“When I feel like giving up, I remember what I’m working so hard for…” This popular TikTok trend has been circulating the platform with messages of what success means to them. 

The Tik Tok videos begin with students studying and then phase into pictures of crime scenes or court rooms. It shows what they have been working towards and what keeps them motivated.

The popularity of this particular trend is one that can be inspirational to college students. 

As the end of the fall semester at Suffolk University inches closer, students might be feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work professors are dishing out. Not only are assignments piling up, but in typical New England fashion, the weather went from beautiful to freezing pretty quickly. So what are we even doing this for?

Is a degree with your name on it really worth all this stress? Is trudging to class in 40 degree weather really going to make you better at your future job? Of course it is. 

As a senior with one more semester to go, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, it wasn’t always that way. When I decided to go back to school it was with the knowledge that it would take more than the standard four years. 

I enrolled in community college to lower the cost of tuition and raise my GPA to something I was not only proud of, but knew would get me into a better university for my bachelor’s program. I finally got to Suffolk over three years after starting my associate’s degree. 

There were days when I struggled; those days still happen. There are still days when getting out of bed seems daunting. 

The fact is, going to college is a privilege. According to Nasfaa, low income students can’t afford 95% of colleges in the U.S. Being able to go to a university, sit in classes and learn from our well established professors is something that some people can only dream of. 

When the assignments begin to look daunting, I step back and make a plan. Time management is something every college student needs to learn. Sometimes I have to forgo a dinner with friends to write a paper. There are times when prioritizing education is necessary. 

Every assignment is a chance to learn, to get feedback from the professors who can guide you to success. Instead of looking at papers or research as something negative, turning this into a positive experience can promote productivity. 

This TikTok trend can be silly, but finding the reason that motivates you to stay focused during the difficult parts of school and classes will keep you going. 

Knowing that you’re in a position of privilege by being at school, furthering your education and the opportunities that name on a degree will earn you is what you’re working so hard for.