As my first semester as a freshman, I was so excited to be here that I gave my mom a half-hearted good-bye and then I raced off to start my week of marching band. It was an incredible time. Everything was so new and Indiana was out there waiting for me to discover its hidden secrets. This transition was supposed to be hard and I was handling it as well as I could have possibly handled it so surely they were all over-exaggerating right?
What I didn’t realize was that the first semester would be easiest time moving into the dorm. I was constantly exhausting myself with marching band and working to stay on top of my school work. My life did a complete 180 and yet, I was fine with it and ready to embrace the college world.
My second semester of freshman year was the complete opposite of my first semester. In the fall, I was living a carefree life where my classes were all an easy A. It was like practicing swimming in the shallow end where you know you can still stand up. But then I dove straight into the deep end without really learning how to swim. Though I had some fun, the spring semester turned me into a complete disaster.
But the smallest thing happened to kick it all off. I moved back in and it was somehow harder than the first time. I questioned college a lot in the beginning weeks of the semester. Am I at the right school? Should I have looked at more than two schools? Is this major right for me? Should I even be at college? I just felt lost and that put me in a slump that started the procrastination train that started to unfold the semester.
(Photo by Imleedh Ali)
I’m currently trying to jump off that train right now. The past two weeks have been… exhausting. Classes went from syllabus to real work quick and my mental health has just been a roller coaster. However, I don’t tell you this to freak you out or trying and prepare you for disaster. I say all this in hope that if anyone reading this is having the same problem, they know they’re not the only ones. I survived the spring semester and I plan to do the same with the rest of my semesters here.
One of the things that has really helped me is talking to my mom and my best friend. Whether it’s about the problems I’m having or just a regular conversation to take my mind off things, they’ve been my rocks the past two weeks. Also, I’ve been reading a lot and writing a little bit. Both help me escape into something and forget reality for a little while. If you’re not into that kind of stuff, I’ve also been watching a lot of The Office because it makes me laugh easily and cheers me up.
Regardless, find what works for you. When it comes time to do school work again, make a list of the three most important things to work on. Start with the easiest one to gain momentum and motivation. If you keep making lists, you’ll tackle more and more things until suddenly you’re done. You’ll be left thinking, “Work, who’s she?”.