What you don't realize is that college is teaching you
Does failing really help us learn?
BY Isabella Tatone ★ October 21st 2025
Photo Credit: Maia Simmons
How to fail and learn from it (in life and in school), how to grow, become independent, and learn not to depend on your parents anymore, take risks, and make the most out of the 4 years you have in college
Although we all came to Syracuse University (SU) for various reasons, I think we can all agree that education was a primary part of that. But what do we really learn from college other than that?
College is the time when you learn how to depend on yourself. You can no longer text your parents asking what’s for dinner; you are in charge of your own dinners and your own life. No one is going to tell you that you should be doing homework instead of watching a movie.
Being able to make mistakes and learn from them can be a guide for us all. No one is perfect, and no one should be telling you otherwise. You are allowed to fail a test and learn how to study next time. In college, we suffer from our own consequences and have to learn how to take accountability for those actions.
SU Junior Brooke Slaton reflects on her past mistakes, “First semester freshman year — I struggled with work balance and social activities. I would spend too much time with friends, and I wouldn’t prioritize doing work. Because I was in a new environment, I thought I could do what I did in high school, but I was wrong. Having more time threw off my prior routine. I saw a huge difference in my academic performance second semester of freshman year once I realized that”
Other ways of failing are spending too much money or too much time out, blah blah blah
Everyone makes mistakes, but the people who take those mistakes and learn from them are getting the true college experience.
Maybe you got into an argument with your friend. What is the best way to avoid that for next time? Your parents are just a phone call away, but when you mess up, you really are on your own.
Making mistakes is normal, and you are not alone in this. The biggest piece of advice I can provide is learning how to be ok with being by yourself in college. There are a lot of times it feels lonely, but if you can find comfort in being alone, you will learn how to be the most independent version of yourself.
SU Junior Elaina Dub - “My second semester of sophomore year, I spent too much money on DoorDash instead of eating at the dining hall. I spent too much money, and I later had to face the consequences of this by being more mindful of my spending over the summer.”
Edited by: Eliza Brown