Popular culture really tells us that the four years of college are to be the best years of our lives. Animal House (1978), Neighbors (2014), the four Pitch Perfect movies – Hollywood really wants us to think that there's not going to be a period in our lives when we're as carefree and happy as we are during college.
There might be some truth to this, as people usually do rate their 20s as the happiest period in their lives. A 2017 YouGov poll, for example, found that 30% of UK adults aged 20 and older believe their 20s to have been their best years. Ironically, those in their 20s are most likely to say it's their best decade.
However, another study found that the early 20s aren't the happiest time in people's lives. The study, conducted by Getting Personal, revealed that people rate their years from 25-29 as the best. For many, it's the time when physical health is in its peak, job satisfaction is at its highest, and romantic relationships flourish with many getting married or starting committed relationships.
But it seems there's really no consensus about the best years of our lives, since yet another study found it to be our early 30s. In 2021, researchers asked individuals aged 50 and up in European countries to name their best years, and the majority chose the period when they were 30-34.
Still, since there's this myth that your early 20s and college years are supposed to be the best years of your life, many people feel the pressure to be their happiest. And the college experience isn't always as rosy as popular culture paints it to be. Statistics show that about 40% of college students in the U.S. drop out, either because they can't handle the financial burden or because they feel too isolated.
What's more, the picture-perfect college experience often doesn't exist. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 74% of part-time undergraduate students were employed, while 40% of full-time students also had jobs. Although the percentage was lower than in 2015 (78%), experts still say that many students are forced to prioritize work before education.
Being a college student also isn't much like what it looks like in the movies. When we think of a typical college student, a person fresh out of high school probably comes to mind. Yet the reality is that only 41% of college students in 2018 were 18-to 24-years-old.
When we think "college," we also often imagine that it's a standard four-year education. But the same data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that 23% of undergraduates in 2018 were enrolled in two-year programs, 56% were undergraduates in four-year university programs, and 22% were graduate students.
