Loneliness is a widespread problem that many students experience, yet most keep to themselves, typically because it is perceived as a weakness. To acknowledge that you are lonely is often seen as admitting failure when everyone else appears to be thriving. But staying silent only intensifies the situation.

Results from an online survey presented by Active Minds and TimelyCare showed that 64.7% of college students reported feeling lonely in 2024.
Vice President for Student Life Sharra Hynes said Baylor is working to combat this issue by emphasizing community on campus, especially for freshmen, who Hynes said are among the most vulnerable to loneliness.

The holiday season can be a lonely time for those who are single. But there is a solution that doesn’t involve scrolling mindlessly on dating apps, sulking in your bedroom or waiting for someone to approach you in a Waco coffee shop and invite you to a candlelit dinner: Take yourself out on dates.

Whether you share the same interests as your parents or not, it’s important to take these years seriously. We’re all busy in college, but send your parents this article and let them know you love them. Maybe ask what they want to do sometimes. It can go a long way; trust me.

Our desire for independence has become self-destructive. Life has become a game where whoever holds out the longest before asking for help is the winner. But what do they win? It’s time to change the rules of the game. We win by admitting our weaknesses and allowing those who love us to fill in the gaps.

It isn’t that spending time alone is wrong. Everyone needs to recharge. But when “recharging” becomes a go-to activity, we need a paradigm shift. Fulfillment comes through relationships and community; isolation compounds bad habits and leaves us more lonely than ever.

Quite often, I hear girls complain about not having a boyfriend and feeling lonely. Loneliness sucks, I get that. Whenever I feel lonely, I usually find solace in a pint of vegan ice cream, so I completely empathize with the desire for companionship. What I don’t understand is why the void created by loneliness has to be filled by a male presence. I would like to suggest an alternative solution to the problem: get a dog.