The truth that college doesn’t equal success or safety: my own experiences of being raped in college, encountering predatory students, immature rude, controlling teachers I had, and their mental and emotional abuse, etc. A lot of people grew up hearing that college is automatically the “safe,” “successful,” or “right” path, so it can feel jarring when real experiences don’t match that narrative. What I’m describing highlights something important: college is still a human environment, and human environments can contain kindness, opportunity, immaturity, exploitation, power issues, and unsafe people all at once.

Being in college does not protect someone from trauma, predatory behavior, toxic authority figures, or emotional harm. Sadly, campuses can sometimes create situations where people feel pressured to tolerate inappropriate behavior because of grades, social dynamics, status, networking, or fear of not being believed.

The reality people don’t always say out loud:

• education and character are not the same thing,
• credentials do not equal emotional maturity,
• and institutional settings are not automatically healthy environments.

Someone can be highly educated and still behave in controlling, rude, manipulative, or deeply unethical ways.

That doesn’t mean college has no value for anyone — for some people it is a positive experience and opens doors, provides structure, or leads to careers they genuinely want. But it’s not a guaranteed path to safety, fulfillment, wisdom, financial stability, or good treatment. People can succeed without college, struggle despite college, or have mixed experiences with it.

What happened to me in college also naturally changes how I view those environments. Experiences like assault or repeated exposure to controlling or predatory behavior can permanently alter the way a person interprets institutions that society told them were supposed to be “good” or “safe.” Even while I was in cosmetology school there was bullies, cliques, danger, fights, among other students etc. smh! Safety is always of utmost importance, not success!