“It’s fine. I’m Fine. Everything’s Fine.”

By Jacob Factor, Features Editor   (Photo by Jacob Factor/The Bison)

Sometimes in life there are things with which we struggle, and we think we’re the only ones that struggle with it.

Maybe it’s a hard class, or not getting to talk to mom about everything or even body image.

The truth is, though, a lot of people are probably going through the same exact problems you are, and they need someone to talk to them about it just as much as you do.

College is the perfect place to connect with and become friends with people with similar struggles as you.

Take sophomores Jessica Littleton, a mathematics major, Bekah White, a social entrepreneurship major, and Taylor Conn, an accounting major, for example.

They became friends during their freshman year at OBU, and now they are suitemates.

Together these three walk through their struggles, big or small.

Q&A about struggles

Question: How do you deal with not having mom around all the time?

Littleton: For serious stuff, I go to my mom, but if it’s not super serious, I’ll go to one of them and ask them what they think.

White: I’ll go to them for relationship advice.

Littleton: You have that support system outside of your family.

Conn: When you’re sick you rely on your parents at home, and here your friends have to help you.

Littleton: I told Taylor I was sick this morning and she asked, “Do you need anything?” and it’s like, you don’t have your real mom, but you still have a mom here.

Littleton: In all reality, you’re never fully independent because you always have people around you. It just shifts. You depend on your parents, then you depend on your friends.

Question: Do you worry about hard classes or failing?

White: Yep. That’s me. I fail them all.

Littleton: For some classes, especially Civ, it’s like, “We’re in this together.” If I’m going to fail at least I’ll have someone with me.

Conn: I always know that Jess is going to do way better than me. It’s bound to happen.

Conn: I cried one night about my accounting exam and Jess came in here, and I said, “Comfort me.” It ended up being fine. I got a 75 on it. I was still sad though.

Littleton: I’m here for emotional support when she’s crying.

Conn: I cried with Jess at like 5 a.m. when we were studying for a Civ test.

Littleton: We cried over a couple of those.

Conn: Studying together is helpful.

Question: Is the Freshman 15 a real thing?

Conn: Oh, 30!

Littleton: I’ve for real been weighing the same.

White: I got my 15 and her 15.

Question: How do your friends help you through it?

Littleton: Your friends are there to still tell you you’re pretty.

Conn: They’re there to diet with you, too. Bekah and I really tried to diet, and now we’re all working out together.

White: Jess doesn’t even need to lose weight but she still works out with us.

Conn: That is definitely a real thing. They’re not lying.

White: And we all go through it together.

White: A lot of people want to post cute pictures in cute clothes, but they feel like they can’t.

Littleton: You can still do it.