Okay, so it’s getting to be that point in the semester. We survived midterms – barely – and now we’re just feeling…well, burnt out. You know: we’re napping more, eating more, caring less. It’s pretty bad. And there’s just no escaping it – it’s just like that high school streak of senioritis, and it’s in full effect. We’re so ready for winter break, we can almost taste it.
But our problems aren’t all that bad. It’s not like we’re having to deal with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, right? This is “You At This Point in the Semester: As Told by Harry Potter.”
1.) Your patience for everything is wearing thin: Mandatory homework is starting to feel more…optional. It’s been weeks since you’ve fed your Netflix addiction, and the withdrawal is really starting to hit you. You just can’t help it. Who wants to read one-hundred pages of Shakespeare when there’s a new season of Supernatural to catch up on? Oh, and you know what else? The Harry Potter weekend is going to be premiering soon. Gotta make time for that.
2.) You miss home: College is great, but you know what else is great? Home-cooked meals, your family, your pets, your mom. Yeah, you’ve been having a great semester, meeting new people, going to parties – it’s been awesome living out the college experience, but let’s face it: everyone gets homesick. Everyone.
3.) You’re sort of pumped about your spring schedule: You’re all registered, and you’re sort of excited for your new classes! Why shouldn’t you be? You fought to get into them (yeah, we know registration is a bloodbath). So, that’s great – but you have to finish up this semester, first. So that’s kind of a drag.
4.) Commuters are dreading winter parking: And, oh, they are so over the parking situation already. Found a spot? Great! Make sure you race to it before someone steals it on you.
5.) You spend a lot of time mentally calculating your worst/best possible GPA: If you were to totally slack off, if you were to ace everything from this point forward. It’s a struggle, and we know it. We sit there, imagining what our grades would look like if we watched one more episode of Orange is the New Black. How much of a hit can our classes take before we’re in danger? We know we should study, should go to class – maybe we just need a good smack in the head.
6.) You start to consider dropping out: You just can’t do it anymore. It’s just too much. Trying to manage classes, friendships, relationships…gosh, you miss your actual social life. If this is what the real world is like, you’re not sure you want any part of it. Stress is second nature to you now.
7.) Then you remember your bills: And you start to cry. There’s no way out.
8.) You’re afraid to check your midterm scores: We still haven’t peeked. Why? Because midterms are scary.
9.) You get really stressed when people start to talk about finals: Enough said.
10.) But, you have to remember: It’s almost Thanksgiving. Soon, you can stress-eat your worries away.
So, try not to stress. There’s goodness around every corner. As Dumbledore said: “Happiness can be found, even at the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Let that be our creed as we fight to finish this semester – there’s no Dark Lord for us, just finals and a whole lot of studying. And remember, you can do it!