Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

Around the age of 16, people are often pressured to start thinking about what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Some dream of being an astronaut and colonizing the moon, while others dream of being a rock star and taking over Hollywood. But many have no idea.

Are you supposed to wake up one day and feel an invisible string pulling you toward a career path? Figuring it all out requires you to gather your interests, create a pros and cons list and determine your future not only for yourself, but for your family. 

After narrowing down a few options, you must figure out which major will send you down your chosen career path. Pinpointing your interest can be hard. To be a doctor, should you study chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, public health, nutrition or health administration?

But the hardest part isn’t choosing a major — it’s feeling alone within it.

It might seem like attending college, showing up to class quietly and respectfully every day, learning about concepts that match your career and completing all your work is enough, but it’s not.

​It can start to feel lonely and repetitive.

​Take it from me: I am a quiet but good student. I always go to class, and I have a 349-day Canvas completion streak. But as soon as I get to class, I pull out my computer and form a bubble around myself. I rarely talk to anyone unless I’m being polite.

​The other day, I left one of my classes wanting to talk about a discussion we had. Hours later, I was still thinking about it and met up with my friends, but I never got the chance to talk about it with them.

I surround myself with lots of STEM brains. They constantly switch into scientist mode, but I never get to switch into literature mode. It’s not that they don’t want to hear it or can’t relate; it’s that I need a humanities-oriented brain to discuss our content.

​Making friends in your major offers a support system that stems from familiarity. You can complain about your reading homework to people who aren’t analyzing a frog dissection, or vice versa.

Having a community within your major also pushes you to better your academic performance. Research published in 2020 proved that these connections can increase grades and lessen a student’s chance of failing. When you spend time with people who complete the same homework, it might feel easier to do because you often engage with the concepts during hangouts. Plus, if you need help, you don’t have to go to the professor right away.

Without classmates to study with, it can be harder to stay motivated, harder to understand complex material and harder to feel like you belong in your field. Isolating yourself isn’t just about loneliness; it’s a barrier between you and your academic strength.

​Maintaining these communities also allows you to share experiences and compare your work — not in a “who’s better” way, but in a contrasting way. Receiving constructive criticism is always beneficial, especially if it’s from a friend.

“If you keep that bubble around yourself for four years, you will leave college without these beneficial relationships.”

And the consequences don’t end after graduation. A 2023 study conducted by the Corvinus University of Budapest on university peer networks found that connections formed during college positively contribute to early career opportunities and job outcomes after graduation. If that’s not enough motivation to socialize, I don’t know what is.

​Your classmates are your future colleagues. Network with the people in your major because it never hurts to know people. Building these relationships opens many doors for the future, and regularly interacting with peers in your field also verifies why you chose what you did. It strengthens your professional identity, making you more committed to your career path.

A simple “Hi” in class can turn into study sessions over time, and study sessions turn into community. Even I need to work on this, so let’s make the effort to talk to the person sitting beside us. Go to that meeting the professor talked about for the first 10 minutes of class. If you keep that bubble around yourself for four years, you will leave college without these relationships.

​Meeting people in your studies makes you feel more seen — and college is a lot easier when you don’t feel invisible.

Let’s start seeing each other.

Reach Charlotte Seymour at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.