What College Is All About

I was talking to a friend I've had since high school on the phone today, and we were discussing boys and their annoyances. During this conversation, I realized that college boils down to two major things: narcissism and hedonism.

This may seem a bit harsh, but if you think about it, it applies to about 90 percent of the people who go to college in the first place. Narcissism, which is another word for egoism or "self-interest is the actual motive of all conscious action" (according to Merriam-Webster Online), is evident in all college students to a point. The entire reasoning behind going to college is for selfish reasoning - to place ahead of others in the workforce, or to learn a trade or skill that made you a better asset to a company. Many students these days think about what they want to do. According to the ways of the world, college is partially about experimentation and finding out who you are or what you believe in. It's the first time for us as people to be on our own, and we have to survive in a world where we depend on only ourselves. It thus creates a narcissistic "Think For Yourself" attitude. While I wouldn't say all narcissism is bad, since certain friends could be using you, or you could be duped out of a monetary scheme, it is still the brainchild that creates terrible products of students who are really egotistical all the time. They are Kanye West, without the money or the status. And being in college only furthered that thought process, not diminishing it before it went out of control.

Also in college, students find themselves stuck at a moral turning point, where they must think for themselves about what is right and what is not. Going back to the experimentation of college, hedonism plays a big role in how we become who we are. The idea of hedonism, that is "pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life," basically says "Whatever makes you feel good is what you should do." So many college students believe that in this stage of their lives, because no one can tell them no. Every college student tastes life on the wild side, whether that be binge drinking or one-night stands, to the innocent breaking of curfew or staying up all night before a class the next day. It is hedonism that leads us to the majority of what we do in college.

Both narcissism and hedonism are not viewed as positive things, so why has college created these particular personality outcomes? College forces you to think about yourself first and foremost. You have to think about protecting yourself, how to get yourself ahead, and how to break apart from the crowd. But you also have to think about what is right and wrong, according to you, regardless of what your parents/religion/friends tell you to. To decide to follow a religion is your choice. To decide to drink is your choice. To decide to follow all of the rules given to you is a choice. College is all about choosing what is best for you (in your not-so-humble opinion, at times).

Is there any way to combat this symptom of big egos and complete pleasure-seekers?