Stuck in September

Right around this time of year, we college students start to feel pretty overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted, burnt-out...etc.  You're thinking, "I'm not even 1/3 of the way done with this semester!  I can't keep up like this!"  I'm here to say, that if this is you--you're doing it right, you may just need some encouragement.

#1 It is important to remember that you are NOT the only person feeling this way.  Many people have by now, done at least one of the following:

• failed a quiz or test (or for some of my Honors Society peers--"failed" a quiz or test)
• forgot to turn in an assignment
• slept through an alarm
• regrettably dropped a class
• had a dramatic meltdown
• gained five to ten pounds out of nowhere
• stayed up all night playing GTA instead of studying

Honestly, it comes with the territory; nobody escapes college totally unscathed.  So, ask around.  More than likely you'll find that one of your peers is "right there with ya."  The two of you can take the opportunity to hash-out all that is morbidly wrong with those essay requirements. 

SIDE ANECDOTE (for your present entertainment and future reference):

For me, last week was hell.  The front rotors in my vehicle snapped on my way to class--then a leak in the transmission line was spotted.  Five minutes later, my phone completely broke and my laptop followed by shutting down beyond repair.  I had a plethora of assignments due and exams to study for.  And--wait for it...I wore WHITE shorts on a day of torrential downpour.  I couldn't make this up, folks.  So when you think you've had a particularly rough go, consider an exceptionally frazzled Erica--clutching a fried phone and laptop, with soaking wet hair, running mascara, and shamefully see-through shorts, swiftly approaching you and asking in exasperation to borrow your phone to call a cab, so that she can get to her next class. There--some perspective.

#2  Do yourself a favor and go outside.  It is hard to justify being cooped-up when all you want to do is enjoy the last bit of sunshine before full-blown winter strikes.  The air is cool, the leaves are vibrant, and it feels like perfect go-for-a-walk weather.  So find a place to seriously breathe for a second; maybe take a stroll around the block.  It is amazing what a little blood flow and fresh oxygen can do for your mental and physical health.  Plus, when you find yourself amidst small talk about the weather, you'll actually have an opinion to contribute--compared to the usual blasé agreement with your correspondent.

#3 If you can't possibly endure another minute in the computer lab, change it up a bit. Some classes can be really sterile, making them very challenging.  But trying to focus on sterile subjects in sterile environments is even more of a challenge.  Don't allow your motivation to be stifled by a location.  Head to a local coffee shop, a nearby picnic table, a spot in the back of the cafeteria, a lounge, the public library--anything that can allow you adequate study time but also provide some variety to your study habits.  I could easily credit the passing of my statistics course to my being able to escape to one of my favorite coffee shops--thanks, Brew.

So suck it up, buttercup.  You've got this!  Now get back to work.

Homework...yeah, about that.

Homework 

In college, I have homework.  I have homework every day.

When I don’t have time for homework, I had better find a way.

So I get my homework done, at my job or in my room.

Sometimes I’m forced to do it in a restaurant or saloon.

Every morning when I wake, but what is this I see?

It’s an endless mound of homework staring back at me.

At night, I’m up for hours - typing, solving, and doing my best.

I hardly ever finish, so there is never time for rest.

I think I’d like to take a nap, for I had stayed up all night.

I had a lot of homework, so much it wasn’t right.

My friends say, “Take a break from all that homework!  Come out and have some fun!”

I tell them that I’d like to, but there’s homework to be done.

But I have finished all my homework!  The day is mine now - hip hooray!

At least, I’m done for the moment…tomorrow’s another day.

By: Erica Hamilton

_______________________________________________________________

I wrote this poem one weekend during the first semester of my freshman year.  At the time, I was feeling quite besieged by the seemingly insurmountable amount of homework that I had acquired simply by attending my classes.  The poem itself is a bit melodramatic, yes I'll admit, but you can tell that I was pretty taken aback by the load.  The thing was, so many of my colleagues would approach the subject in the same way saying, "Why are you always so busy?  I never have homework."  Well, from now on, I'm calling bull$#!+.  Can I say, "bullshit" in my own blog?

I only say this because in college, I have found that whether or not I have a physical assignment staring me in the face I always have something I could be doing to keep up or get ahead in class.  In fact, currently forefront in my mind is that I could easily be analyzing an article for my International Business course instead of blogging (but we all make sacrifices).  My point is: chances are, if I have to be keeping up on all of this tedious minutia in my courses, then so do you!  So what can we do about it?  How in the heck are we going to keep up when we have no set schedule?  It's hard enough to find time to eat!

#1 When it comes to college, you can forget regularity or normalcy.  You're trying to make sense of your schedule when there is literally no pattern to it.

- Monday, class from 8:00am to 10am.

- Tuesday, noon to 4:00pm, then 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  

- Every other Wednesday from 7:00pm to 10:00pm
- Thursday 1:00pm to 3:00pm
- a part-time job or two (or three)
- extracurricular activities
- social events
- your relationship
...you get the picture.

So now you must make due with what you've got!  This means that whenever you have an open time slot for homework, utilize it.  Set yourself in a quiet place with a good internet connection and have at it.  Even if you open up your laptop or textbook and seemingly gaze into the the abyss, you're bound to eventually put some sort of dent into your workload.

#2 Do not quit while you're ahead.  I used to hate when my residents from the halls would tell me that they finished ten problems with ease, so they chose to take a video-game break.  Or that they wrote two pages and decided to call it a night - at 7:00pm.  Why?!  When you're "on-a-roll" do not slow up; you lose your train of thought and put an unnecessary halt to productivity.  Also note that once you wander into a social place, you will be instantly reminded of obligations that are sure to keep you from your tasks - you promised to have lunch with so and so, you said you would peer edit your friend's essay, you need to get an oil change before you spend all of your money on paint, and yarn for crochet - oh, that last one was just me.  Anyway, when your brain is in "work-mode" take full advantage of the opportunity to get assignments done.

#3 I really had a tough time with this one in college and to an extent, still do.  So I am speaking from experience when I say that it's okay to say no.  Don't get me wrong, my friends are great - even though most of them just called me a hypocrite after reading my previous statement.  Still, every now and then I have to set boundaries so that I do not get overwhelmingly behind in my classes.  It can be quite challenging when you're offered a much more fun way to spend the day.  It is so easy to say, "I'll get to that paper later.  I have some time Thursday before class."  But take it from me that almost always, as if on cue, that extra time I thought I'd have Thursday becomes filled and I am left to resent the fact that I have not yet learned my own lesson on prioritization.  Your friends won't hate you for being a responsible student.  They may poke fun at you, they may whine that they never see you, but they will ultimately understand and eventually get over it.  And yes, you may also feel a little guilty bailing on plans or declining an invitation, but this does not even compare to the guilt you'd feel if you failed your class at the end of the semester.