6 things everyone stresses about in college that they don’t even remember later

Heading off to college is stressful AF. Remember your senior year of high school when even deciding which college to attend seemed like the absolute biggest decision you’d ever make in your life? (Spoiler alert: It largely doesn’t matter what school you go to.) Likewise, there are so many things everyone stresses about in college that end up actually being so unimportant in the real world that you probably won’t remember them.

Don’t feel silly — everyone stresses about this stuff in college.

It’s normal: You’re in your twenties, most likely, and there’s a lot of life ahead of you! It’s scary to think about what the hell you’re going to end up doing with all that time. And it doesn’t help that advice is flying at you from all directions about what the “right” things to do are when it comes to your studies, your career, your relationships, even how to decorate your freaking dorm room.

But a lot of these worries are, no offense, totally ridiculous. You don’t know it when you’re still in your early twenties, but things get *so different* as you get older, graduate, and try your hand at things you never thought you’d do.

Here are a few of those things that everyone in college stresses about but totally shouldn’t.

1Getting the exact classes you want at the exact time you want them.

If you’re a dedicated student (or just slightly obsessive), you’ve likely made yourself crazy the days leading up to class registration about getting exactly what you want. But sometimes it doesn’t work out and you’re stuck taking something you don’t really need or didn’t think you wanted. And you will never remember what it was. You will finish all the readings, the papers, and the presentations, and move on to the next semester. Really.

2Picking your major.

A college major does matter sometimes. Like if you want to go to medical school, you should probably focus on that pretty early on. Actually, though, you can finagle your way into pretty much any grad program or job after college with any major. Picking a major is just a way to focus your studies and it’s way more for the university to plan your education than it is for you to plan your life. Just try asking 10 people in their thirties what their jobs are and what their college majors were.

3Where you’re living.

Whether you live no or off campus, you’re going to try your hardest to have the *best place* ever, with all of your friends, and it will be just like a movie. Well, it’s not going to be anything like a movie. Whether you get stuck with a roommate you don’t want, you end up with your entire squad, or your so-called friends ice you out of an off-campus apartment, it’s going to be OK, and likely turn out a lot different than what you expected. Living with friends can actually be terrible. Bad roommate stories are the best (years later). Don’t sweat it — you will waste a lot of time fearing something that might actually turn out to be fun.

4Having a relationship.

Relationships in college are tough to maintain. Unless you’re marrying your high school sweetheart, your college flings and significant others will one day be just a faint memory of the meh early-twenties sex you used to have.

5Dropping an activity.

Good for you! You have a full course load, showing up to intramural sports, running the student newspaper, and saving the squirrels on campus. Are you losing your freaking mind yet? Some people were meant to juggle 17 things. Others…not so much. If you’re worried about having to quit something, don’t be. College is a time to try new things, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to each and every one. Stop stressing about dropping a class or extra curricular thing. It’s probably for the best.

6Not getting that internship.

Internships are often seriously useful for a career later on, but a lot of times, they aren’t. They can also be impossible if you have to work to pay your own rent and feed yourself. When you’re running the world in 20 years, you won’t remember trying to battle your peers for a chance to work for free. Who wants to do that anyway?