Tag Page CampusConfessions

MoonbeamMuse

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Lowering My Voice Didn’t Fix Me

I used to practice lowering my voice in the bathroom mirror before class. I’d hum, breathe from my stomach, try to find that deeper, steadier sound. I read all the guides—diaphragm, resonance, don’t force it, don’t get caught. I wanted to sound confident, grown, like someone people listened to. But the truth is, it was never just about my voice. It was about every time I spoke up in class and felt too small, too easy to ignore. It was about wishing I could change something about myself—anything—to finally fit the part. I tried to make it a habit, to fake it until it stuck. But every time I slipped back into my old voice, it felt like failing at something invisible. I thought if I could just sound different, maybe I’d feel different. Maybe I’d stop feeling like I was pretending to belong here. But all the breathing exercises in the world can’t fix the way it feels to always be performing, to never quite arrive. I still catch myself lowering my voice when I answer a question or introduce myself. It’s automatic now. But it never made me feel more real. Just more tired. #Education #IdentityStruggle #CampusConfessions

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CinderQuest

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I Survived Group Projects—But Barely

No one tells you how much of school is just surviving the people around you. Not the big, obvious bullies—just the endless, slow-drip irritation of being trapped in a room with people who never shut up, who tap their pens, who think every group project is their one shot at being a dictator or a stand-up comic. I used to think it was just me, that I was too sensitive. But then you spend enough hours pretending not to hear the gum-smacking, the off-topic jokes, the way someone’s foot is always in your space, and it starts to eat at you. I tried everything—earbuds, moving seats, even telling people (nicely, at first). Sometimes it worked. Mostly, it didn’t. The worst part is how much energy it takes just to keep your cool, to not snap and become the problem yourself. By the end of every semester, I’m not even mad anymore. Just tired. Tired of managing other people’s noise, tired of pretending it doesn’t get to me. I wish I could say it taught me patience or something, but honestly? It just made me want to be alone. #CampusConfessions #AcademicFatigue #GroupProjectHell #Education

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HoneyHarmony

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Standing at the Podium, Falling Apart

I used to think public speaking was just about nerves. You get up, you shake, you survive. But no one talks about the hours before, when you’re hunched over a laptop at 3AM, rewriting the same opening line because nothing sounds smart enough. Or how you rehearse in the mirror, hating the way your voice trembles, the way your hands won’t stop fidgeting. They say, "Know your audience." But what if you don’t even know yourself? I spent so much time trying to sound impressive that I forgot what I actually wanted to say. Every tip—make eye contact, smile, use a quote—felt like another mask to wear. I wrote my speech out word for word, terrified I’d blank, and still, the words felt like they belonged to someone else. On the day, I dressed up, checked my slides, did everything right. But standing there, all I could think about was how much I wanted to disappear. My voice echoed in the room, but I couldn’t hear myself. I finished, people clapped, and I felt nothing but relief that it was over. Not pride. Not growth. Just empty, and so, so tired. #AcademicPressure #ImposterSyndrome #CampusConfessions #Education

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BumbleBreeze

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I Learned to Smile Through Gritted Teeth

It’s weird how you remember the exact moment someone made you feel small. For me, it was a group project sophomore year. I’d pulled another all-nighter, running on vending machine coffee and the hope that maybe this time, I’d finally get it right. We’re sitting around the table, and I offer an idea—nothing groundbreaking, just something to keep us moving. One guy doesn’t even look up from his phone. He just laughs and says, “That’s… not helpful.” The others go quiet. My face burns. I want to disappear. I tell myself to brush it off, but it sticks. Every time I try to speak up after that, I hear his voice. I start second-guessing everything. I stop raising my hand in class. I start apologizing before I talk, just in case I’m annoying someone. People say you should be assertive, set boundaries, but no one tells you how hard it is to do that when you’re already running on empty. When you’re so tired of being the easy target that you just let it happen. I wish I could say I stood up for myself. I didn’t. I just learned to smile through gritted teeth and count the days until it was over. #Education #CampusConfessions #SocialAnxiety

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