It was a Thursday night. I was in my dorm room swamped with work, avoiding responsibilities, facing the wrath of the sophomore slump. I was with my friend, and I could feel it—the immensity of another year of school weighing down on us. My backpack was already heavy with textbooks, my planner filled with due dates and meeting times and events, I already had to cancel coffee dates and dinner plans because my schedule was busier than I could’ve imagined. Is this really what I was excited to come back to all summer?
It’s been less than a month back in the ‘Bier and already I’m stressed out with work. After a night out on a weekend, I wake up filled with dread on my way to the library. I found myself unable to enjoy activities like Frisbee, knowing after the fun, there were mountains of homework looming ahead. I called my mom indignantly, telling her that I didn’t want to be here, that things weren’t fun, that my friends in cities were going out at night and my friends at home were going to parties, and I was stuck in the library in Gambier.
So today, I took two hours out of my day to go to the Kokosing. I sat with my friend and enjoyed the nature, and commented on how pretty everything was. And then later, I went to Frisbee practice and made an effort to laugh, and to joke around, and to introduce myself to the new members on the team. And then I went to the library, knowing that it was okay because I already had a good day.
Monotony is often a problem at Kenyon. We go to school in a small village, with limited food options and limited transportation. And it’s a hard school. I came into this year feeling confident, even with a lot of extracurricular activities on my plate, but I forgot that school is tedious. So on top of my mountain of meetings is a pile of reading that I feel lost in. So while my friend in Boston is going out to eat amazing food, and my friend at Syracuse is tailgating, I’m in Olin reading.
So here’s a challenge I have for everyone reading, for everyone who’s avoiding homework, getting spring fever already, counting down the days until the weekend. The challenge is to stay young, and stay silly. We’re just too young to be serious and bogged down. Get your work done, of course, but try and treat yourself every day. Below are some easy peasy ways:
1. Appreciate nature
This is a beautiful campus, y’all!! Yeah, we don’t have the city or tailgates, but we have an abundance of absolutely beautiful spots right here in Gambier. While the weather is good, get outside. Do work on Peirce lawn and bring a Frisbee so when you finish your reading you and your friend can get some exercise and chill out. Go down to the Kokosing and take some time to dip your toesies in the water before it’s freezing. Sit on the swinging bench outside of Ascension and enjoy the view. You can go anywhere—but it’s so important to have a spot on campus that you truly love.
2. Make use of your weekends.
Yes, homework is a real and valid thing, and you may be sleepy from the long nights before. However, weekends are a weird thing in college that you should structure. Too often I’ve woken up, stayed too long at brunch, and then messed around at the library, and just realized I wasted the entire day. And these days should not be wasted—it may seem sometimes like you’re stuck in Gambier, but this time is limited! Go to the KAC and swim and then sauna, or go swim in the Kokosing. Find someone with a car and go to Easton for a couple of hours and get yourself something cute, or even go to Chipotle in Mount Vernon. Especially with the great weather, get a group together and go apple picking!
3. Get the heck out of the lib!
Yeah, ya gotta do your work, and that is completely valid, but there’s more to college life than slaying away at the lib each night. Get your work done, be efficient, and then set aside time at least once a week to hang out with your friends and do something silly. Whether you all weekly watch a show together and do movie nights, or do craft nights, it’s detrimental to just go to the library and straight to bed every night. You’re constantly on during the day, going to class, meeting for clubs, and then studying. You need time to unwind!
4. Bucket List! Bucket List!
Like I said, we’re living on limited time here in Gambier. There’s a lot that we want to do and not a ton of time. sit down and make a bucket list of things you want to do. Whether it’s go to a concert in Columbus, make friends with a certain person, stargaze at the BFEC, skinny dip in the Kokosing…make it your own. Strive to have goals that you attempt to complete before spring semester.
It’s not like there’s some secret recipe to success at Kenyon. Everyone in college goes through their own path, and no one is having more fun than you are or doing anything better than you are. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the routine slump of school and forget to look on the bright side. If you plan events with your friends and make conscious efforts to have fun and stay bright and silly, it’ll be easier for those times to really hit the books. Fun is just as essential in college as studying is, I promise!
Image Credit: Giphy, Lexi Bollis