When 18 Isn't Exciting

By Sarah Bachman

I’ve always loved my routines. Right now as a college student, my routine looks something like this: Wake up, eat breakfast, go to class, work out, study, get ready for bed, plan tomorrow, and go to sleep. There’s something grounding about structure. Even when my schedule is packed, I like knowing where I’m supposed to be and what I’m working toward. One of the biggest changes I’ve faced in my four years of college was simply switching my class schedule to finish my degree requirements, and even that small shift felt big. Sometimes I wasn’t all too fond of my schedule either. If I had a busy day, where would I fit in studying or my nannying job that I rely on for some extra money?

Think about your own schedule. What parts do you like? What parts frustrate you? Most of us, if we’re honest, still prefer some kind of structure. Stability. Predictability. A place to come back to at the end of the day.

When I was 18, the world felt like it was opening. I was graduating from high school. I had friends and family who loved me. I had a room to call my own. I had time to think about my future and where my career might take me. It was all so exciting!

Now think about where you were at 18. Or if you’re younger, imagine what you hope 18 will look like. Freedom. Opportunity. Independence.

For some teenagers though, 18 does not feel like freedom. It feels like a cliff.

For thousands of young people in the foster care system, turning 18 means the support they have relied on is suddenly pulled out from under them. They may have moved from home to home for years. They may not even have a clear concept of what home truly means. Their belongings do not fill a bedroom. They fit into a trash bag.

And then at 18, they are expected to be grateful and ready.
In the United States, only about 50 percent of youth in foster care graduate from high school by age 18. Of those who do graduate, roughly 20 percent enroll in college, and only a small percentage, often cited at around 3 to 10 percent, actually earn a degree. At the same time, nearly 50 percent of youth who age out of foster care experience homelessness by age 26, and many experience housing instability immediately after turning 18.

While many of us are stressing about perfecting a morning routine or adjusting to a new class schedule, some 18 year olds are trying to figure out where they will sleep that night. Their main goal is not optimizing productivity. It is survival.
How is anyone supposed to focus on studying for an exam when they do not know if they will have dinner? How is anyone supposed to fill out college applications without stable internet, a permanent address, or an adult who wants to guide them and not exploit them? How is anyone supposed to just go to college when they are working full-time simply to stay off the street?
Society tells students to go to college, get a degree, and build a future. But for many foster youth, the high school diploma they fought so hard to earn is dismissed as not enough, while the path to the next step feels almost impossible to access. Why is a high school diploma considered enough for foster youth but not for their peers?

Foster youth are smart. Resilient. Capable. Many have navigated more change before age 18 than most of us will face in a lifetime. What they often lack is not ability. It is stability, support, and someone consistently in their corner.

They deserve the chance to go to college.

They deserve the opportunity to pursue a trade.

They deserve to discover what a routine feels like, not one built around survival but one built around growth and an opportunity to improve their futures.

They deserve to define what home means for themselves.
Raising awareness means advocating for extended support services, mentorship programs, housing assistance, and educational funding specifically for youth aging out of foster care. It means recognizing that independence at 18 looks very different depending on where you start.

So the next time you adjust your class schedule, complain about an early lecture, or romanticize the excitement of turning 18, pause for a moment. For some, 18 is the beginning of possibility. For others, it is the beginning of uncertainty. And that is why this conversation matters.

Routine should not be a luxury. 

Stability should not be rare. 

And turning 18 should not feel like the ground is disappearing beneath your feet.

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Sarah Bachman is the Current Miss Dallas County (TX). You can follow her on Instagram. 

This is her first guest blog for Section 36 Forevers.