Why College is Toxic - 10 Reasons By a Recent Graduate

In recent times, many college students have began talking about how toxic college is. As a recent college graduate, I experienced both the fun sides and the toxic sides of college.

At times, college can become so toxic that it can be hard to bear. However, knowing the reasons why college is toxic will help prepare you for what’s to come, as well as the things every college student should avoid.

With that being said, here are the 10 reasons why college is toxic.

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10 Reasons Why College is Toxic

1. Lack of Sleep

In college, it’s very common for students to not get proper sleep. The mix of living on your own, an intense workload and partying can lead to students not sleeping enough throughout college.

This can have serious effects on the mental health of college students. Many students find college very toxic because it’s a constant hustle and the semester moves by so quickly.

If you’re a student in college, it’s important to prioritize your sleep. It can be easy to stay up late studying or even partying.

However if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll have trouble learning and staying awake during lectures. Make sure to find a proper balance between the college life and getting enough rest.

2. Intense Workload

It’s no secret that getting through college takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. This can lead to students being extremely stressed, not getting enough sleep and finding college toxic.

The majority of colleges have semesters that only last for 15 weeks and the workload is intense. The mix of assignments, tests, exams and extracurricular activities is very time consuming and stressful.

This creates a toxic work environment and an unenjoyable atmosphere for college students.

During my freshman year of college, I had trouble adapting to the intense workload in college. By getting organized and being more focused on my academics, it helped me improve in college.

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3. Pressure on Students

In college, there are a lot of stressful demands on students. Whether if it’s from their parents, students, teachers or classmates, there is an immense amount of pressure on college students.

The pressure on students can be a super toxic environment and lead to a negative college experience. Throughout the school year, the pressure can become too much for students to deal with.

Another issue that many college students and other young people deal with, is the constant pressure from social media. Seeing others be succesful on social media, can lead to students putting pressure on themselves.

A way that I dealt with the pressure throughout college, was not comparing myself to others and always doing my best. I always knew that if I studied my hardest and tried my best, then I did everything I could to do well.

4. Drug Culture

There’s no denying that some college students have drug problems, with both recreational and prescription drugs. While some recreational drug use might not be surprising, what’s less obvious are problems that students may have with abuse or misuse of prescription medication.

At times, students will take prescription drugs to study last minute for tests. Students taking prescription drugs, when they’re not prescribed the medication, can lead to serious addiction and mental health issues.

Recreational drugs are another issue that affects college students. At times, college students will develop addictions and it can affect them in the real world after college.

In the long run, it’s better to stay away from drugs in college. If your friend group is indulging in drugs, then they probably don’t have their priorities straight.

Instead, hang out with other students who are motivated, attend class and care about their academic performance.

5. Fraternities & Sororities

One of the most toxic parts of college is Greek life (fraternities & sororities). Although joining a fraternity or sorority isn’t something every student has to do, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a huge part of college culture.

There are many college students that are totally against Greek life, since it has a very dark history. Fraternities have made national headlines for extreme hazing, sexual misconduct, drug abuse and alcohol abuse.

As a guy who never joined a fraternity, I could never wrap my head around why someone would want to be in one. The idea of having to pay and get hazed to be apart of a frat has always seemed really lame to me.

6. Bad Teachers

One of the worst parts about college is having a bad professor. As someone who graduated college, I can say that I’ve had my fair share of bad professors.

Nowadays, there are so many teachers that rely on online forums for homework and testing. This way, the teacher doesn’t have to create or correct the homework and tests.

One of my pet peeves was when a faculty member would design their whole curriculum around these online forums. Not only would I not learn anything, but it was very obvious that the teacher put no effort into teaching the class.

The best thing you can do to avoid this from happening, is take classes you’re interested in. Hopefully, you get a teacher who is passionate about the topic and will actually put effort into teaching the material.

7. Party Culture

One of the most toxic parts about college is the party culture. As someone who enjoyed partying throughout college, I know first hand that partying in college isn’t for everyone.

The pressure from others to live the “college experience” and to party all the time is super toxic. There’s nothing wrong with going to college, focusing on your studies and getting out of there as quick as possible.

If you surround yourself with students who aren’t interested in partying, you won’t have to worry about college party culture. It’s important to surround yourself with students who have the goal as you in college.

8. Unnecessary Courses

In college, you will take some courses that are boring and feel unnecessary. As someone who studied business, I always felt like the non business related classes were a huge waste of time.

There will be days, where you will sit in a lecture and wonder why you have to take these unnecessary courses.

The best thing you can do is try to take classes you are interested in. Many students will take the easier courses possible, however if you have no interest in the class it will be hard to stay motivated and do well.

9. Bad Friends

Throughout college, you will meet many new people and make tons of new friends. The issue is, you will make friends with people who may be fake and toxic.

Honestly, you will learn a lot from bad friends and fake friends in college. It’s better to experience (and avoid) those kinds of people earlier on in life, then later.

The best thing you can do as a college student, is surround yourself with students who want to do well. At the end of the day, you’re in college to get an education.

That’s why it’s important to stay focused on your education and not get caught up in the drama.

10. Hookup Culture

One of the most toxic parts about college is the hookup culture. Speaking as a guy, most young men in college aren’t looking for long relationships. Unfortunately, sometimes they just want to hookup.

While dating in college can be great. Hookup culture can lead to low self-esteem and has some really bad effects on college students.

If you want to avoid hookup culture in college, the best thing you can do is let the person you are seeing know your intentions. As long as there is honesty, then there will be no surprise heartbreaks later on.

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Final Thoughts on Why College is Toxic

College can be a really fun time or it can be super toxic. The college experience really comes down to the individual students and the choices they make.

There are many ways to avoid the toxic parts of college. However, the fear of missing out and trying to live the “college experience” is a big reason why people find college toxic.

What’s important, is knowing how to avoid and to handle the toxic parts of college.

In this post, I shared the 10 reasons why college is toxic.

Do you think college is toxic? Please let me know in the comments below.

Why College is Toxic – 10 Reasons By a Recent Graduate