Can Creativity Survive Academia?

I am wondering; can Academia and Creativity co-exist? It’s only my second week of college and my creative self feels like its suffocating. With all the logical and technical thought processes that I am trying to absorb, I do not feel like I have the time for creative outlets and I am feeling stifled. Is there a way to incorporate creativity into the learning process to be able to better grasp these concepts and to more fully be able to enjoy the learning experience I am being offered?
With my life experience I can fully appreciate that without an education I am seriously limited with my life choices. Obtaining and education is very important to me and I wish to do well. I am devoting hours a day on my studies. If I am not at work or attending to other life responsibilities, I am focusing on school. I do not feel like the high school education I received really prepared me for a higher education and I am struggling to understand the concepts that are being presented to me. I feel at the disadvantage, like I have to work twice as hard right now to catch up with the other students who have had more recent education.
I am a naturally curious person. I love learning and I want to know everything about everything. With that characteristic, I feel like I could really get into and enjoy the learning opportunity that I now have. I just have to overcome this feeling of inadequacy. I have to get to a point where I feel confident and caught up. I start every new week feeling like I am three steps behind everyone else. Everything is foreign to me right now, and I don’t like that. Does it get better? Will it get easier? I truly hope so.