“This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped.” This is “The Real World.” But this definition of the notoriously feared chapter of our lives only works for those seven people. What is the real world for the rest of us? Because, aside from potluck dorm assignments, it is unlikely that any of us will live with strangers, let alone have our encounters filmed.

Before college, there was a lot of pressure to gain those “real world” skills – survival instincts that would allow you to make it on your own. When it comes down to it, that is the preconceived notion of the real world: an environment in which you are the only one who can help yourself, while the rest of society is out to get you.

Fast-forward to the present.

Attending TCU, you have an abundance of resources at your fingertips, nearly 24 hours a day and all on 250 easily accessible acres. Is this the real world? It would seem not, considering the unlimited opportunity to explore the world with the safety and support of a university campus. Perhaps we enter the real world upon graduation.

About the future, I obviously cannot speak from personal experience, but I can at least elaborate on why the present does not really seem like “the real world” it was cracked up to be.

I do not see how the cosmic forces of the universe are working against me. As a college student, I never have to lift a finger to cook anything besides Easy Mac, and, even though my student account is in my name, bills still get sent home to my parents.

I would say it is a charmed life. Leading us again to the same conclusion: that the real world is out there somewhere, waiting for us to fall into its hungry trap. We seem to always be led to this conclusion about the real world as the future – that we have it good now and it is going to get worse.

I have provided you with humorous mental images and exaggerated generalizations, I know, but think about it. Your high school teachers told you that professors were not going to babysit you regarding behavior or assignments. Your college mentors warn you against the frivolous antics of future bosses. In your early days in the workforce, friends and peers will advise you about preparing to care for a family, and toward the end of them, you are told to gear up for retirement.

In every scenario, it seems as though some luxury is taken away from us and/or some hurdle is added to our lives. We seem to be bred with the idea that the real world is a negative entity and something to fear.

I think the real world is making the most of the resources we have and being aware that they may not be there tomorrow. For our own sanity, we need to shake the notion that the real world is the point of no return and maybe even let go of the idea that it is a place and accept that it is an attitude – a mature state of mind in which we are ready to take on the world and all its demons but not lose sight of the angels before us.

Anahita Kalianivala is a freshman English and psychology major from Fort Worth. Her column appears every Tuesday.