As a first year student who has just finished her first official winter term at Elon, I am experiencing first hand the struggle of adapting back to normal classes and everyday life.
The J-term lifestyle was unlike any other. I opted for a 1:30 class (because I am the farthest thing from a morning person) and after a few days of getting used to things my life quickly turned into a routine. The month of January is a blur of waking up, getting lunch with friends, going to class, eating dinner, going out, and repeating. As this schedule became a routine it was hard to picture myself doing anything else, so you can imagine the denial that hit me like a train when I realized that I had to go back to the crammed and overwhelming schedule that comes with the start of a new semester.
With a week of real classes under my belt, I have found a few ways to help myself cope with the abrupt change in routine.
- Get some sleep: Going from sleeping until the early hours of the afternoon everyday during J-term to waking up for 8am class can be like a slap in the face, so going to bed early during the week (especially at the beginning of the semester) can help give you the energy during the day to take on your classes.
- Dedicate study time: I know for me I stayed as far away as possible from the library during j-term, but now it’s clear I won’t be able to hide from it any longer. Dedicating study time will help cushion your GPA and get your semester off to a good (and less stressful) start!
- Don’t stress! From what I’ve heard, it’s normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed at the beginning of a new semester especially after an entire month of having one class. So if you’re like me go out of your way to relax yourself and get back into the swing of things before you let yourself go crazy…Good luck!!