusiastic to anxious, keep reading for the answers to these questions:

• Why am I not excited about going to college?

• How should I be feeling about going to college?

• How should I respond to people asking if I’m excited about going to college?

Why am I not excited about going to college?

You could be feeling apathetic, anxious, or worse for many different reasons. All of which make complete sense.

So what are some of these reasons?

• You’re leaving behind great memories and great people. High school friends, a boyfriend/girlfriend, your family, life accomplishments, and more—you're leaving them behind. That’s really difficult to do, no matter how old you are. 

• You’re beginning again. You might feel a little like you’re starting high school all over again. Why? You feel like you’re starting at the beginning with new people at a new school.

• You’re entering a new social scene. New friends are an exciting and intimidating prospect, but meeting people isn’t always that easy. And becoming friends with people isn’t usually a quick or automatic process either.

• You’re living in a new place. Probably for the first time ever, you are living on your own. You’re moving into a dorm and living with a person you probably don’t know that well. This can be scary.

• You’re obligating yourself to a large financial investment. College isn’t cheap. Even if your parents are trying to help with your tuition, you know that this is a major financial commitment that costs thousands and thousands of dollars. 

These certainly aren’t all the possible reasons but are only some that may explain how you feel. When anyone experiences change or face uncertainty, they are likely to experience some mixed feelings. That’s okay (and very normal).

How should I be feeling about going to college?

Short answer: It depends. 

Long answer: Everybody is different. Everybody reacts to change differently, sees the unknown differently, etc.

There is no perfect way to feel about heading to college. Even the most excited incoming freshman (if they’re honest) has mixed feelings about beginning college.

How should I respond to people asking if I’m excited about going to college?

So how should you respond when people ask questions like…

• “Aren’t you excited about college?”

• “Aren’t you headed to college soon?”

• “So how much are you looking forward to college?”

Don’t fake how you feel, but be honest too. How do you do this? Redirect their question.

It may seem sneaky but it is just a nice way of expressing how you really feel without coming across as oversharing.

This could sound like…

• “I’m honestly keeping so busy with packing that I’m trying to focus my energy on preparing for the move to college.”

• “You know I haven’t had a lot of time to think about starting the school year yet. I’m just trying to get my things packed.”

• “I think I’ll be excited once I settle in, but right now I feel a little preoccupied with all the change.”

Answering this way helps to avoid a long conversation you don’t want to have. It also helps to kindly point out that what you face right now is scary and overwhelming.

Excited, scared, anxious, apathetic—all of these feelings are normal to have about the college experience. You are not alone for feeling unenthusiastic.

Know it will get better. Your feelings will change at some point. It will take time, but giving college a chance can lead to some pretty great opportunities.