The “silence” no one knows among students – Eugene Dogbatse Atsu writes

Behind every smile on campus, there is often a struggle no one sees.

For a quick look, university life looks beautiful, lecture halls lively with conversations, students walking confidently across campus, laughter in hostels, group discussions, and dreams of a brighter future.

To many outsiders, students are simply young people chasing success. But hidden beneath these pictures are painful reality, a “silence no one truly knows”.

For some students, school is no longer just about earning a degree; it is about survival. Every day becomes a balancing act between academics and real-life hardship.

Some wake before sunrise to sell items before lectures. Others spend evenings working side jobs just to afford food or transport.

Many silently calculate whether the little money they have should go into buying handouts, paying for internet bundles or eating a proper meal.

The world only celebrates success stories, not the sleepless nights behind them.

Nobody notices the student who looks attentive in class but has not eaten all day.

Nobody sees the student smiling with friends after receiving another message demanding fees they cannot afford.

No one notices the emotional burden of trying to survive while pretending everything is normal.

University students are often expected to be strong. Society tells them these years are supposed to be “the best days of their lives,” but for many, they become some of the hardest.

There is pressure to perform academically, maintain appearances, build friendships and somehow survive financially. The burden can feel unbearable.

I imagine the student who attends lectures after sleeping only 30 minutes because they spent the night working to earn money.

The student who avoids outings with friends, not because they dislike company, but because they cannot afford it.

The student who rereads lecture notes while anxiety whispers louder than concentration. Perhaps this silence feels personal because many students understand it too well. It is the silence of checking prices before entering a shop and walking away disappointed.

The silence of acting “busy” to avoid explaining why you cannot join friends for lunch. The silence of carrying emotional exhaustion while still submitting assignments on time.

Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “He who has a way to live can bear almost any how.” For struggling students, that “why” is often hope — hope for graduation, hope for a better future, hope that one day all the sacrifices will make sense.

Mental stress, financial struggles and loneliness are quietly shaping many lives on campus. A student may not need judgment or criticism; they may simply need someone to ask, “Are you okay?”

The late American writer James Baldwin once observed, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Perhaps it is time to face the reality that student struggles are deeper than they appear.

It is about students carrying burdens too heavy for their age, yet still showing up for lectures, still submitting assignments and still daring to dream.

Because in the end, the silence no one knows is not just about struggle, it is about strength hidden in suffering.

One day, the sacrifices may become stories of victory, but until then, behind every quiet smile on campus may be a silent fight no one knows — a silence speaking louder than words.